Condensation/fogging of car - how to beat it?

DubDani

Hi,

I got a used car during the summer and have had no problem at all since then. But these days I am having the problem that the car windows get foggy/condensated very quickly.

Putting up the fan doesn't help much either. The only way at the moment to get rid of the problem is to open the windows. But that is not an ideal option, especially as it will get colder soon.

Anybody knows how to beat the problem? Anything to clean the windows with, or anything to put into the car to get the wet out of it?

Cheers,
DubDani

blastman

Does it have air con? I have a similar problem, especially when it rains, that the windows fog up. Air con clears it very quickly but it's not ideal in winter as you want heat as well.

Seth Brundle

@blastman - true but its necessary to leave aircon on for at least 20 minutes a month in the winter to keep the seals within the system from deteriorating.

Fozzie Bear

If the window does not clear with the fan you should check your air filter. I had the same problem with a old car of mine a few years back. I would turn up the heating but the bloody window would still be white with condensation. The reason being because the air filter was caked with dirt and crap so not enough fresh air could get through it. Hated (and still do) wiping the winscreen with a cloth or shammy as it leaves streaks all over it which i find worse then condensation.

Blue850

Check has the car got a pollen filter and see if it needs replacing, and make sure the air is being drawn from outside and not being recirculated from within the car

Mr Magnolia

A lot of cars have cabin radiators, check yours isn't leaking this will cause windows to fog and never clear - check the coolant level in the car, if it's down your cabin rad's probably leaking

ASRB

Is car fitted with Pollen filter. I had same experience with an opel. Pollen filter was clogged + no air circulating.All windows fogged up within minutes of starting journey Changed filter and everything was 100%

Wishbone Ash

Fozzie Bear wrote:

Hated (and still do) wiping the winscreen with a cloth or shammy as it leaves streaks all over it

:eek:

(chamois )

Tabnabs

I had this problem suddenly in an old Opel I had. Turned out I had left the air on recycle/internal and as soon as I switched it over to external air it cleared off within minutes

Anan1

blastman wrote:

Does it have air con? I have a similar problem, especially when it rains, that the windows fog up. Air con clears it very quickly but it's not ideal in winter as you want heat as well.

You can use a/c and the heater at the same time. The a/c dehumidifies the air, which is then heated by the heater. The result is warm, dry air.

neacy69

appartently the stuff that you get with new shoes that looks a little sachet of salt do wonders for condesation if you place one or two around the car....

colm_mcm

make sure the recirculation button (above) isn't pressed

Check the pollen filter

cantdecide

water was p*ssing into my car through rust holes in the sunroof recess. it poured down the headliner, down the pillars, alongside the dash and was deposited in the footwells. car was constantly full of condensation til i fixed it.

what kind of car is it??

nialler

Anan1 wrote:

You can use a/c and the heater at the same time. The a/c dehumidifies the air, which is then heated by the heater. The result is warm, dry air.

that irritates the bejayziz outta your sinuses, then again in this weather everything irritates the bejayziz outta yer sinuses

Wishbone Ash

cantdecide wrote:

water was p*ssing into my car through rust holes in the sunroof recess. it poured down the headliner, down the pillars, alongside the dash and was deposited in the footwells. car was constantly full of condensation til i fixed it.

what kind of car is it??

BMW?

Renegade_Archer

I had the same issue on my Mk2 Toledo - yanked the pollen filter, and the problem went away. Now I just have to figure out where water is getting into my headlight

Cmar-Ireland

I don't know if this works, but I heard that if you put a little washing up liquid on some cloth and polish the glass, it will prevent them from fogging up.

Haven't tried it myself though...

damo605

Only problem I noticed with using the air con to clear the windscreen was that you have to keep in on for the entire journey as I found the windscreen would fog up almost the instant I'd turn it off.
What sort of car is it? Most cars should clear the windscreen with heat applied (Some cars quicker than others) unless there's a problem. Check under the mats in the footwells to see if there's any dampness from a leaking heater core.
Washing up liquid definitely helps as I cleaned the inside of my windows with it last week but didn't do the windscreen and since then the only window that's been fogged up is the windscreen!

digweed

neacy69 wrote:

appartently the stuff that you get with new shoes that looks a little sachet of salt do wonders for condesation if you place one or two around the car....

silica gel...it absorbs the water in the air, good idea to put them in the car, i never would've thought of that.

D.

DubDani

thanks for all the responses. The Car is a Mazda 323.

It seems changing the Air Flow from Internal to External has almost solved the problem. In addition to that I cleaned and hoovered the heating system, and now all is fine. Thanks for all your input.