Windscreen condensation

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

The windscreen on my 2011 cali was completely covered in condensation on the inside having spent all day in the car park at work today. Also has happened parked at home overnight. This is happening when it is parked & not being slept in. Only happening on the windscreen. Fortunately it only takes 2 minutes with climatronic on screen to clear it.
Does anyone else have this problem ? Or does anyone have any ideas how to cure it ?
I have had this happen on 5 year old cars before & not impressed with it happening on a new cali.

Just been out to get something out of the cali & inside of the screen is now well on the way to being covered in condensation, it's only been standing for 1 Hour

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by californiaman

Doesn't happen to mine. It must be damp inside somewhere?

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by martin

Hi Andy

It could be worth checking all the seals on the doors ,windows and roof as the cause could be damp air leaking in somewhere. Also check the carpets etc for water that may be coming in.

Saying this, you are under warranty and I would take it into the dealer as this should not be happening.

I guess as an interim solution you could always place some moisture absorbers on the dash, not ideal but it may work for the time being.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

Martin, good advise. The drivers matt did get wet last week, but checked it earlier & is now dry. I have checked & there is nothing damp / wet in the cali. Will try opening & closing roof.
As it only happens to the front screen I guess the problem is in the front ? Or maybe not !
I am off work next week so will talk to Wayside, the local dealer.

As I said it does not take long to clear it with the heater, but is a pain.

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

Just checked the front door seals which seem OK. Front carpet is not damp.
Opened roof, checked the bellows but don't seem to be damp, cleaned / dried the seals & closed it. Hung on to the button till motor cuts out so it is fully closed.
Have to wait & see if that makes a difference.

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by californiaman


The windscreen will cool fastest of all the glass - thats why it condenses there. How wet did it get? The carpet might feel dry but I wonder how thick the padding/soundpreoofing is underneath? That can take ages to dry.

It might be worth leaving the heater on for a few hours to dry it out?

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by mark

andy i have had exactly same issue this morning, this is the first time it has happened when not slept in. I washed the van at weekend and sliding window leaked, so i know it got damp inside. Hopefully after few runs it will dry out!

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

No condensation yet, but parked in a different spot at work as I was on a late start. Hopefully I will have my normal spot again tomorrow & we'll see what happens then.

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by ewen

I suspect your carpet is still damp underneath and needs time to dry out properly. I washed my steps inside the van on Sunday and while these were still just slightly damp it was enough for condensation to form on my windscreen on Monday morning. Plus, it's also getting colder outside ...

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

Ewan It was only the matts that got wet (not carpet) & they were dry when this started.
No condensation yet !

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by california180

How are members progressing with this?......as ours has started to condense badly on only the windscreen with the dash level (bottom) being the worse affected!

Anyone found the cause?

Chris

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by Martin

I have have had exactly the same problem the last couple of mornings on mine aswell and the windscreen was sopping wet with water dripping on to the dash.

Just checked the interior and no sign of damp anywhere.

Are we seeing a pattern here with facelift models?


Also another thing, the windscreen blower is useless in mine, previous vehicles I have had the screen was clear within a minute of the blower being put on. I normally end up using a cloth.

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by californiaman

Mine doesn't seem to get damp unless I sleep in it and don't have the top up for ventilation. The silver screen makes a big difference and reduces condensation when we do sleep in it.

Condensation forms when the warm moist air inside find something that is much cooler to condense on so, before you park the vehicle, if you leave the doors open and let it cool etc before leaving it - do you still get condensation?

Have you emptied the waste water tank? (I'd be surprised if that is the problem though)

Do you leave damp towels inside?

What about the fridge, we leave the lid on ours open when we're not using it to get some air through it.

My blower is pretty strong - certainly noisy enough!!

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by smithy

We have the same, i did not think much of it until i read this. This morning the windscreen was dripping wet and had to dry with a leather. Is this a known problem?

 

[Staff 2]

Reply by calitess
Nov 23, 2011, 12:02pm, californiaman wrote:
Mine doesn't seem to get damp unless I sleep in it and don't have the top up for ventilation. The silver screen makes a big difference and reduces condensation when we do sleep in it.

Condensation forms when the warm moist air inside find something that is much cooler to condense on so, before you park the vehicle, if you leave the doors open and let it cool etc before leaving it - do you still get condensation?

Have you emptied the waste water tank? (I'd be surprised if that is the problem though)

Do you leave damp towels inside?

What about the fridge, we leave the lid on ours open when we're not using it to get some air through it.

My blower is pretty strong - certainly noisy enough!!


Ditto - we also have no condensation problems - we also take sensible precautions re ventilation etc.

This morning after a night at 3°C in dampest Lancashire the exterior was covered in condensation but non internally.

 

[Staff 2]

Posted by andy

Mine still gets condensation on the inside of the windscreen. Last night I left work + 7.45 & the screen was completely covered, I usually use the heater blower but it was too bad & had to use a chamois cloth. I hate wiping the screen as it always leaves marks. The van had sat in car park for 10 hours, probably with sun on it for a while.
The fridge has been on for the last week as I had milk in it for an emergency brew. Now turned off & dried out, have to wait & see if it is any better.

Waste tank is empty & plug in sink. No damp towels in it either.


Quote:
Is this a known problem?


I seriously hope it is not & there is a simple answer.


Read more: http://vwcalifornia.proboards.com/index ... z1fgfMk4Sl

 

[Staff 2]

First Posted by californiaman


The long and short of it is that there is a source of moisture inside the van, as the temperature cools, the cooling air can no longer contain the moisture and it condenses on the coldest thing it can find.

You need to either identify and remove the source of the moisture (easier said that done by the sounds of it) or... to try and aleviate the problem, if you keep the inside of the van warmer, it won't happen - you could set your heater to keep the temperature up during the day as an experiment. You could... also try putting something really cold like an icy bottle of water in the sink... that may cause the moisture to condense on that instead of the screen.

Not a fix but may help whilst you track down the root cause.

How annoying this must be!


Read more: http://vwcalifornia.proboards.com/index ... z1fgfiID5G

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by mkrw


I had the same problem on previous car I had, after one of the children had the door open in a really bad rain storm.

The windscreen had moisture on and in winter also froze on the inside.

The moisture has only gone after 12 months and a long time in the sun......

 

[Staff 2]

First Posted by california180


Nov 23, 2011, 2:01pm, calitess wrote:


Ditto - we also have no condensation problems - we also take sensible precautions re ventilation etc.

This morning after a night at 3°C in dampest Lancashire the exterior was covered in condensation but non internally.

Hi Paul & Linda, as we are also in dampest Lancashire and take sensible precautions re ventilation, do you mind if I ask a couple of questions

1) Facelift or pre facelift?
2) Where do you leave the heater duct control when leaving your cali i.e. screen/floor/face vents?
3) Waste water tank i.e. always empty/partial?
4) Used daily?
5) Garaged?

Chris & Cathryn

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by californiaman

We've had torrential rain today and the front and side windows of the van have condensation on for the first time ever. I guess it has been very wet and windy and as soon as the sun has gone, it got very cold. Not clever that...

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by Martin

After all the bad weather the past few days we have had no condensation at all, also the side window has stopped leaking. Weird! anyone else still having problems?

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by andy

Yes Martin I still have condensation on the windscreen randomly to a lessor or greater extent.
Does not seem to follow any pattern !

 

[Staff 2]

First posted by Martin

I spoke to soon with my last post!! It was back again this morning, took ages to clear.

 

[california180]

Update - I appear to be seeing some improvement by leaving the heater duct set to floor before switching off......or has it just been different weather combinations :?

 

[Andy]

My heater is normally set to floor when I switch off as that is where I tend to use it. Still getting condensation some days.
Does not seem to follow any rules, weather, where I park, heater vent position.