2018 Continental GT steaming up - is this normal?
Discussion
Hi All,
We previously had a first gen. GT, and recently replaced it with a 2018 '1st' W12 - the first of the current model shape.
In the current wet conditions, we have had repeated problems with the car steaming up inside. This is the first winter we have had the car. This happens after a journey in the wet followed by the car standing for an hour - for example a trip to the supermarket. Have also experienced it with three people on a journey in the autumn.
On return to the car, it is impossible to drive as all the inside windows are steamed up. It takes five minutes of the fan demist on full to clear the windows so the car is drivable. The car has been back to the franchise dealer twice in the past couple of months. First time they replaced some faulty flap motors (on a 2.5 year old car!) and this last time they put a dehumidifier in the car, cleaned the door drains and then declared it all ok. I suggested they check/ service the aircon and so they vacced and regassed it. The car was returned to us yesterday and on the first journey out, the car is the same.
The car is kept in a heated/dehumidified garage so the moisture is not from the car sitting unused in the wet.
To me, this is indicative of the aircon not dehumidifiing the air in the car during a journey. Something you see in taxis where the heating system is on recirc. without aircon causing a stuffy car with steamed up windows. Not something I would ever expect in a GT.
Has anyone else experienced this? Design fault or build problem? I am starting to suspect the previous owner was sick of it and so traded the car after 2 years. Service think they have fixed the problem, but the salesman also mentioned that they had seen similar problems on the new Bentayga.
Thanks, Jonathan
We previously had a first gen. GT, and recently replaced it with a 2018 '1st' W12 - the first of the current model shape.
In the current wet conditions, we have had repeated problems with the car steaming up inside. This is the first winter we have had the car. This happens after a journey in the wet followed by the car standing for an hour - for example a trip to the supermarket. Have also experienced it with three people on a journey in the autumn.
On return to the car, it is impossible to drive as all the inside windows are steamed up. It takes five minutes of the fan demist on full to clear the windows so the car is drivable. The car has been back to the franchise dealer twice in the past couple of months. First time they replaced some faulty flap motors (on a 2.5 year old car!) and this last time they put a dehumidifier in the car, cleaned the door drains and then declared it all ok. I suggested they check/ service the aircon and so they vacced and regassed it. The car was returned to us yesterday and on the first journey out, the car is the same.
The car is kept in a heated/dehumidified garage so the moisture is not from the car sitting unused in the wet.
To me, this is indicative of the aircon not dehumidifiing the air in the car during a journey. Something you see in taxis where the heating system is on recirc. without aircon causing a stuffy car with steamed up windows. Not something I would ever expect in a GT.
Has anyone else experienced this? Design fault or build problem? I am starting to suspect the previous owner was sick of it and so traded the car after 2 years. Service think they have fixed the problem, but the salesman also mentioned that they had seen similar problems on the new Bentayga.
Thanks, Jonathan
Coupe not convertible. Dealership apparently checked the AC drains and matrix for clogging the first time it was in.
This is a 2.5 year old car with 10k miles on it so would not expect any sort of clogging.
One really odd software 'feature' I did notice yesterday - press the 'Max AC' button and this sets the temp adjusters to 'low', switches on recirc and should put the fan on full. If the four face vents are all closed, the fan does not operate - and there is no message like 'open face vents for full AC'. It just behaves like there is a fault, although I am sure it is by design.
This makes me wonder if there is a software decision made to turn off the AC compressor if the inside temp is higher than the outside temp (eg. for eco reasons). On my 1982 Spirit, the AC runs all the time the climate is operational and keeps the humidity down.
This is a 2.5 year old car with 10k miles on it so would not expect any sort of clogging.
One really odd software 'feature' I did notice yesterday - press the 'Max AC' button and this sets the temp adjusters to 'low', switches on recirc and should put the fan on full. If the four face vents are all closed, the fan does not operate - and there is no message like 'open face vents for full AC'. It just behaves like there is a fault, although I am sure it is by design.
This makes me wonder if there is a software decision made to turn off the AC compressor if the inside temp is higher than the outside temp (eg. for eco reasons). On my 1982 Spirit, the AC runs all the time the climate is operational and keeps the humidity down.
galtezza said:
Can you turn off climate but keep the ac on? i can on our s class.. it might show up a climate issue as opposed to the ac.
No. You can turn off the AC and leave climate on, but not the other way round.galtezza said:
To my mind the condensation can only be coming from moisture within the car or backing up through the ac system where its failed to dump it, if theyve checked drainage then maybe you have water ingress in the car somewhere? Any known seal problems with the car, boot area maybe?
There is no moisture I can find inside the car, but this does happen when the car is driven in the rain. Maybe back to the dealer again..corradokid said:
There is a bulletin to replace underbody grommets along the sill area with redesigned parts, these can block and lead to condensation. Check this has been done.
I had heard about the sill drain holes being really small and blocking easily but wasn't sure this was on the latest model. Apparently the sills fill with water from the rear quarter lights and they are open due to large holes which allows them to vent to the inside of the car.
Do you know the bulletin number for this? Is this the 2018- model?
Ok. The bulletin is for the current model. Sorry - I don't have any reference to it.
This was done on the second visit (and didn't cure the problem). I had been told by an independent that they had pulled out the grommets on another car and had litres of water come out.
Our dealer has found this time that the rubber seal on the NS rear quarter light had a defect and let in water. This has now been replaced. They are still testing the car..
This was done on the second visit (and didn't cure the problem). I had been told by an independent that they had pulled out the grommets on another car and had litres of water come out.
Our dealer has found this time that the rubber seal on the NS rear quarter light had a defect and let in water. This has now been replaced. They are still testing the car..
Car is now back.
Dealer found that the passenger rear quarter window had a kink/fault in the seal on the front edge where it seals against the door glass. This was letting in water.
New glass now fitted and the car has been tested by them over a week or so with it standing in the rain and also driven - no steaming up apparently.
I have noticed now that the seal on the bottom of this new window does not meet the glass. Here are some photos looking down on it.
Drivers side (top is the reflection in the glass):
Passenger:
Pressed in by pushing on the trim, which flexes the quarter panel:
Now I don't know if it has always been that way, or whether this is just poor fitment of the replacement. Either way, water will now be getting into the sill - but hopefully draining out of the updated drain plugs!
Dealer found that the passenger rear quarter window had a kink/fault in the seal on the front edge where it seals against the door glass. This was letting in water.
New glass now fitted and the car has been tested by them over a week or so with it standing in the rain and also driven - no steaming up apparently.
I have noticed now that the seal on the bottom of this new window does not meet the glass. Here are some photos looking down on it.
Drivers side (top is the reflection in the glass):
Passenger:
Pressed in by pushing on the trim, which flexes the quarter panel:
Now I don't know if it has always been that way, or whether this is just poor fitment of the replacement. Either way, water will now be getting into the sill - but hopefully draining out of the updated drain plugs!
I am now preparing for the car to go back in to the workshop. I think this will be the fifth time.
This being the case, it seems to me that the HVAC on the car is not fit for purpose. Any car up to the point they switched motors will suffer from some sort of problems.
Unfortunately, the dealer is told what to do by Crewe who are covering it all under warranty. Frankly, this should be a recall job for these cars.
corradokid said:
Hvac flap motors can also be temperamental and I wouldn’t assume if it has been repaired before it won’t happen again. Get them to recheck for fault codes.
I have heard that there has been an inherent problem with the flap motors on the HVAC and Bentley (VAG) have switched manufacturer of them. There are twenty or so and I bet they are difficult to access.This being the case, it seems to me that the HVAC on the car is not fit for purpose. Any car up to the point they switched motors will suffer from some sort of problems.
Unfortunately, the dealer is told what to do by Crewe who are covering it all under warranty. Frankly, this should be a recall job for these cars.
I wonder if it is this grommet?
This is where the bonnet release cable passes through the bulkhead. It is directly in line with the drain from the scuttle above:
..and in my case, it appears marked and fitted correctly - so it is not the cause of the steaming up.
I can see the replaced rear quarter light has a modified seal:
..which obviously needs doing on the drivers side too, judging by the water running down the inside when the car was last washed:
The dealer have said they are trialling a new revised set of sill bungs on another car (So - they have another GT with the same problem in the showroom!) before mine goes in.
This is where the bonnet release cable passes through the bulkhead. It is directly in line with the drain from the scuttle above:
..and in my case, it appears marked and fitted correctly - so it is not the cause of the steaming up.
I can see the replaced rear quarter light has a modified seal:
..which obviously needs doing on the drivers side too, judging by the water running down the inside when the car was last washed:
The dealer have said they are trialling a new revised set of sill bungs on another car (So - they have another GT with the same problem in the showroom!) before mine goes in.
Edited by joncuk on Saturday 20th February 14:45
Well, the car has been back in. It has apparently had an interior-out, dash-out complete internal HVAC replacement plus the other rear quarter light has been replaced to match the new one fitted on the other side.
and.. it appears to be the same.
Of course, it is becoming more difficult to use the weather and environment to check the fault, but a wash and valet followed the next day by the usual shopping trip resulted in steaming up when returning to the car. I am now measuring the humidity inside the car and it is high - 63% RH - so water is sitting somewhere inside the car, and the HVAC is not up to the job of clearing it.
and.. it appears to be the same.
Of course, it is becoming more difficult to use the weather and environment to check the fault, but a wash and valet followed the next day by the usual shopping trip resulted in steaming up when returning to the car. I am now measuring the humidity inside the car and it is high - 63% RH - so water is sitting somewhere inside the car, and the HVAC is not up to the job of clearing it.
Well..
On return of the car, all was well. The car survived the winter without steaming up issues.
We *think* there was a problem with the fascia vents not working once, but things returned to normal and we forgot about it.
A couple of weeks ago, the problem returned - car was steamed up on return to the car park after shopping. This happened two days in a row. When I drove the car the next day, I found that the fascia vents were not operating at all - opening /closing the stops made the fan speed change, but no air came out of any vent, in fact nothing out of the screen demist or footwell vents either.
Car went back to Bentley dealer last week. Diagnosis shows failed flap motors!
Dealer quoted just under £7k to repair (dash-out job again) and the car is now out of warranty. Given the circumstances, Bentley have agreed to a goodwill request from the dealer to cover the bulk of the costs leaving us with a little over a grand to pay.
Last time, the dealer replaced the entire hvac unit inside the car. This time the fix is to remove the unit and replace all the flap motors on it, then refit. Apparently, replacing the interior hvac unit usually fixes the problem for good. Ours lasted about 11 months.
The dealer said this is the third version of the motor and is a recent revision. Also, all motors (~20?) have to be replaced as the different versions don't play well together.
This is the sixth time the car has been back to the dealer; this time it will be there for 2 weeks.
On return of the car, all was well. The car survived the winter without steaming up issues.
We *think* there was a problem with the fascia vents not working once, but things returned to normal and we forgot about it.
A couple of weeks ago, the problem returned - car was steamed up on return to the car park after shopping. This happened two days in a row. When I drove the car the next day, I found that the fascia vents were not operating at all - opening /closing the stops made the fan speed change, but no air came out of any vent, in fact nothing out of the screen demist or footwell vents either.
Car went back to Bentley dealer last week. Diagnosis shows failed flap motors!
Dealer quoted just under £7k to repair (dash-out job again) and the car is now out of warranty. Given the circumstances, Bentley have agreed to a goodwill request from the dealer to cover the bulk of the costs leaving us with a little over a grand to pay.
Last time, the dealer replaced the entire hvac unit inside the car. This time the fix is to remove the unit and replace all the flap motors on it, then refit. Apparently, replacing the interior hvac unit usually fixes the problem for good. Ours lasted about 11 months.
The dealer said this is the third version of the motor and is a recent revision. Also, all motors (~20?) have to be replaced as the different versions don't play well together.
This is the sixth time the car has been back to the dealer; this time it will be there for 2 weeks.
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