Condensation on inside windscreen

coolguy

coolguy

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Hi all, just want to ask if anyone has had or having a similar problem where the windscreen has a heavy coating of condensation when parked outside.

It's not the form where you can leave the heater on a few minutes and disappears but you need to wipe the windscreen with a cloth to get rid of the moisture.

Not had any problems like this on my previous car. My car is usually parked outside for around 8 hours while at work and when I finish, I get this problem when outside is quite cold.

Ideas anyone? Should I take this back to the garage to get it checked out for leaks?
 
coolguy said:
Hi all, just want to ask if anyone has had or having a similar problem where the windscreen has a heavy coating of condensation when parked outside.

It's not the form where you can leave the heater on a few minutes and disappears but you need to wipe the windscreen with a cloth to get rid of the moisture.

Not had any problems like this on my previous car. My car is usually parked outside for around 8 hours while at work and when I finish, I get this problem when outside is quite cold.

Ideas anyone? Should I take this back to the garage to get it checked out for leaks?
Click to expand...

Do you drive to work with the air conditioning on. The a/c dries the air and could help as the air inside the car will start the 8 hours you leave it drier that without the a/c. On my existing 8P Sportback I have the a/c on all the time. It is normally in my garage overnight but when it is parked outside for any length of time I don't get any condensation at all.
 
I think Dave's comment is a good one, but you still shouldn't get that much condensation. I used to get that on an old MK1 Ford Focus and it was seals. On such a new car, you shouldn't get it, I'd take it to the dealer
 
The Golf MK6s suffer from this issue a lot, a colleague moaned about it right from new.

He has just picked up his new MK7 so it'll be interesting to see if the condensation persists, but I haven't experienced it in my A3 yet (well, not to any extremes).

Would be interesting to see if anyone else experiences it, and what the possible causes are.
 
its been the wettest winter we had in years and there is a lot of moisture in the air. Could be the cause and damp mats as well..
 
My current Fiesta does this very badly and on particularly cold days it actually freezes on the inside of the windscreen!! Shocking from a 2 year old car. I can't be bothered getting it fixed as it's < 40 days until my shiny new A3!

My Fiesta does have a leak in the boot, which is the contributor to this, so you might want to get your A3 checked out.
 
I've not had it, I do keep the A/C on though
 
Agree with cuke2u that is has been extremely wet recently and that's bound to be a factor.

I get condensation sometimes but just enough to cloud/mist up the windscreen; not water beading. I only use air con when I need it; making sure I switch off a few mins before the end of each journey. And run it at least once every 10 days.

However, had a courtesy car recently that had this really badly. Had to add 5mins to each journey to clear windscreen and that was with air con on all the time.

John.
 
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h5djr said:
Do you drive to work with the air conditioning on. The a/c dries the air and could help as the air inside the car will start the 8 hours you leave it drier that without the a/c. On my existing 8P Sportback I have the a/c on all the time. It is normally in my garage overnight but when it is parked outside for any length of time I don't get any condensation at all.
Click to expand...
I usually don't use the A/C but will give it a try. As it's still a new car, it is very strange to have such heavy condensation. I'll probably take it back to the garage for them to have a look.

Thanks all for the advice.
 
cuke2u said:
Make sure that the a/c is on auto and not set the recycle...
Click to expand...
I'll give it a try but still a strange thing as it's only my car that happens and nobody else parked around me.

I'm thinking I did have my passenger window replaced a few months ago (from the big scratch I got), not sure if that could be a cause.
 
As I said, check the mats aren't wet. If they are it could indicate water ingress...
 
One thing that can cause this (especially if you dont have the a/c on) is if you get into the car having been out in the rain, as your coat dries out, the moisture will end up in the air, and stay in the car once you then get out (with your now dry coat). Repeat this a few times, and you may see similar issues to those you're experiencing. As others have stated, if you can try to run the a/c this time of year and it'll dry out the air, although if you're only doing short journies, you may still see the issue.

Of course, it may be a seal/leak, but if there's no visible signs, I'd certainly try the a/c route before letting the dealers near my car!
 
My girlfriend's car suddenly developed this problem after being serviced and MOT'd recently.

After some detective work it turned out the garage had used dashboard polish wipes on the inside of the windscreen. The stuff on the wipes had caused the water to collect and bead on the glass.

A once over with windex sorted it out. Might be worth a try?
 
Well I've booked my in car for next week but I will give the A/C a try and also will check the carpets.

My car is only a few months old, so not sure about the pollen filter.
 
I collected my new A3 on 2nd January. I have noticed that I'm spending more time demisting the windows than I did on my previous car. I've had the A/C on all the time, so don't think that's the problem.
 
slipped_disc said:
I collected my new A3 on 2nd January. I have noticed that I'm spending more time demisting the windows than I did on my previous car. I've had the A/C on all the time, so don't think that's the problem.
Click to expand...

same with mine. a/c on since i picked the car up on the 14th of november. a lot of moisture on the windscreen and takes ages to get rid off. Previously had a ford with heated windscreen :) shame audi doesnt have this option :)
 
bpnike said:
same with mine. a/c on since i picked the car up on the 14th of november. a lot of moisture on the windscreen and takes ages to get rid off. Previously had a ford with heated windscreen :) shame audi doesnt have this option :)
Click to expand...
Same here, previous car was a Ford and liked the heated windscreen.
 
Ford pretty much have a monopoly on that option as they hold the patent I think.
 
cemerson said:
Ford pretty much have a monopoly on that option as they hold the patent I think.
Click to expand...

VW offer it as an option on the Golf VII for £295, but it works out quite expensive because you have to have the Advanced telephone connection as well which costs £315 because the screen stops mobile phone signals.
 
h5djr said:
VW offer it as an option on the Golf VII for £295, but it works out quite expensive because you have to have the Advanced telephone connection as well which costs £315 because the screen stops mobile phone signals.
Click to expand...

I've got the heated windscreen in my current fiesta and my phone always has full signal? Even when using the Bluetooth there's no distortion.
 
Could be that Ford build something in to get around it. It wouldn't affect Bluetooth anyway.
 
There's nothing special about how Ford get around it and it seems strange that VW say this unless their screens also have a reflective coating. I believe that Mercedes offer heated screens as well. It is a shame that Audi's do not have this though, I've certainly noticed the lack of this since having my two loan cars...
 
All very interesting about heated windscreens, but not very helpful to our current problem!
I returned to my car this evening - weather was cold but dry. I had to wipe the inside of the windscreen and use the MAX button for several minutes before it was safe enough to drive away.
If anybody has any bright ideas (other an buying a Ford), please let me know.
 
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Im having my car serviced tomorrow (mmi sat nav freezing) will ask about condensation and let you know what they say
 
slipped_disc said:
All very interesting about heated windscreens, but not very helpful to our current problem!
I returned to my car this evening - weather was cold but dry. I had to wipe the inside of the windscreen and use the MAX button for several minutes before it was safe enough to drive away.
If anybody has any bright ideas (other an buying a Ford), please let me know.
Click to expand...

Have you watched the video I posted on the second post?
 
Ok my A4 Avant was badly steamed up this morning and took a while to clear the screen. Very damp and murky though with fog. My rear side windows never got clear by the time I got to work and there was only two of us in the car..
 
Another vote for pollen filter, my mk6 Golf was very bad and a replacement solved it even though the original wasn't that old and still looked quite clean. Maybe you could try leaving the filter out of the car for a day or 2 to see if it makes a difference.
 
I don't want to be smearing washing up liquid over a car that was heading for £30k. My car is just new so pollen filter should not be a problem. Funny though, weather was wet but not cold this morning and no condensation. We'll see what this evening brings.
 
slipped_disc said:
I don't want to be smearing washing up liquid over a car that was heading for £30k. My car is just new so pollen filter should not be a problem. Funny though, weather was wet but not cold this morning and no condensation. We'll see what this evening brings.
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Same here, the car is just a few months old, checked the carpet/mats for damp but feels fine.
 
This was happening to my A1 just after the havens opened,as soon as I stopped using white vinegar the condensation stopped.
 
This seems to be a fairly common issue from the number of replies. Yes the weather has been bad but quite a few people affected; am sure this is not everyone's first car so more condensation compared to other models and no obvious point of entry as reports suggest carpets are dry.

Pollen filter - had thought that the common issues with water ingress on other models would have meant this was addressed at design stage (like the drain holes in old A6 & A8 sunroofs being too narrow, getting clogged and leaking into the headlining).

Pano Roof? The courtesy cars I had with bad condensation did not have pano roof.

Door seals and separate threads of wind noise from rear passenger door from incomplete seal? That's a possibility.

Boot seals: the 8V lower boot seal seems very close to the bumper esp on SB and very narrow. That strikes me as a weak point for water to get in as it runs down from the roof.....
 
I doubt very much it has anything other than hot bodies, cold air and very damp conditions. I have read about the same in other manufacturers forums...
 
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cuke2u said:
I doubt very much it has anything other than hot bodies, cold air and very damp conditions. I have read about the same in other manufacturers forums...
Click to expand...

What settings do you have on your air conditioning/heating.

I have not had any problems at all on my 8P Sportback. I have my climate control switched ON and set to AUTO and 21 degrees. My two centre vents are open and set straight forward and the two outside vents are open and set to point towards the side windows. I hardly ever have to use my rear screen heater. My A3 is in a garage most nights but its still the same if I leave it out for the night.

My wife has an A1 and uses the same settings and gets no problems either and hers is out every night.
 
If the CC is set to auto then usually the face vents aren't used as below a certain cabin and exterior temperature the system will send all the air to the windscreen to automatically demist. If you switch on the demist then it turns the CC temp and blower up to high...
 
cuke2u said:
If the CC is set to auto then usually the face vents aren't used as below a certain cabin and exterior temperature the system will send all the air to the windscreen to automatically demist. If you switch on the demist then it turns the CC temp and blower up to high...
Click to expand...

If I close the outside vents the side windows will start to steam up. As soon as I open them it goes away.
 
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