Reducing condensation, demisting, etc

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota GB's tips reducing condensation: 

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/fix-condensation-inside-car/

Air con - winter use:  

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car-maintenance/air-con-myths-busted/

Demisting quickly:  

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/winter-driving/how-to-demist-your-windscreen-in-double-quick-time/

Also folding the sun visors down helps trap more of the demisting air against the windscreen.

[loz8]

I have 2 dehumidifier pots[household type,£1] in the boot,2 seed bag [microwaveable]

pretty useless,in car.

Never known a windscreen like this,wet through all winter,overnight.

[TonyHSD]

I keep ac off most of the time, heating set at 22C° blower fan speed two and air vent windscreen plus footwell, I have home dehumidifier set in one of the rear doors and one microwave bag in the spare wheel compartment to keep moisture away from the hv Battery, no problems at all. 

[Gerg]

Something to consider; your condensation might be aggravated by a slight door leak.

After it's been raining, if you run your finger around the door card bottom, where the door card meets the painted steel of the door, if there is water evident in that crack/gap then you probably have a leak.  Try it on all of the doors, but especially underneath the main speaker of the front doors.

It's not difficult to get to or fix this problem.

 

[Big_D]

I used to have a Ford Focus CC (Convertible) and had problems with the roof leaking due to the rubber seals drying out. I heard about Nextzett Gummi Pflege and used this. Not only did it rejuvenate the rubber, but it stopped the leaks too. I now use it on all my car doors, and even the weatherstrip on the front door to our house. It is brilliant stuff and will help keep rubber flexible.

 

 

 

[loz8]

This is what I now think, winter the car is cold outside air damp too,If you have a cabin filter,this after little use will have a coating of fine dirt,both damp. Surely this will impede the air flow and although fan going full belt it does not do the job untill heater is up to temp. Does a new filter cure the problem. Into5th service ,asked for it to be changed and to see it. It looked like the bottom of a dustbin,when imo it should have looked better IF  it had been changed before.

[TonyHSD]

20 hours ago, loz8 said:

This is what I now think, winter the car is cold outside air damp too,If you have a cabin filter,this after little use will have a coating of fine dirt,both damp. Surely this will impede the air flow and although fan going full belt it does not do the job untill heater is up to temp. Does a new filter cure the problem. Into5th service ,asked for it to be changed and to see it. It looked like the bottom of a dustbin,when imo it should have looked better IF  it had been changed before.

Cabin filter should be changed with every oil service at 10k miles or 12 months regardless of how much you drive because yes the filter does collect small particles and even if it looks ok still doesn’t do it’s purpose good enough, and also restrict an air flow to the cabin, add a bit of stress to the fan motor. The filter start smelling like fumes even clean at first sight still needs to be replaced. Dealer and manufacturer recommendations of 20+k miles is too long, it’s an easy job and cheap part, better change it yourself. 👍 Here the difference between old and new after 10k miles. 👌

[Luke717]

On 6/5/2021 at 7:44 AM, TonyHSD said:

I keep ac off most of the time, heating set at 22C° blower fan speed two and air vent windscreen plus footwell, I have home dehumidifier set in one of the rear doors and one microwave bag in the spare wheel compartment to keep moisture away from the hv battery, no problems at all. 

I'm the opposite - AC on all the time, temp set at 21C, all else on auto setting. Never suffered from condensation inside the car (except when I bought it in June 2020 when the AC was broken in the factory, so no AC at all for the first two months until that was fixed by the dealer under warranty; summer so no condensation anyway).

This winter I've used the car less than before: once or twice a week for short local journeys, occasional long (2-4 hours) journeys once a month or so.

[Big_D]

3 hours ago, Luke717 said:

I'm the opposite - AC on all the time, temp set at 21C, all else on auto setting. Never suffered from condensation inside the car (except when I bought it in June 2020 when the AC was broken in the factory, so no AC at all for the first two months until that was fixed by the dealer under warranty; summer so no condensation anyway).

This winter I've used the car less than before: once or twice a week for short local journeys, occasional long (2-4 hours) journeys once a month or so.

Same as me. Aircon on, temp set to 21.5. No condensation. I tend to run my car a couple of times a week with no condensation problems.

[Stopeter44]

11 hours ago, Big_D said:

Same as me. Aircon on, temp set to 21.5. No condensation. I tend to run my car a couple of times a week with no condensation problems.

Not running aIrcon much at the moment, and not running any heat/ventilation on very short trips (<5 km). It's very dry here, so I can get away with it. OTOH, if I'm going to do a longer trip, temp is set to 22°C and generally no aircon, but I turn it on when I'm going on a 50km run or similar.

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, Stopeter44 said:

Not running aIrcon much at the moment, and not running any heat/ventilation on very short trips (<5 km). It's very dry here, so I can get away with it. OTOH, if I'm going to do a longer trip, temp is set to 22°C and generally no aircon, but I turn it on when I'm going on a 50km run or similar.

I think not running the fan at all it’s not good for the system. You maybe can’t sense or see any moisture but not airing the hvac ducts and vents is a serious precondition for formation of fungus and other bacteria, bad odour plus the Battery relays on the air from the cabin maintaining a room temperature at around 20-22C° with or without AC ON all year around is crucial for longevity of the Battery and hvac system of the car. Also when the car is brand new there are some smells from the new materials used in the cabin, textiles, plastics etc that when using the hvac and open windows more often will kill that smell quickly and the car will just become better and more comfortable place to be. I personally use myself a dehumidifier and not because I have issues with moisture as a result of not using ac at all but because I spent many hours inside without engine running ( only keep in ready mode when freezing outside) and when you stay inside at winter without uses of the hvac there are always moisture especially on t( rainy days. So far no issues with hvac, ac or hybrid Battery. Cabin filter change every 10k miles and fresher air can be felt immediately. My car is my home and my office.🚙❤️✌️

[Stopeter44]

18 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

You maybe can’t sense or see any moisture but not airing the hvac ducts and vents is a serious precondition for formation of fungus and other bacteria, bad odour plus the battery relays on the air from the cabin maintaining a room temperature at around 20-22C° with or without AC ON all year around is crucial for longevity of the battery and hvac system of the car. Also when the car is brand new there are some smells from the new materials used in the cabin, textiles, plastics etc that when using the hvac and open windows more often will kill that smell quickly and the car will just become better and more comfortable place to be.

Thanks Tony, I'll keep that in mind going forward. TBH, I almost never run the/any car with the windows open - except when the car has been in the sun at 40°C for several hours, and then only to let some of the heat escape.

In the 208, I ran the aircon all the time, but the My T app tells me just how much fuel is used on very short distances with heat/aircon running. Many of the runs are around the village and quite often < 2km. I can walk to the village centre and often do, but if I need to pick up groceries, pizza, or whatever, then I take the car.

[loz8]

have had aircon on all this yr.and as posted before I have 2 household type dehumidifier pots under boot floor. Today to my surprise,on checking,both full,thats about a ltre. Shows how much water vapour,is in cabin,[with very little milage].

[YarisHybrid2016]

My car (Gen. 3 Yaris) was literally dripping in water when we had sub-zero temps a few weeks ago. Never had a problem before! I thought I had a leaky roof, but all good.

I set the heater to max and went for a drive. AC was ON, recirc was OFF (fresh air) and it was dry outside. I drove for about 30 mins with it on max, getting the car nice and hot. I then slowly reduced the cabin temp 2 degrees every 5-10 mins until it was at LO. After I finished, car was dry inside. It only just started misting today after a month.

The point of SLOWLY reducing temperature is to allow moisture to condensate out in the AC. Warm air holds more moisture.