very strange windscreen issue- desperate help wanted

very strange windscreen issue- desperate help wanted

Author
Discussion

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
i have put 2 months of solid research into this but not getting anywhere.

vehicle- VW caddy panel van.
issue- inside of windscreen hazes up within 10 hours cleaning.

i know what you're thinking, (off gassing) but nope. its happening in the middle of winter so no sunshine is causing it nor the heaters. its also not condensation obviously. had the van from new for past 3 years and its only started happening in past couple months.

cleaning method- use industrial cleaning wipes across inside of windshield, leave residue in place, add high quality window cleaner to residue and squeegee off. gets absolutely pristine clean using this method but the haze just keeps returning every day!! cant be doing with cleaning screen everyday.

anyone experienced this before?

my most recent suspicion is that a fluid from engine bay is making its way into the vents but this would mean a drop in fluid no? measured all fluids and not dropped a millimeter in months.

seen other caddys of the same age but they seem to be fine.

i will personally come to the house of the person who solves this mystery for me and give em a big sloppy kiss (or i'll send the wife if you prefer women).

eldar

21,802 posts

197 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Leaky exhaust?

Torqz

90 posts

90 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
treehouse said:
i have put 2 months of solid research into this but not getting anywhere.

vehicle- VW caddy panel van.
issue- inside of windscreen hazes up within 10 hours cleaning.

i know what you're thinking, (off gassing) but nope. its happening in the middle of winter so no sunshine is causing it nor the heaters. its also not condensation obviously. had the van from new for past 3 years and its only started happening in past couple months.

cleaning method- use industrial cleaning wipes across inside of windshield, leave residue in place, add high quality window cleaner to residue and squeegee off. gets absolutely pristine clean using this method but the haze just keeps returning every day!! cant be doing with cleaning screen everyday.

anyone experienced this before?

my most recent suspicion is that a fluid from engine bay is making its way into the vents but this would mean a drop in fluid no? measured all fluids and not dropped a millimeter in months.

seen other caddys of the same age but they seem to be fine.

i will personally come to the house of the person who solves this mystery for me and give em a big sloppy kiss (or i'll send the wife if you prefer women).
Does it disappear when you put your windscreen heaters on?

Vaud

50,619 posts

156 months

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Torqz said:
Does it disappear when you put your windscreen heaters on?
nope. not much difference with what the heaters/fans/climate settings are. although i always keep fan setting on a minimum of 1. tried 0 fan setting for a short duration but still appeared

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
eldar said:
Leaky exhaust?
now this is an area i have not put much research in. how would i go about testing if its exhaust related? put a CO alarm in car?

LordJammy

3,112 posts

190 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
After you’ve super mega cleaned it have you tried applying some of that anti fog cleaner you can buy?
What do you wash the van with? Are your scuttle drains clear?

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Vaud said:
like i said, its defo not 'off gassing'

Saleen836

11,125 posts

210 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
There is damp somewhere in the van and this is causing the windscreen to fog up, if overnight you leave both front windows open slightly (a couple of mm's) just enough to let air flow and see if it makes a difference, I had the same problem on my previous Astravan and doing the above solved it.

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
LordJammy said:
After you’ve super mega cleaned it have you tried applying some of that anti fog cleaner you can buy?
What do you wash the van with? Are your scuttle drains clear?
yup tried with and without anti-fog. still appears. ended up using multiple passes of acetone to remove rain x antifog. never washed van in 3 years. i only ever clean the windows both inside and out

not checked scuttle drain but will do tomorrow. doubt its that as its not condensation. its an actual film which cant be removed by wiping with microfiber towels. also its been happening everyday for 2 months in all weather conditions.

S0updr4g0n

146 posts

112 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Protective film on the inside of the windscreen? burger

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Saleen836 said:
There is damp somewhere in the van and this is causing the windscreen to fog up, if overnight you leave both front windows open slightly (a couple of mm's) just enough to let air flow and see if it makes a difference, I had the same problem on my previous Astravan and doing the above solved it.
already stated its not a condensation issue. i do get condensation but it clears up quick with AC on and fans on full.

i know its my first posting but trust me there ain't an easy/common resolution to this issue. i'd like to think i know my way around cars

Torqz

90 posts

90 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Wipe it with your finger and smell it....the window that is

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
S0updr4g0n said:
Protective film on the inside of the windscreen? burger
again, already stated i can 100% remove it for it to return the next day. also, it never happened during first 2 years of ownership

Feraz

96 posts

126 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
pics of the wife? wink

Johnny5hoods

515 posts

120 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Might be worth checking that the heater matrix and/or pipes running to and from it haven't sprung a leak. It would be an unusual fault on a three year old vehicle, but still worth eliminating. Many years ago I had my matrix go (in a VW) and condensation stuck to the windows and was strangely difficult to remove. Anti freeze is very stubborn when you try to wipe it off. Just a thought.

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Torqz said:
Wipe it with your finger and smell it....the window that is
no smell that i can discern. its an extremely fine haze which even if i scraped the whole windscreen, would only result in minuscule amount of crud

ChrisnChris

1,423 posts

223 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
treehouse said:
i will personally come to the house of the person who solves this mystery for me and give em a big sloppy kiss (or i'll send the wife if you prefer women).
It's all very well coming on here making rash promises, but how are we supposed to make a rational decision without pictures.
Of both of you, of course, because one of us isn't a bloke.biggrin

treehouse

Original Poster:

30 posts

77 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
Feraz said:
pics of the wife? wink
only if this gets solved

S0updr4g0n

146 posts

112 months

Monday 18th December 2017
quotequote all
treehouse said:
again, already stated i can 100% remove it for it to return the next day. also, it never happened during first 2 years of ownership
Yes I was just thinking you may be re-applying a protective layer by wiping it over. Sounds like madness. Have you tried applying a sharp implement to see it it peels? If not, test to see if the residue is oily by nature.. (aircon oils / coolant) I don't think it would take a lot to do that once atomised (or so to speak) so you might not see a drop for quite a while.

Other than that I'm out. Hope you get it sorted!