Tips for reducing windscreen condensation?

[vrsmxtb]

Now the frost has set in, what are the PH collective's top tips for reducing interior condensation.

I'm not talking about de-misting the screen, but some cars in particular are very susceptible to bad condenstaion inside when left overnight, which can even freeze on a very cold night. It embarasses me to say I have quite often had to de-ice inside my car some mornings, something I haven't had to do since the days of my crappy little first car. It's a known quirk on the Fabia sadly.

The things I know so far are keeping the glass as clean as possible (any tips/products recommended)

Let some cold air in for the last few minutes of the journey.

Make sure no water ingress / damp carpets.

It's a vicious circle as the moment you have to de-ice inside you smear crap all over the screen again, making it dirty and attracting more condensation later on...

[kambites]

You could try putting a tray of those dehumidifying crystals in one of the foot wells.

[phumy]

Put the car in the garage overnight, no problems next morning.

[vrsmxtb]

kambites said:

You could try putting a tray of those dehumidifying crystals in one of the foot wells.

Good shout, just found a mini dehumidifier thing on amazon - worth a try for £7.

[98elise]

There should be some vents that let air out of the car so that you get some air changes when you are driving. Make sure they are not blocked.

Failing that drive around with the heater on, with the window just cracked open a bit, get as much flow airflow into the footwells, which is where any moisture will collect.

You shouldn't get condensation if you have no water ingress and you have a decent air flow. The water has to be coming from somewhere otherwise all cars would get it.

Edited by 98elise on Thursday 8th December 10:41

[MC Bodge]

If it is a Fabia you can try removing the trim and re-sealing the rear doors (do a search on the www). I did it to the wife's car, but there is still a bit of a condensation problem.

Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 8th December 10:45

[siwil1]

vrsmxtb said:

Good shout, just found a mini dehumidifier thing on amazon - worth a try for £7.

This.

Our Freelander dog wagon suffers from this mainly due to damp dogs etc. I put one of those in and it seems to have helped a lot. I use Autoglym glass cleaner on the inside/outside and it seems to do a good job.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

If your getting condensation it has to come from moisture in the car.
As well as magic crystal things..
Try (if you can) leaving a small heater in the car for as long as you can. (not overnight and try to keep half an eye on it to avoid embarresing insurance claims!)
Try and get the car as dry as possible, also check your heater matrix isn't leaking.. Personal experiance

[gowmonster]

It may not be a leak. I found that our old MX5 car mats would soak up water taken in by our feet which would condense like the op said. same with wet jackets on seats etc.

I used to save up the wee silica sachets from new shoes and electrical equipment and put them in the ashtray.

[Vidmor]

As above, leaking rear door seals well known problem on Fabia Mk 1. Sorting it reduced the condensation in mine significantly (but not completely).

More info here
http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/2158-warning-fabi...

DIY Guide here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Km9Hi6P1bU

[AyBee]

Cat litter in a football sock in the footwell. Stick it on the radiator to dry out when it becomes too wet

[woots787]

If it's not that bad then I've had lots of success with rain x anti fog. As you say I think its more that applying it cleans the windows and means there is no dirt for the condensation to form on rather than the anti fog properties. Got the tip years ago at a Trackday from someone who raced old mgs.

[Dunelm Alumnus]

Second the above. You really can't beat cat litter for this and its cheap!

[E30M3SE]

woots787 said:

If it's not that bad then I've had lots of success with rain x anti fog. Think its more that applying it cleans the windows and means there is no dirt for the condensation to form on rather than the anti fog properties. Got the tip years ago at a Trackday from someone who raced old mgs.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/204747/antimists.html

[jamei303]

Do you have aircon? Put this on hot for the last bit of your journey, and then turn it down to cold just before you stop.

[McSam]

As for dehumidifiers, the best solution I found for my A4 last year, you can nip down to Halfords and buy a Moisture Mate from the caravan/touring section rather than buying one online! Works pretty well, and keeping the screen very clean helps - Auto Glym Glass Polish indeed.w

I'll have a look at that anti-fog agent review in a bit, though, interested by that.

ETA - Looks like I best get my Rain-X out of the garage too, then!

Edited by McSam on Thursday 8th December 11:07

[woots787]

E30M3SE said:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/204...

That's the one, you can see little triangles where you missed mist up! I reckon alcohol wipes would be nearly as good.

[steveo3002]

i find it helps that when you are near the end of the journey , turn off the heater and drop the windows so the inside is the same temps as outside

plus leave the windows down on any dry days and make sure theres no leaks , chances are its got damp carpets or something

[otolith]

I got a load of water out of the interior of the Elise last winter - I piled snow up on the outside of the windscreen, put a bath towel along the bottom of the inside of the windscreen and then set an electric greenhouse fan heater running in the car. Warm interior + chilled glass = lots of condensation running down into the towel, which was replaced with a dry one once it started to get damp. All of the water condensing on the glass had evaporated from the interior.

[vrsmxtb]

I'm aware of the rear door seal issues on the Fabia, I got them done by the dealer when I bought it and haven't had damp carpets. I think it is mostly damp mats from shoes / jacket etc. Air flow is all good as far as I can tell.

I'm going to try the mini dehumidifier and get some decent glass cleaner. I don't think my aircon works under a certain temperature?