Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Please note that it is not permitted to have referral links posted in your signature. Keep these links contained in the appropriate forum. Thank you.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055940817/signature-rules

Condensation in the car

  • 17-01-2011 9:47pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭dellas1979


    Hi guys,
    Have terrible condensation in the car the last few days - for example, when I got in the car this morning, it was literally dripping off the inside of the windscreen.
    Can I do anything to prevent it?


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 7,857 ✭✭✭patrickc


    could be that pollen filter needs changing, helped alot with the same issue in a previous car of mine.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭johnayo


    Have a good look around to see if you have any water leaks. Check the carpets to see if they are wet. Condensation is usually caused by this.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,730 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Whats the make/model?

    Some types have common ingress problems.

    From experience: -
    W202 for example lets wter in though the bulk head when the drains fill.
    E11 Corolla lets water in through the rear lens etc etc
    MGB is like a focking sieve ;-)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,461 ✭✭✭Max_Damage


    Either get a few packs of silica gel (eBay has plenty of them) or buy a bag of baking soda, put it into an open container, and put it on the floor inside the car. It will soak up all the moisture. It worked a treat for me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,347 ✭✭✭si_guru


    Switch the AirCon on if you have it.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭zziplex


    My guess is also that a new pollen filter would help.


  • Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭_Nuno_


    I have had that as well these past two days. My car is new so I doubt it's a filter, but it's definitely weird as none of the other cars parked beside mine had it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,215 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    Not sure as to prevention but a cure is to run a dehumidifier inside the car for a few hours.

    Worked a treat for me over christmas when about a pint of water got spilled inside the car.


  • Registered Users Posts: 620 ✭✭✭neonitrix


    what make is it - have seen a few seat / vw's with good bit of condensation lately.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,589 ✭✭✭Stealthirl


    theres also those out there the use the rec fuction and this will cause condatsation if left on aswell.best to use fresh air from outside

    Do you see the pic below and the red arrow.do you have a selection like that? That shows an arrow with air only moving on the inside of the car? With only one button on this model, if the light is off, then it is pulling outside air in. If the button is selected, the light is on and it is only circulating inside air. Some cars have two buttons. One button has a pic like this and the other button has a pic of outside air coming into the vehicle. You need to switch to outside air so that you are pulling outside air into the car.
    248015_Dash_1.jpg


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,408 ✭✭✭dnme


    Yeah my beloved Corolla was soaked on all inside windows today (Monday) aswell. I had not driven it since Friday.

    Bear in mind that over the weekend, we had massive rain and prior to that for the past few months we have had low humidity high pressure weather apart from the days it snowed.

    Just dry as much as you can with a towel, take it for a spin and blast it with warm air and leave a window down a little. Make sure there is no sitting water on the floor or in front foot wells etc. Check your filters particularly your pollen filter. Give the car a good bit of use over the next few days.


  • Registered Users Posts: 393 ✭✭Gitb1


    My car is giving me problems with condensation. Its only a few months old so I dont think its the pollen filter or an a/c problem.

    I think its from during the snow when it was getting on the car mats and seats and the moisture is still trapped inside. I went out one particularly cold morning and my windscreen was frozen inside and out :mad:


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,548 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    This is a coincidence, I had the car serviced on Saturday (07 Avensis) and since then there are two things I've noticed.
    The condensation is unbelievable, water everywhere, all windows and heavy.
    My dips have a very short throw (say two car lengths), I never drove with full beams on but have to now (not to do with that light adjuster dial).
    I'll give the garage a call on this later in the morning (closed yesterday), any advice in particular?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,730 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    dnme wrote: »
    Yeah my beloved Corolla was soaked on all inside windows today (Monday) aswell. I had not driven it since Friday.

    Bear in mind that over the weekend, we had massive rain and prior to that for the past few months we have had low humidity high pressure weather apart from the days it snowed.

    Just dry as much as you can with a towel, take it for a spin and blast it with warm air and leave a window down a little. Make sure there is no sitting water on the floor or in front foot wells etc. Check your filters particularly your pollen filter. Give the car a good bit of use over the next few days.

    I applied a fix to a common problem with my 98 Corolla over the weekend. They let water in through the rear light clusters. Cheap fix is to remove the cluster and apply silicon sealant around the housing and reapply while filling any gaps with the sealant.
    Dry as a bone now.
    Check for moisture under the carpets in the boot on either side over the wheel arch (in the cubby hole).

    My pollen filter was also blocked so I binned it - massive difference with air flow now.

    Dry as a bone now. It had been doing this for a while and it was starting to affect relays etc it was that damp.

    For the OP, it could simply have got wet from wet feet or a good splash of rain while a door was open. If its a one off I wouldn't worry - run a dehumidifier in it on full tilt over night.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,548 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    This is a coincidence, I had the car serviced on Saturday (07 Avensis) and since then there are two things I've noticed.
    The condensation is unbelievable, water everywhere, all windows and heavy.

    Dropped car back to garage yesterday, they said a bottle of water was spilled behind the back seat and that moisture is causing the condensation, well it was fine before my service so ye must have spilled something, anyhow they vac'd the car, when I picked it up it was like a glasshouse inside, very hot, condensation problem fixed however...


  • Registered Users Posts: 942 ✭✭✭Lord Derpington


    dont mean to hijack
    Gitb1 wrote: »
    I went out one particularly cold morning and my windscreen was frozen inside and out :mad:

    The last two mornings my windscreen has been frozen inside and out, even when i poured temped water on it mixed with washer fluid it froze onto the window instead of clearing it off, even with the wipers on!

    Had to scrape inside and out of the car and all windows.. getting very tired of doing it... might have a look at he baking soda/silica gel and filters ideas.

    btw mine is a Mk4 golf


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,408 ✭✭✭dnme


    E39MSport wrote: »
    I applied a fix to a common problem with my 98 Corolla over the weekend. They let water in through the rear light clusters. Cheap fix is to remove the cluster and apply silicon sealant around the housing and reapply while filling any gaps with the sealant.
    Dry as a bone now.
    Check for moisture under the carpets in the boot on either side over the wheel arch (in the cubby hole).

    My pollen filter was also blocked so I binned it - massive difference with air flow now.

    Dry as a bone now. It had been doing this for a while and it was starting to affect relays etc it was that damp.

    For the OP, it could simply have got wet from wet feet or a good splash of rain while a door was open. If its a one off I wouldn't worry - run a dehumidifier in it on full tilt over night.

    Tell me, how can you tell if the rear lights are leaking?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,864 ✭✭✭langdang


    Lidl has silica gel type dehumidifiers on special since last week. €7 euro for 3 sachets suitable for 35m2 room.

    My current banger was the same - dripping off windscreen etc, impossible to see out of the windows, impossible to keep them clear.
    I've chucked in one of the dehumidiers awhile, until I can get out the silicone gun to the leak.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 146 ✭✭mp3kid


    langdang wrote: »
    Lidl has silica gel type dehumidifiers on special since last week. €7 euro for 3 sachets suitable for 35m2 room.

    My current banger was the same - dripping off windscreen etc, impossible to see out of the windows, impossible to keep them clear.
    I've chucked in one of the dehumidiers awhile, until I can get out the silicone gun to the leak.

    http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20117030.p.Room_Dehumidifier


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,730 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    dnme wrote: »
    Tell me, how can you tell if the rear lights are leaking?

    Got the hose to it with the boot door open to see where the water was coming from. Ran the water down the lip where the seal sits and over the light clusters. It was pi55ing in from behind the light.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,730 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    slave1 wrote: »
    Dropped car back to garage yesterday, they said a bottle of water was spilled behind the back seat and that moisture is causing the condensation, well it was fine before my service so ye must have spilled something, anyhow they vac'd the car, when I picked it up it was like a glasshouse inside, very hot, condensation problem fixed however...

    Sounds odd. Unless there was a bottle on the ground with its contents missing then I wonder how they managed to come to that conclusion?

    If they had just serviced it I reckon they left it out in the wet weather with the window(s) open.

    You get your lights fixed?

    I had similar problem with the Corolla - had to take the adjuster switch apart. The metal brush had come off. Easy fix.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,206 ✭✭✭bonzodog2


    On a morning when its not cold enough to freeze the condensation on the inside of the windscreen, soak it up with paper towels and remove them from the car.Do this a few days in succession, and there's not some kind of on-going leak problem, the condensation should disappear. If you get a bit of warm dry weather, drive fast with windows down for a few minutes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,864 ✭✭✭langdang


    bonzodog2 wrote: »
    soak it up with paper towels and remove them from the car..
    Good point - Also, if your demister pad or whatever you use holds a lot of water, bring that out of the car when it's parked up.

    My demister chamois block was sopping wet when I had bad condensation, leaving it in the car just allows all that water to evaporate back onto your windows. I brought mine into work and put it on near a rad to dry out.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,548 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    E39MSport wrote: »
    Sounds odd. Unless there was a bottle on the ground with its contents missing then I wonder how they managed to come to that conclusion?

    If they had just serviced it I reckon they left it out in the wet weather with the window(s) open.

    You get your lights fixed?

    I had similar problem with the Corolla - had to take the adjuster switch apart. The metal brush had come off. Easy fix.

    It was Saturday and I can't remember whether it was raining or not during the service, whatever the case it got wet during the service and it's okay now.
    On the lights, I queried yesterday and yes they did adjust them very short but apparantly that is the way they need to be for the NCT (which it passed earlier today) so I'm kinda thinking that I should leave them as is (I may have inadvertantly been 'blinding' oncoming traffic).


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,900 ✭✭✭cadaliac


    langdang wrote: »
    Good point - Also, if your demister pad or whatever you use holds a lot of water, bring that out of the car when it's parked up.

    My demister chamois block was sopping wet when I had bad condensation, leaving it in the car just allows all that water to evaporate back onto your windows. I brought mine into work and put it on near a rad to dry out.
    I must do that !
    My car is full of condenstaion too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,408 ✭✭✭dnme


    E39MSport wrote: »
    Got the hose to it with the boot door open to see where the water was coming from. Ran the water down the lip where the seal sits and over the light clusters. It was pi55ing in from behind the light.

    Are you talking about the lights marked in pic? Is your car the same tiltback model (97-99, pre facelift) ?
    attachment.php?attachmentid=144183&stc=1&d=1295454598


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,730 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Nah - I have the saloon. But yes, I'm on about the rear light clusters. They come off very easily. 3 nuts each.


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,854 ✭✭✭✭MetzgerMeister


    A good way to minimise condensation is to keep all windows spotlessly clean inside the car. The more dirt on them, the more water can stick to them. To get rid of condensation in the mornings, put on the blower fan (not a/c) and wait for it to get warm. While it's on full blast, use an old, rough cloth to wipe the windscreen dry. It'll be gone in no time.

    Another thing I'm looking into I saw in a thread on here a while back. It's a long snake type bag of silica beads/gel that you place along the dash and parcel shelf. They soak up all moisture and leave your windscreens clear.

    If anyone has a link to this product, please post!


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,553 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    FWIW, I noticed the same major build up of condensation about last Tuesday. It was just after the last big rains.

    Had never had that before either.


  • Advertisement


  • My cars terrible for this too. Last year it was particularly bad, dripping wet condensation on the inside and frozen solid inside on the colder nights. This year hasn't been too bad, only frozen inside once all winter, but the past few mornings I've had really bad condensation again...proper pain when you're in a rush.

    I tried the silica gel thing last winter, we get absolultely loads of them wee sachets in work so I gathered up a shed load of them, stuck them in a box and stuck it on the dash over night. Didn't work the greatest tbh. It was soaking up some moisture because some of them became a bit soggy, but it just really didn't have much of an effect if anything on the condensation levels.

    I did find a little thing in a shop last year, think it was just some silica type stuff in a fancy container, claimed to remove moisture from the air in an enitre room for figured for a couple of quid I'd pick it up anyways! I did notice I had considerably less condensation when I left it in the car but it had an immense overpowering smell to it and I couldn't handle it being in the car for any longer!

    I've heard raving in the past about something you can get quite cheap apparently that should do the trick, all I know is it's a penguin whatever it was?! Anybody know what it is and if it's any good??


Advertisement