quick question?

[Green Machine]

anyone know why my car seems to steam up a lot, and when i try to unsteam it, and it only ever unsteams when i use air con, can anyone help me or point me in the direction as to why it does this?

[froudeg]

Common issue, with many cars but especially VW cars based on the golf mk6 platform...

The problem is once you start using aircon, the car will mist a hell of a lot when you stop using it (making you use it more and you end up in a viscious cycle).

When you switch the aircon off after some use, there is a lot of moisture hanging off the evaporator so with it off the air that's being blown into the cabin becomes extremely humid and will mist up the windows very quickly, especially on a cold day. This moisture will hang off the evap even overnight - to get rid of it you need to run without air con for say 15 - 30 minutes, this will dry out the evap and you should find you don't need to be using aircon in colder weather just to keep the windows demisted. Turn the aircon off, put blowers to max and crack the windows open to reduce misting and drive round for a while to dry it out, it will dry quicker in dry weather.

Remember the moment you start using aircon again, you will need to 'dry' it out again if you don't want your windows misting up when you stop using it.

[Cuprabob]

When air con is enabled it also dries the air hence why it steams up less with the aircon switched on. That is why when you select demist it switches on the aircon. Any moisture taken out the cabin by the drier is dumped on the ground, clearly seen in summer by the puddle under the car.

However, air con is disabled at ambient temps below 5 degrees meaning you notice the car mists up more in winter.

[froudeg]

When air con is enabled it also dries the air hence why it steams up less with the aircon switched on. That is why when you select demist it switches on the aircon. Any moisture taken out the cabin by the drier is dumped on the ground, clearly seen in summer by the puddle under the car.

However, air con is disabled at ambient temps below 5 degrees meaning you notice the car mists up more in winter.

Yep - all that moisture is what's running off the evaporator down a drain tube - with prolonged use the evaporator is still soaking wet and air will continue to be drawn through it when you switch the aircon off, immediately making it mist up the windows far more so than it would if you never used the aircon in the first place.

I've run into the same problem, its particularly noticeable the next day after a day of using it to keep the mist away. When you start it up the next day it will drag a load of that moisture hanging off the evap straight into the cabin and mist up your freezing cold windows in seconds - which makes you turn the aircon on to demist and the cycle continues.

I try not to use the aircon in colder weather to keep the car from misting, as once I do I end up in the same cycle - needing the aircon on continuous just to stop it from misting. A short burst is fine to rapidly demist the window but then turn it off, don't run it continuous.

One of the reasons why the mk6 is far worse than the mk5 for misting, in particular if you have dual climate controls is that it always turns the AC on in auto mode or window demist mode etc - it tries to run the AC all the time, where the Mk5 it only ever turned AC on if you pushed the AC button.....its far more frequent running of the AC is keeping the evap soaking wet.

[Green Machine]

Common issue, with many cars but especially VW cars based on the golf mk6 platform...

The problem is once you start using aircon, the car will mist a hell of a lot when you stop using it (making you use it more and you end up in a viscious cycle).

When you switch the aircon off after some use, there is a lot of moisture hanging off the evaporator so with it off the air that's being blown into the cabin becomes extremely humid and will mist up the windows very quickly, especially on a cold day. This moisture will hang off the evap even overnight - to get rid of it you need to run without air con for say 15 - 30 minutes, this will dry out the evap and you should find you don't need to be using aircon in colder weather just to keep the windows demisted. Turn the aircon off, put blowers to max and crack the windows open to reduce misting and drive round for a while to dry it out, it will dry quicker in dry weather.

Remember the moment you start using aircon again, you will need to 'dry' it out again if you don't want your windows misting up when you stop using it.

Cheers very much, its been such a hindrance! jumping into the car and it just misting up instantly with the heaters on!

[sciroccorich]

All the cars I've ever had suffered from mist and condensation on the inside of the front windscreen. I've had some occasions where the condensation has frozen as well, which is annoying when I'm running late.

Friends used to say that a outside to inside seal (like on doors) has gone somewhere but I've found that all the culprits were cars which had frameless windows on the doors (I've had an MX5, a Boxster S and now a Roc).

The solution was to buy (from Halford's or similar) what looks like a massive silica gel bag (like what's put in new trainers). It cost about a tenner, is about 10" X 4" in size and you just leave it on top of your dashboard overnight. In the morning no condensation and when it starts getting heavy every 2 weeks (because of absorbing water), you just put it upside down on your radiator and leave it overnight.....good as new in the morning.

Don't know if this would solve your issue but it may help!

[whiteDevil_170]

Funny you should mention that silica gel bags.

Last year my wind screen was really bad with condensation. It would take at leat 10 mins for it to clear to be able to drive safely. I got fed up with this. And at work we had a delivery and amongst the box's was 2 gel bags around 3 inches long. I figured if they work in box's they will work in a car. So that night I placed them on the dash directly under the front windscreen. Next morning no mist or condensation. Done this every night for months and it never happened again.

Need to get some more though as i threw them away as it was summer. Went out last night and it's misting up again now.

[sciroccorich]

Funny you should mention that silica gel bags.

Last year my wind screen was really bad with condensation. It would take at leat 10 mins for it to clear to be able to drive safely. I got fed up with this. And at work we had a delivery and amongst the box's was 2 gel bags around 3 inches long. I figured if they work in box's they will work in a car. So that night I placed them on the dash directly under the front windscreen. Next morning no mist or condensation. Done this every night for months and it never happened again.

Need to get some more though as i threw them away as it was summer. Went out last night and it's misting up again now.

Just buy the big one from Halford's, they last ages because you dry them out on the radiator..........and their similar colour to your dash, so you barely notice them from the outside!

[whiteDevil_170]

I could do.
But that would involve me driving to Halfords and spending money.

I could just wait till some come in at work.
Colour matching the dash doesn't bother me.
I place them there at night when I leave the car and take them out in the morning. So I never have them on the dash when I'm driving. And then they are Free lol

[sciroccorich]

And then they are Free lol[/quote]

Always a bonus!....lol

[Roy_01]

I don't use my ac in winter and still does fog up sometimes at morning. So that isn't causing it.
Some other things you can check are the irrigation lines that transport water from the underside of the front window and from the panorama roof to the wheel arches. And if the irrigation ports of the doors aren't glogged.
If you loosen up the screw in the wheel arches of the plastic cover there can be much dirt/mud. The irrigaton of the panorama roof is going trough the inside of the car through the a-pillar.
If you put a waterhose on the underside of the window or on top of the panorama roof you can check if it's not clogged. It's also possible the ac evaperator drain gets glogged.



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Golf V evaperator drain (against the centerconsole under the glovebox):
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