Steamy windows! Cure??

[philKS2]

Nooo.. NOT Tina Turner hitching a ride.

Some continuing damp problem means I often have steamed up windows overnight. I have a small rock crystal de-humidifier which helps.

BUT a question for the scientists: When I drive along, heater up and running, rear demister on... I guess that's causing all the water to evaporate off the windows and into the air.

SO... is it best to do this with the window OPEN in order to flush this damp air out of the car? Or is that just letting IN more damp winter air from the outside. Answers on a postcard!


P

[vonbeck]

hi it could be a few things
1 your sunroof drains are blocked
2 your pollen filter needs changing/cleaning
3 your rear light covers are letting water in slightly and thus causing condensation if its none of the above i think your scientist approach is about the best and i await to read their solution [as i sometimes have the same problem but only on the back window

[sam80quattro]

could also be ill fitted windscreen trims or a leaking heater matrix

[Ian Simmonds]

or a leaking heater matrix

That'd be my bet too...

Sorry.

[Rusty]

Welcome to Team Coupe Goldfish Bowl - a club everyone belongs to but no one wants to

Coupes leak as the door seals and sunroof seal get old, matters are usully made worse if the windscreen has been replaced.

One thing that can help in he shoorem is to get rid of the carpet, it's an extreme thing to do but with nowhere for it to be absorbed, the water can be easily dealt with by a towel. This is what I've done until I can fix the leaks propery It sounds mint though and isn't much louder on cruise... I think.

It's not that likely to be the matrix, if it is then you'r unlucky. Check for a pink tinge (or whatever colour your anti-freeze is) to the water and a taste of anti-freeze, if you're brave. White kitchen towel should help with colour identification.

Yes, open the window a little, or sunroof, and allow some fresh air to circulate - this won't do much TBH / IME, you can't get the water out the carpet that easily. Try some dry towels and standing on them, as you would on a house carpet, to draw out the moisture, again, this isn't that effective IME.

Overall, you need to get the sunroof and door seals checked and sorted to stop it leaking and make sure the windscreen trims and windscreen are correcty fitted and sealed.

[macspring]

Matrix gets my vote.

If you have G11 or G12 in the coolant you may be able to smell the coolant inside the car. Check for possible wetness under the rubber floor mats. Put some kitchen roll in between them to see does it get wet?

Kind regards.

[Ian Simmonds]

Matrix gets my vote.

If you have G11 or G12 in the coolant you may be able to smell the coolant inside the car. Check for possible wetness under the rubber floor mats. Put some kitchen roll in between them to see does it get wet?

Kind regards.

Yep, sometimes mine almost felt soapy, I convinced myself it was where it'd been valeted in the past and just getting damp... I was wrong, it was G12.

[Tonks4x4]

Another one to check is the bonnet release cable!!!! it is the bain of my life. I have tried new grommets, lots of silicone and all manner of things to try to stop it.

The only reason I found the leak was last year when we had bad weather it formed an icicle down the drivers footwell trim and after further investigation I could see where it had frozen down the bonnet cable.

And also a bug bear of mine is the rear tailgate rubber seal seems to trap water inside of it and then guide it down behind the rear lights and numberplate cover.

[philKS2]

Another one to check is the bonnet release cable!!!! it is the bain of my life. I have tried new grommets, lots of silicone and all manner of things to try to stop it.

.

Arghhhh ... bonnet release cable grommet was about the FIRST thing I learned about from this Forum. When I first bught my car All Audi in bristol had the engine out to do various things... and didn't put the release cable grommet back in - so when it rained I had a flooded car!!! Silocone has sealed it good and proper now.

BUT you are ALL missing the point of the OP... I was asking a scientific question about dispersing some of the condensation.. windows open ??? or will having heater on full drive damp air out of the car some other way ...

[Le S2 Audi]

Arghhhh ... bonnet release cable grommet was about the FIRST thing I learned about from this Forum. When I first bught my car All Audi in bristol had the engine out to do various things... and didn't put the release cable grommet back in - so when it rained I had a flooded car!!! Silocone has sealed it good and proper now.

BUT you are ALL missing the point of the OP... I was asking a scientific question about dispersing some of the condensation.. windows open ??? or will having heater on full drive damp air out of the car some other way ...

Used one of these on my lads Golf to dry out the back after his lights started to leak...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PINGI-NAUTIC-R...item414ab38d1e

Very good and you pop it in the Micro for 5 mins and it's ready to go again...

[Dan]

To answer your original question - you obviously want to have the car hot inside to vapourise the water. This humid air does however need to escape.

Therefore I'd turn the heating on full blast, create positive pressure inside the car and fill it with hot air (hot air will vapourise water and also has a high saturation point).

Once it's nice and toasty, pop the window open a touch. Not all the way, because we don't want the car to fill up with cold air (which is less receptive to water vapour), but enough so that positive pressure inside the car starts pushing hot air out of the gap (taking its water vapour with it).

[Rusty]

...I was asking a scientific question about dispersing some of the condensation.. windows open ??? or will having heater on full drive damp air out of the car some other way ...

I answered this

Yes, open the window a little, or sunroof, and allow some fresh air to circulate - this won't do much TBH / IME, you can't get the water out the carpet that easily. Try some dry towels and standing on them, as you would on a house carpet, to draw out the moisture, again, this isn't that effective IME.

[4WheelDrifter]

Put the air conditioning on. I find that works best.

[Gompa]

borrow a de-humidifier off someone for a night and rig it up in your car overnight. once your sure most of the moisture is out it wont steam up as much i also tried a little trick and it seems to be working and thats to have a small container of salt in the car it should absorb a bit of moisture. i dont know if its just in my head but it seems to be helping in my mk2 golf

[JP]

Always demist your Windows using the aircon. Air-conditioning acts as a dehumidifier which is why it has a water drain to dispose of the moisture it separates from the atmosphere.

For the quickest demist put the heater on windscreen, switch the aircon on and make sure the heating system is set to recirculating so you keep drying out the air inside the car without introducing fresh from outside.