Misting up

MacKWT

MacKWT

Member
Hi all

Quick question for the many experts here. My A2 seems to mist up its windows quite a lot, especially if it’s left for a while. Is this a common design issue, or indicative of a slight ingress of water somewhere? It’s not awful, and it clears either quickly with the demister fan, or very quickly with the air on on.

Any thoughts appreciated.
PS, I would wait for a few dry days to seek if it would help, and rule out water ingress, but I live in the Hebrides, so two consecutive dry days are what we call summer! Just ask Murdo Moderator ?
 
MacKWT said:
Hi all

Quick question for the many experts here. My A2 seems to mist up its windows quite a lot, especially if it’s left for a while. Is this a common design issue, or indicative of a slight ingress of water somewhere? It’s not awful, and it clears either quickly with the demister fan, or very quickly with the air on on.

Any thoughts appreciated.
PS, I would wait for a few dry days to seek if it would help, and rule out water ingress, but I live in the Hebrides, so two consecutive dry days are what we call summer! Just ask Murdo Moderator
Click to expand...

Have you checked for water ingress into the boot?


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Two of mine do this when left for a few frosty days, but the boot is dry and there are no leaks. I've resorted to a pair of 1kg silica bags that I bring back into the house to dry out on the radiators every few days. I do wonder if at least one of my cars needs the aircon regassing as the car that did have the a/c regassed a year back has been internal mist-free in the same period ; the other one the a/c is currently pressurised but non-functional due to the corroded-on broken pressure sensor.
 
One of ours is good at not misting(not great considering there's 4 in use). Buzz (yellow CS) has had an OSS leak though all our cars feel and appear dry inside. I generally have heating on with a high fan speed to try to mobilise the moisture though with wet shoes, clothes and exhaled air in the car it seems I'm fighting a losing battle at times. Like Robin, I use silica bags, I've considered the purchase of a dehumidifier too though ultimately the issue isn't terribly time consuming, just takes a few few more minutes to clear the windows.
 
Thanks chaps. Sounds like it is a semi-widespread issue.
My boot is bone dry, so don’t think that’s the issue. May try the silica bags. Thanks again
 
Silica bags work great. Do you have rubber mats in the car? If so they trap more moisture causing condensation. Winter is always worse due to wet clothes and feet. I try to open a rear window about 20mm for the last 10 minutes of a trip to help ventilate any moisture - just do not forget to close it when you park up.
 
Both my A2s mist up in cold weather when left the one with fully working aircon is not so bad, and this is the one with the tailgate that fills up with rain inside. When I got my TDI90 the bonnet air chamber drain holes were completely bunged up with leaf mould and the it had filled up with rain. The bonnet was so heavy to lift off that first time.
I think this is a rare problem but worth checking if the bonnet hasn’t been off for a while.
Also I wonder about cleaning out the aircon condensate drain pipe where it pokes through the bulkhead using a piece of flexible wire with a blunted end and might try that next time I’m underneath.
MATT


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If you have been for a drive in cold weather with heat on then before you stop it’s worth cracking the windows an inch to flush out the warm, moisture laden air that you have built up in the car. Otherwise it’s all going to condense out once the car cools and will then soggy the car up.

Also good to have the window cracked for the first couple of minutes after you get in for similar reasons - until things start to heat up.

I got some of those wind shields for the windows to let me crack windows without losing eardrums.


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Those wind deflection doofers are also good if you want to leave the windows open after parking.
If you drop the windows about quarter inch you cannot see the gap due to the deflectors.
 
Apparently polishing inside of of glass with shaving foam also prevents fogging but yet to try myself think this cat litter hack is better as its more prevention rather than cure! Thanks for the info!!
 
You can buy those silicon bead bags which are great too. You put it on the dashboard and every few days you take it inside and put it on a radiator overnight.

Cat litter is also pretty good but I suspect silicon is more hygroscopic. According to my own cat’s experiments.


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The product I use is made by Pingi. Reusable car-dehumidifier. It never leaks when saturated unlike cat litter that will. It is reactivated by zapping it in the microwave for 6 minutes and has an indicator built in that changes from blue when dry to pinky white when it needs reactivating. Had it from Asda for about £8 and works like a charm

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Yes cat litter will work, just do not let it get too wet, you then have to throw it away as it is very difficult to dry out. For the price of the reusable one why bother even getting cat litter ( yes the cat likes it and it is also good at absorbing oil spills ). If you search around you may find it even cheaper, but at least you know what to look out for.
 
audifan said:
The product I use is made by Pingi. Reusable car-dehumidifier. It never leaks when saturated unlike cat litter that will. It is reactivated by zapping it in the microwave for 6 minutes and has an indicator built in that changes from blue when dry to pinky white when it needs reactivating. Had it from Asda for about £8 and works like a charm

View attachment 60430
Click to expand...
Can these be used year on year or is it a 6 month lifespan?
 
I'm on my 3rd winter now with the same one. Can't say if there is an ultimate life but for the price I class it as disposable. There is no use by date or expiry date on the packaging.
 
audifan said:
The product I use is made by Pingi. Reusable car-dehumidifier. It never leaks when saturated unlike cat litter that will. It is reactivated by zapping it in the microwave for 6 minutes and has an indicator built in that changes from blue when dry to pinky white when it needs reactivating. Had it from Asda for about £8 and works like a charm

View attachment 60430
Click to expand...
Thankyou for this tip Graham. I have just bought two on ebay for £13.79. Those members who own VW UP,s will know this is a big concern and i have been looking for a solution. ?
 
Thanks from me too, I'll have to try these. Because I am rotating the use of three cars for the first time this winter, the unused ones often steam up after any sunlight while awaiting their next turn. It can take ages to get the windscreen clear first time - not to mention needing the inside of the windscreen cleaned a lot more often, as the condensation leaves little marks.
 
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