I used the wiper washer this morning and had a smell of windscreen fluid come into the car  more or less straight away,I have looked online at the VW up workshop manual to suss out where the pipes are but only shows me they are attached to the jets on the bonnet.I am not loosing any fluid which makes me think that either the glass is not sealed properly so gets into car between the glass and seal cover or  it is getting in somewhere else.The car is a 2017 so i do not think drainage channels would be blocked from the plenum chamber to lower wheel arches.Or is this just vapour from the screenwash and not fluid that is getting in through open vents etc.

Any suggestions any one.

 

I get this on my Octavia MkII especially in winter when I run a higher ratio of concentrate to water. I think that it comes in through the vents as excess washer fluid is wiped into the scuttle. Is is more pronounced when stationary than when travelling.

The smell will come in on the airfow, through the vents. You don't even need the fan on if there is even a slight breeze outside. Even opening the doors will draw air in from outside.

 

If the drainage holes are blocked however, any water/washer fluid on the windscreen can get into the cab - if the water cannot drain, it can build up and enter the hole where the air is drawn in from the outside for the ventilation system.  Point being, it's worth checking the drain holes are clear no matter the reason for the smell.

So it could be just the smell from washer fluid i will check again tomorrow,i do have the front vents set to windscreen for the fan so will try a different position see if that helps if it changes then it will deffo be vapour.Will check the drainage tomorrow if it is not raining.

Thanks.

The rotary control that sets where air is distributed in the cabin isn't really relevant, but the slider that sets whether air is recirculated or comes in from the outside is the control I was referring to. This slider cuts off a large volume of external air from coming in, if set to recirculate....

 

It could still be the case that your drain channels are blocked though!

 

Thanks for info.