fogging up

[pjw]

i know we have had some bad weather, but this morning i went out in the a4 for the first time since before xmas. seems to have developed fogged up rear and front windows which took an age to clear. is there anywhere common that seals let water in, or anything i should investigate to see if i can spot a leak?

thanks.

 

[aragorn]

Drain plugs in the scuttle area (under the battery and servo) are the usual culprits.

They get blocked with leaves and ***** and the whole area fills up with water, which works its way into the cabin.

I remove the plug and cut the bottom half off, so its an open hole rather than a "seal" which helps stop it blocking up in future.

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

If the prob persists And you cant find route of it try rain-x anti mist or lynx shower gel on the inside of your windows (put on a tissue, rub in till clear...works no BS).

 

[andybnwc]

If you had a lot of snow and wet feet onto the mats then that will have the same effect

 

[ScottD3]

My windows did this over Christmas when i stopped driving it.
I bought a disposable Dehumidifier and sat that in the car.
I've since taken it out and put it in the GTI (flooded out last week) but it work well in the A4 and cleared all the windows up.
They have not misted up since.

I'd also check the carpets and see if any is damp or wet.

 

[jcb]

change your pollen filter and make sure all you carpets are dry.
my polen filter was sodden after a scuttle plug fill up. even after draining it you are just pumping wet air into the car if it doesnt dry out

 

[pjw]

Fair one. When you say scuttles do you mean the plastic trim at the bottom of the windscreen or the metal underneath it?

 

[electricracer]

scuttle is the bit where the battery and brake servo sits, feel down under the battery and it should be dry.

 

[Alibi]

I have had a blocked scuttle drain on my last 2 A4s. If you drive around with the radio off you can hear the water sloshing about on corners. In my cars, the water came up to the level of the underside of the battery before flooding the footwell, and you will feel that one as your feet get wet. In my current car, the water affected the gearbox ECU which is under the front carpet on the river's side. Caused big problems with the autobox but after drying it out it worked partially and after a couple of months it is now totally back to normal. Dehumidifier would probably speed up the drying out process considerably, or maybe a hairdryer on the sealed ECU box.

As said above, snip the end of the tube. It's a poor piece of design and the problem is ahred with VW Passats apparently. Not as poor a piece of design as putting the thermostat on the V6 engine somewhere behind the cambelt area...

 

[pjw]

Ive been doing allsorts else today and forgot about this.. Am i able to access the two points without removing the servo and the battery?

 

[Sandip]

It may also be the heater matrix leaking ever so slightly

 

[aragorn]

Ive been doing allsorts else today and forgot about this.. Am i able to access the two points without removing the servo and the battery?

Just need to take the battery and its tray out.

 

[sprint_48]

Useful thread.

Currently having the same grief with mine (made worse by accidentally cleaning my windows with my wheel-wax buffing cloth - doh!), so will check my scuttle area today. My last b5 was swimming in water around the battery until I unblocked leaves and crap from the drainage points.

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

Useful thread.

Currently having the same grief with mine (made worse by accidentally cleaning my windows with my wheel-wax buffing cloth - doh!), so will check my scuttle area today. My last b5 was swimming in water around the battery until I unblocked leaves and crap from the drainage points.

Hello mate, use IPA (wiping alcohol) to remove the wax! Did the same thing years ago!lol! PJW- might be worth putting a blow heater in there overnight with a window left open 1cm for the moisture to escape. Obvo nOt a permy fix but should get you by in the meantime...

 

[sprint_48]

Thoroughly cleaned the inside of all my windows today. The smearing has gone, but the fogging is still really bad, mainly windscreen and rear as someone else said. Only been this bad the past week, apart from being dangerous it's doing my head in!

 

[pjw]

Mine seems to steam up very quickly if youve been in with wet feet, even though the interiors still warm. Conviced i got a leak somewhere, will do the scuttles soon..

 

[foursprungdugtechnique]

you could try running with the heater turned down lower, say 18 degrees, heat makes the moisture in the car turn to water vapour, the cold windscreen causes the vapour to condense.
make sure your interior glass is really clean, if you smoke in the car it will leave a film on the windows which the water vapour sticks to.
hot soapy water on microfibre cloths should clean the windows well enough, and if you get the chance to leave the windows open for a while on a nice day, do it. Rubber mats trap water in the carpet, best to get them out too.
Tear up cardboard boxes and use them as mats for a while, they will soak up water, chuck them when they get wet