Now that the weather's colder, my Bora gets condensation on the inside every morning and as the heater takes so long to kick it, it takes forever before I can actually see where I'm going. Since leaving the window open one night, I've had the dehumidifier in the car for a couple of evenings, but the car still gets steamed each morning. Is it just a thing with the Bora (the Golf is nowhere near as bad)? Is there anything I can do about to stop it? And if not, is any of that stuff you can use on your windows any good at stopping it? Any help much appreciated.
maybe try an engine preheater, electrically heats your coolant so the engine's already warm on startup. leave the demist vents open and the warm air drifting up will keep the windscreen clear. kenlowe do a british one, there are cheaper ones from u.s. and canada but they need a transformer. pays for itself in a year or so, cos your not using the choke.
Mainly the front screen, but also round the front windows, too. I usually leave the rear screen heater switched on. The car was serviced last week, so think it had a new pollen filter then (which was after leaving the window open), so I don't think that is why. I have a choke? It's an oil-burner, so I didn't think I had one, but being a bear of very little brain, I might well have one for all I know! (It took weeks to remember I had one in the Golf after I'd had the Webber fitted!). I thought I'd seen some stuff for sale that you can clean your windows with that also stops them misting up? Can't remember what, though. Any ideas?
And how much are these Ken Lowe things? (If it's more than double figures, I probably can't afford it!)
They are around 300, Stella, so not a cheap solution to this problem. Better off finding and removing the source of the moisture. The pollen filter idea is a good one. Often these live in the scuttle area (dunno on a Bora though), and if a drain gets blocked with autumn leaves etc., they can end up getting damp, or even worse leaking directly into the cabin through the air intake. A new filter won't solve it unless the drain is cleared too.
i have the same problem, but mine was because i had a leak in my boot, ive fixed the leak and all is merry and dry now but it still steams up! ive heard you can get moisture boxes from frauds that sits under the passenger seat and is meant to stop condensation..
Yes, think I'll have to go and have a closer look to see if I can find any seepage into the car. Last year I got a thing shaped like a flowerpot that was meant for caravans to keep them dry. Tried it in the Golf, but it was top heavy, so I used to drive off and it would tip over and spread the wet stuff onto the carpet again!
when i said choke i meant it figuratively. if it's a diesel they take ages to warm up, because they're more heat efficient than petrol motors. some modern diesels come with a diesel fired water boiler fitted to speed the warm up. but even though the kenlowe eaters are pricey, there are cheaper alternatives out here that reduce cold engine wear and give you hot blower air straight away. stick-on electric sump warmers are fairly cheap, just put it on a timer and your engine oil is warm from the get-go. but yes if you have a leak somewhere you should address that first.
If it has aircon, another possible is blocked evap coil drain line Also, it helps a lot to leave the blower fan running on low all the time if not doing so already
Is it RainX you were thinking of to put on the screen? I've not used it inside but on the outside and found it very good.
stella, id recommend you have the "pollen filter" changed, or check it was changed. over time they get damp and minging, once theyre in that state they effectively humidify the incoming air and keep on misting up the windows also, if you have air con, blow the aircon on the glass. the aircon dehumidifies the air unmisting it faster
You can put Anti-Fog on your windows and it keeps them clear. You can get it from loads of places like Halfords, etc and even Tescos sell it. Its about 6 a bottle.
I was once told by an old biker to rub half a potato on the inside to stop it misting up. Won't solve the cause obviously.
Few options: First thing to do would be to clear out the scuttle tray and replace the pollen filter. I've seen scuttles so full of leaves that they've mulched down to compost (and this was on a MK3, which has very well sealed looking scuttle). This doesn't do much for the rate of drainage of water out of the scuttle. Which means a wet pollen filter, and all the air that comes into your car being dragged over wet leaves. Which means wet air. You also get twice as powerful blowers after changing the pollen filter if it's not been done for a while... Whilst you're doing that, check drains. Blocked sunroof and scuttle drains cause water to get into the cars. The old shape Despatch vans had scuttle drains that ran directly into the wheel arch. Which meant they got blocked with mud, and water got dumped through the dashboard. Unlikely on a VW with arch liners, but if the scuttle's full of leaves then they could have found their way into the drains. Similarly, check your sunroof drains. And if you haven't already, clean the bloody windscreen and check the fans aren't set to recirculate. Dirty windscreens steam up far far far more than clean ones do. If the fan's set to recirc, it keeps recycling the air in the car, which is full of water from you breathing. Options are to put the fans on fresh air mode or to stop breathing.
i find that a mile before home crack open the windows and heater off so the interior is outside temps when you park helps alot pretty much anything steams up if theres a temp differance inside/outside
