A lot of Condensation on Windscreen

[tef89]

Has anyone else with a MK8 noticed a huge amount of condensation on the interior of the windscreen ?

Since the cold weather has hit when I get in the car there is either ice or condensation on the inside.

I expect it to mist up as the internal / external temperature adjusts but this is more than I've seen in a modern car in recent times.

Not the end of the world but it's literally dripping down the screen so the MK8's bulletproof electrics (hmmm) can't be enjoying it.

Plus I'm not enjoying the 5 minutes of cloth work before I can drive the car either lol.

[DG97]

Not noticed it in my MK8 but had the exact problem in my old 53 plate car. 
 

the windscreen wasn’t sealed properly (and was actually leaking water in) so my first guess would be the seals aren’t sealing quite as well as they should be. Especially if it ices up overnight

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, tef89 said:

Has anyone else with a MK8 noticed a huge amount of condensation on the interior of the windscreen ?

Lol, seem to be following you round the site today, Gary!

Yes, I'd left mine for several days (including overnight frost) in its usual spot which is partly shaded by trees. The upper left of the inside of the screen was really wet with it, as in needing a towel. My thought was the shade from the trees had stopped the sun drying out the inside and it had built up at that point. Bit worrying though as a few mentions on here now of leaks/dampness on that side.

My Mrs's SEAT Mii used to suffer badly from the same thing. The heater plenum on those (and it's Up! and Citigo clones) is very prone to getting full of leaves which harbour damp which then finds its way inside when you use the heater. Thinking the Fiesta wouldn't suffer the same problem I started parking the Mii in the garage (after spending half a day cleaning/drying out the plenum), which seems to have solved that one, only to find it apparently happening on the Fiesta.

On the Fiesta I have noticed a lot of leaves getting in between the screen and the rear of the bonnet and try to keep the area clear but don't get chance every day. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on it, it seems. Wish we had a nice big double garage!

[tef89]

49 minutes ago, DG97 said:

Not noticed it in my MK8 but had the exact problem in my old 53 plate car. 
 

the windscreen wasn’t sealed properly (and was actually leaking water in) so my first guess would be the seals aren’t sealing quite as well as they should be. Especially if it ices up overnight

That was my worry, that there is an issue with the seal.  Just didn't expect this on a modern car.

 

19 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

... Bit worrying though as a few mentions on here now of leaks/dampness on that side.
 

Yeah that's really suprised me.  I'll keep an eye on it.

Thanks for the replies guys 🙂

[TomsFocus]

Are you doing short trips with the AC on?  If so, try switching it off for the last couple of miles to air out the evaporator before parking.

Also, do you leave doors open for a while?  I went out the other evening to give the inside windows a clean as they were smeary.  Was a cold damp night but didn't think any more of it.  Next day I got in the car and water was streaming down the inside!  First and only time it's ever happened so I assume the cold damp air got in while the doors were open for a few minutes.

[Eng_Ahmad1986]

I have read somewhere of a similar issue and it turned out there was a leak in heater matrix and the coolant vapourizes and then condensed on the windscreen , but I think this is an extreme case and is usually accompanied by the sweet smell of coolant 🙂 

[tef89]

Thanks for the replies Tom & Ahmad.

Not used the Aircon in these instances.  Just got in the car and noiticed the screen was coated in pretty thick condensation.

I thought it was on the outside initially.

[Bobr]

I have exactly the same problem with my car.   I put it down to walking two wet dogs twice a day and, as it's been very wet lately, the drivers carpet is usually wet.

[tef89]

3 hours ago, Bobr said:

I have exactly the same problem with my car.   I put it down to walking two wet dogs twice a day and, as it's been very wet lately, the drivers carpet is usually wet.

Thanks for the reply Bob.

I just didn't have this problem last year so it was concerning me something had changed. The car is getting used a lot less now than it was so that could be why I'm noticing it.

Looking at the cars in the street outside my house this morning, the only with a still frosted / misted screen is mine - all the others are clear ... even the BMW 😮

Anyway, I think I'll check the carpets, again, and make sure they are dry. 

[Ian Lanc]

I'd lift the carpets up and see if it's wet under there & check the spare tyre wheel well ?

Our car usually stays lovely & dry but this awful wet weather we've been having, getting in & out of the car with a wet coats & shoes usually ends up evaporating and collecting on the front screen, also when you open the door/s water drips fall into the edges of the plastic,  the other day the screen was that wet it had frozen in large droplets, I tend to open all the doors & boot and let any evaporation go out of the car, sometimes I've used the hair drier on the floor [purpose made box holder made] & boot, this dries it completely out.

On a dry day just leave all the doors open, if it's safe to do so.

Make sure all the windows are fully up ?? 

[Ian Lanc]

Salt is an excellent water absorber! If the car isn't used much, get a few cereal bowls and put an inch of salt in each one of them, a bowl in each footwell & one in the boot will really pull out the damp air and you'll soon notice the salt going damp and if it's bad, the salt will become very wet, we always did this with our caravan over the winter period, bowls would be full of water after a month.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

 

1 hour ago, Ian Lanc said:

Salt is an excellent water absorber! 

Yes, we do this with our caravan as well. Have also found that cheap washing powder does the trick just as well.

Works well in the car as you suggest, as long as you remember to take it out before driving! For something to leave permanently in the car, you can get large silica gel bags from eBay etc which can be dried and reused.

As far as my Fiesta goes, just come back from a couple of days at our caravan (which is fully equipped with bowls of washing powder!), the car was left parked in -5C temperatures, thick with ice, couldn't get in to drive it until 11am this morning when the sun finally peeped over the fell and melted the ice a bit so I could finally get the door handle to move. I expected some moisture/condensation inside the car after that, but no, dry as a bone! And it started at the first touch of the button!😀

[tef89]

Thanks Ian and Roger for the tips, I appreciate them, I really do, but I'd rather sell it than have to start filling it with salt and silica gel 😉 .  My 8 year old Mazda 2 never did it, nor did my A3 and not even my old Rover 214si did it 😇.

I think if there's some kind of leak that's letting the moisture in then its days are numbered sadly.  Just too many things starting to add up that fills me with dread as the end of the warranty approaches next year.

I'll see how it goes the next few weeks but I'm falling out of 'like' with my first Ford lol.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

58 minutes ago, tef89 said:

Just too many things starting to add up that fills me with dread as the end of the warranty approaches next year.

TBH I'm not confident of keeping anything outside of warranty, these days!😀

[zain611]

I've recently been getting this on my windscreen on my mk6 fiesta. Haven't been getting this since I've been not driving the car that much. I believe the moisture builds up and with the cold temperatures outside causes the water inside the windscreen. It's a pain as I worry about smirring on the glass. 

[fiestalux]

Please also check the AC is fully working. Last year I had not driven my car for about four weeks due to being away. On my return (I didn't realise it at first) that the AC was only working when on full as the fuse had failed. The repair cost was about €100. When it was fixed the condensation would largely disappear. In general the sudden temperature drop a few weeks ago has again increase the condensation, however except for the side rear windows it goes away after AC etc is turned on.

[tef89]

Not been using the AC at all as I've been trying to maximise the amount of charge that goes back into the battery (short and infrequent journeys).  I tend to have the window open instead, even if it is a bit cold.  The next journey I do I'll use the AC and see if there's an improvement after.

I've just been out to the car to try and dry the windscreen and noticed the panoramic roof is literally covered as well, dripping on me as I dried it.

As I mentioned, what's concerning me is I never had this issue last year.  If the car is reading this, please can I swap the GPS failure issue back for this cold shower effect ? 😁

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Mine didn't suffer last year either, the incident I mentioned earlier in the thread is the first time the Fiesta has had the issue. I wondered if it was the combination of weather lately - freezing overnight temperatures and bright low sun during the day.

[fiestalux]

@tef89 I am not really a fan of AC but found it is useful for removing condensation. Although I live in a different country I did notice more condensation than normal as well in the last two weeks, the sudden temperature drop is probably to blame. As I said it mostly clears up except for the side rear windows.

 

[Piston Head]

14 hours ago, tef89 said:

Not been using the AC at all as I've been trying to maximise the amount of charge that goes back into the battery (short and infrequent journeys).  I tend to have the window open instead, even if it is a bit cold.  The next journey I do I'll use the AC and see if there's an improvement after.

The aircon will dry the interior and can be used in conjunction with the heater in the winter. Amazes me driving along the motorway yesterday to see the number of folk driving with misted up windows.

My ST Line X has climate control which I leave on auto all the time and have no issues with condensation 

[Daggerit]

1 hour ago, Piston Head said:

The aircon will dry the interior and can be used in conjunction with the heater in the winter. Amazes me driving along the motorway yesterday to see the number of folk driving with misted up windows.

My ST Line X has climate control which I leave on auto all the time and have no issues with condensation 

Completely agree, the AC should be run to dry out the air if you're having condensation issues.  People had this a lot with the last car I had (Audi A4/S4 platform) but turned out they weren't leaving the climate control on auto with the AC and once they left it to do its thing it fixed the problem.

[Ian318]

2 hours ago, Daggerit said:

Completely agree, the AC should be run to dry out the air if you're having condensation issues.  People had this a lot with the last car I had (Audi A4/S4 platform) but turned out they weren't leaving the climate control on auto with the AC and once they left it to do its thing it fixed the problem.

My  owners manual says air con dont work below 4c ? Also got in my car this morning started up and front and rear screens defrosted without me pressing the switches , only just found this out .

[Daggerit]

1 hour ago, Ian318 said:

My  owners manual says air con dont work below 4c ? Also got in my car this morning started up and front and rear screens defrosted without me pressing the switches , only just found this out .

Odd, my manual actually says:

Note: To reduce humidity build-up inside your vehicle, do not drive with the system switched off or with recirculated air always switched on.

[Ian318]

1 hour ago, Daggerit said:

Odd, my manual actually says:

Note: To reduce humidity build-up inside your vehicle, do not drive with the system switched off or with recirculated air always switched on.

Yeh i got that too in manual

[Daggerit]

Gotcha, I didn't see the 4°C bit though, but maybe just didn't look in the same place as you had been.  🙂