Discussion
Just sold the mx-5 for the simple reason we don't have a garage and I couldn't live with the condensation (and ice) that coated the inside of the hood and windows every cold winters morning. A detatchable hardtop was not an option with no storage space. So the query is does the Boxter suffer with the same problem or is the hood better insulated then Mazda's 'premium' mohair jobbie??
Please no suggestions of a mx-5 with folding tin hood, tbh the car, even in 2l sport guise was imo lacking in torque and space, as is the BMW Z4 (space) cheers
Please no suggestions of a mx-5 with folding tin hood, tbh the car, even in 2l sport guise was imo lacking in torque and space, as is the BMW Z4 (space) cheers
never had this issue with any convertibles I have had (without a garage) (mx5, Elise, Chim, Z4 to name but 4).
The drain pipes on your mx5 were blocked. Water that runs off the hood runs into an area by the top seatbelt mounts, and then down a pipe which exits in the crease on the bottom edge of the sill.
These get blocked with leaves and debris, and water and moisture stay in the car causing it to steam up and frost up in the winter. 10 minutes with a coat hanger sorts it out.
The drain pipes on your mx5 were blocked. Water that runs off the hood runs into an area by the top seatbelt mounts, and then down a pipe which exits in the crease on the bottom edge of the sill.
These get blocked with leaves and debris, and water and moisture stay in the car causing it to steam up and frost up in the winter. 10 minutes with a coat hanger sorts it out.
kambites said:
Ice inside the car is a sign that the interior has got damp. Did you try running the air conditioning more often to try to keep the interior dry, or did it not have air conditioning?
Interior wasn't damp as such, just driving it around in -5 with heating on, tried driving last mile with window/ hood down down to eliminate humid air which worked but not possible/practical in snow and rain lol yes was running the heating with aircon on. Problem was also eliminated on the odd occasion it was garaged. Internet research showed it was a common problem, with people using silica etc. Just wondered if the BOXSTER 
experienced the same or if the hood was better insulated.edit: the drain holes where clear.
Edited by skodamanpat on Saturday 9th April 12:41
I was just going by the fact that my tin top doesn't suffer from the same problem when driven in the same conditions. The interior of the the Mazda was dry (carpets etc) and I checked the drain holes, so presumed it was air borne moisture from breathing that was causing relatively high humidity in the small cabin that was then condensing on the hood as the temp dropped rapidly due to poor insulation. After reading many internet posts on the subject I presumed it was quite usual even with working drains.
The mx-5 whilst having excellent handling was pretty gutless imo, which was another good reason to sell, however the sun is shining again so open motoring beckons but I don't want to spend a fortune on another convertible to only face the same condensation issues, which was my original question, rather than, 'why is my mx-5 icing up?'.
Thanks
The mx-5 whilst having excellent handling was pretty gutless imo, which was another good reason to sell, however the sun is shining again so open motoring beckons but I don't want to spend a fortune on another convertible to only face the same condensation issues, which was my original question, rather than, 'why is my mx-5 icing up?'.
Thanks
edo said:
kambites said:
I don't understand why hood insulation would make any difference, really? It's not as if it's going to keep the car above ambient temperature at night.
Agreed. there must be moisture somewhere in the car for this to happen.This is (was) a problem with your car, not a problem with the car as a whole.
I've never come across this problem on my car!
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