21 plate C-HR condensation / freezes / frost inside cabin

[Roy124]

Have a look at Wet Wet Wet which covers the same issue.  It's normal. 

[O.W.L.]

20 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Have you tried one of these ANSIO Dehumidifier 500ml Condensation Remover Moisture Absorber Dehumidifiers for Damp, Mould, Moisture in Home, Kitchen, Wardrobe, Bedroom, Caravan, Office, Garage, Bathroom, Basement (Pack of 5) https://amzn.eu/d/2SKXJ7M

I have always one in the rear door card and does a great job when weather is wet and rainy. Now been in for few weeks and still dry but I keep the car in ready mode for hours and interior is warm and dry , but those make difference 

Not tried those. Have you used one successfully, or is it just a suggestion?

I went to a meeting today in East Sussex. Three of us - me in my C-HR, another guy in a Hyundai 4x4 and a third in a Porsche 911. Four hours later we all went to our cars to drive home. The other two left straight away, leaving me to use my squeegee and sponge onna stick. It's both annoying and embarrasing.

[Roy124]

How are your condition controls set? 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, O.W.L. said:

Not tried those. Have you used one successfully, or is it just a suggestion?

I went to a meeting today in East Sussex. Three of us - me in my C-HR, another guy in a Hyundai 4x4 and a third in a Porsche 911. Four hours later we all went to our cars to drive home. The other two left straight away, leaving me to use my squeegee and sponge onna stick. It's both annoying and embarrasing.

Yes I always have one of these since beginning of 2020 and do change them every few weeks 4-6. Last one been in for 3 weeks now but because it’s cold and dry and I keep the car in ready mode for 2-6 hours every night the cabin been dry and no any moisture accumulated but when it’s raining and little bit warmer and I stay inside the car without been in ready mode this thing works magic and does collects some water. I placed in the rear door card.
I have also rear windows fitted with custom made sun blinds that does hold condensation onto the rear windows but when I leave the car on my drive for 10-12hrs then when I go back to the car the interior is dry and windows clear. , I believe that thing really help. I also use climate control in manual mode and no AC at all during winter. In addition to these dehumidifier boxes I have a bag dehumidifier placed in the spare wheel well just in case any moisture forms there to be collected and to prevent hybrid Battery cell contacts oxidation. Here some pictures. 👍

[O.W.L.]

44 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

How are your condition controls set? 

Today, the A/C was on, sun visors down, recirculation on (so not just inside air circulating), temp controls turned to 24 degrees, front & rear demist controls both on, heater directional control turned so that the heated screen symbol is showing.

When I parked the car, both screens were dry. There was so much water on the inside of the front screen after the meeting that when I used the squeegee, there must have been a cup full of water that fell down onto the dash. The sponge onna stick took care of most of the residue.

Back screen took over 15 minutes once driving to dry out.

I love the car, but this problem is getting me down so much that I will get rid as soon as the PCP finishes. 

[O.W.L.]

22 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Yes I always have one of these since beginning of 2020 and do change them every few weeks 4-6. Last one been in for 3 weeks now but because it’s cold and dry and I keep the car in ready mode for 2-6 hours every night the cabin been dry and no any moisture accumulated but when it’s raining and little bit warmer and I stay inside the car without been in ready mode this thing works magic and does collects some water. I placed in the rear door card.
I have also rear windows fitted with custom made sun blinds that does hold condensation onto the rear windows but when I leave the car on my drive for 10-12hrs then when I go back to the car the interior is dry and windows clear. , I believe that thing really help. I also use climate control in manual mode and no AC at all during winter. In addition to these dehumidifier boxes I have a bag dehumidifier placed in the spare wheel well just in case any moisture forms there to be collected and to prevent hybrid battery cell contacts oxidation. Here some pictures. 👍

Thanks a lot for that, and the trouble you went to with putting photos up for me.

I will buy myself some of those. Is the cat obligatory?

[forkingabout]

27 minutes ago, O.W.L. said:

Today, the A/C was on, sun visors down, recirculation on (so not just inside air circulating), 

I only ever turn the recirculation function on to stop odour / fumes from outside - it's extremely rare I press the button.

I usually leave the function off to get outside airflow in to the car.

 

[O.W.L.]

35 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

I only ever turn the recirculation function on to stop odour / fumes from outside - it's extremely rare I press the button.

I usually leave the function off to get outside airflow in to the car.

 

Perhaps I phrased it badly - I do the same.

[Cyker]

Only use the recirculation with the AC on, esp. in winter, or you will be guaranteed to get mist on the windows!

What I usually do is have the AC on with recirc, but once I get to where I'm going to switch it back to fresh air and let it run for a couple seconds before shutting off the car. I've found that helps stave off the window mist. When I've just left it on recirc, I often find there is more mist and sometimes a damp musty smell from the vents.

[A T]

On 1/6/2022 at 4:19 PM, Chrispy chicken said:

Hi all,

Anyone having issues with condensation? had my C-HR a month and has real condensation problem that doesn't sound like a big deal but when it frosts overnight the inside of car is frozen solid. Takes !Removed! ages to de-frost it and wipe it away.

Spoke to dealer who told me "it was normal and all they're cars do it on the forecourt", really?... 

Any help on this would be gratefully received 😨

Condensation is only formed by moisture and warmth inside the car. As an example - enter a car with damp or wet clothes on and watch the inside of your car windows instantly miss up. Even your breath will cause condensation - so to combat it you put your air conditioner on.

My 4-month-old car was wetter inside than outside through chronic condensation (running down the glass) so bad I have to scrap ice off the inside of the car glass.

To be continued.

[A T]

On 1/7/2022 at 2:31 PM, Chrispy chicken said:

Nice one Starensis, that's very interesting and a great piece of advice.

I spoke to Toyota GB about the condensation who were surprised it was happening and didn't really know about the issue from other customers, so its going into the dealer Monday for them have a look for any obvious faults. 

So I'm kind of left thinking is this a common problem? or is it just a few vehicles that suffer because of something like you said, vents closing or opening in the wrong position when parked?. Something that could be easily adjusted using diagnostic tools.

With my car, when it frost's over, the inside windscreen and all side windows are covered in a layer of ice. It then takes a good 15 minutes to clear using the heater with all turning to drips running down the glass, its a !Removed! nightmare. was yours like that? 

Is anyone's C-HR out there normal with no condensation issues at all????? (I can see O.W.L from previous comments doesn't have any issues with his) so any extra information I can get from you guys will help me when speaking to the dealer on Monday. I will keep this thread updated if they find something.

Inside your car, YOU WILL DEFINITELY have water ingress, somewhere water is entering your car. Look and feel the front footwell carpet (my car mats were wet underneath) and inside your boot. Supposedly the same wetness problem with my car was cured through water entering the boot/front footwell from the rear and front camera's wiring harness/loom not having a gasket to form a seal and barrier to the water traveling down the wiring!!!!! Also additionally they fitted two, one-way water valves in the lowest part of the boot floor while also having to strip the carpet out of the car interior to thoroughly dry it. In their for-sale car park area I noticed 2 out of 5 C-HRs there also had streaming condensation inside the vehicles. Interestingly, one of their salespeople whose wife has a C-HR said their car needs to be checked out as they have the same condensation & inside icings problem.  Toyota GB most certainly know about the C_HR condensation problem. I bet if you asked them 'DO YOU MAKE CARS', they would deny that too?

To be continued.

[Chrisg99]

10 hours ago, Cyker said:

Only use the recirculation with the AC on, esp. in winter, or you will be guaranteed to get mist on the windows!

What I usually do is have the AC on with recirc, but once I get to where I'm going to switch it back to fresh air and let it run for a couple seconds before shutting off the car. I've found that helps stave off the window mist. When I've just left it on recirc, I often find there is more mist and sometimes a damp musty smell from the vents.

I have no issues with condensation with my MY22. I do not use recirculation. The A/C is on all the time with the temp set at 19/20 degrees.

Maybe it is a water leak problem that starts all of this my carpets are dry and the boot well under the spare wheel is also as dry as a bone.

[O.W.L.]

I will check my carpets & boot & report back. If I can't find anything I will take it to the dealer under warranty. The level of condensation is insane & totally unacceptable.

[Cyker]

I mainly use recirc because I'm always stuck behind diesel busses and taxis (Despite being forced out of my diesel by the ULEZ.... funny how that works), but Not using recirculation is best to avoid the car getting damp as it brings in fresh and much less humid air i.n..

The mats are a good point; It could be people are having trouble because their mats have soaked up water from their shoes etc; I have rubber mats in mine and they get very wet, but as I tend to drive quite  a lot I think the car has more opportunity for the heating and AC to get rid of it.

 

[forkingabout]

13 minutes ago, Cyker said:

The mats are a good point; It could be people are having trouble because their mats have soaked up water from their shoes etc; I have rubber mats in mine and they get very wet, but as I tend to drive quite  a lot I think the car has more opportunity for the heating and AC to get rid of it.

Rubber mats in mine to as far easier to keep clean & more durable.

I'm not a fan of the factory fitted carpet type floor mats, there safely stored away.

[TonyHSD]

17 hours ago, O.W.L. said:

Thanks a lot for that, and the trouble you went to with putting photos up for me.

I will buy myself some of those. Is the cat obligatory?

Hahah, nope , that was my neighbour’s cat 🐈‍⬛ found it’s way into my car while I was cleaning it , perhaps a quality control or something 😂👌

[TonyHSD]

Hm, so much of a trouble could be only two things:

1. Water leak - common places to check sun visors, and rear view mirror. Both front and rear foot well, near the front seat belts bases, under the rear seat, boot floor and particularly spare wheel well. Under front passenger mat, fold the top end or remove out of the car and check entire floor. 
2. Hvac settings- using ac in winter can help dehumidifier the cabin no doubt but then after you turn off the car it will mess your windscreen almost certainly. Slightly higher Cabin temperature 22C° and no AC plus important air blow to be towards windscreen and feet, manual control on blower fan speed two, or you can do up or down as per your needs, air intake should be set from outside.
Check cabin filter and replace every 12 months or 10k miles, perhaps we should begin with that. Best to avoid using dedicated buttons for front screen defrost, only use rear ones , the heater element built into the rear window. Another thing to check is rear hatch and all doors if they had rubber plugs removed, if not the doors may be filled with water. Here pictures.  

That’s my method that works equally well on every car with automatic climate control. Some members and the general trade are against those but then I have no trouble doing so and those who follow strictly the general opinion has issues.
You can try mine and see if it works. I don’t want to argue with anyone about using ac in winter or putting new tyres on the rear axle, for me these are completely wrong decisions. 👍

[A T]

On 1/6/2022 at 4:19 PM, Chrispy chicken said:

Hi all,

Anyone having issues with condensation? had my C-HR a month and has real condensation problem that doesn't sound like a big deal but when it frosts overnight the inside of car is frozen solid. Takes !Removed! ages to de-frost it and wipe it away.

Spoke to dealer who told me "it was normal and all they're cars do it on the forecourt", really?... 

Any help on this would be gratefully received 😨

In their for-sale car park area I noticed 2 out of 5 C-HRs there also had streaming condensation inside the vehicles. Interestingly, one of their salespeople whose wife has a C-HR said their car needs to be checked out as they have the same condensation & inside icings problem.  

[GBgraham]

21 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Hm, so much of a trouble could be only two things:

1. Water leak - common places to check sun visors, and rear view mirror. Both front and rear foot well, near the front seat belts bases, under the rear seat, boot floor and particularly spare wheel well. Under front passenger mat, fold the top end or remove out of the car and check entire floor. 
2. Hvac settings- using ac in winter can help dehumidifier the cabin no doubt but then after you turn off the car it will mess your windscreen almost certainly. Slightly higher Cabin temperature 22C° and no AC plus important air blow to be towards windscreen and feet, manual control on blower fan speed two, or you can do up or down as per your needs, air intake should be set from outside.
Check cabin filter and replace every 12 months or 10k miles, perhaps we should begin with that. Best to avoid using dedicated buttons for front screen defrost, only use rear ones , the heater element built into the rear window. Another thing to check is rear hatch and all doors if they had rubber plugs removed, if not the doors may be filled with water. Here pictures.  

That’s my method that works equally well on every car with automatic climate control. Some members and the general trade are against those but then I have no trouble doing so and those who follow strictly the general opinion has issues.
You can try mine and see if it works. I don’t want to argue with anyone about using ac in winter or putting new tyres on the rear axle, for me these are completely wrong decisions. 👍

I would certainly go with water/damp to cause such problems, If the car hasn't got a leak the your taking or keeping the moisture in, like wet footwear/clothes, if you have fabric upholstery, this can absorb moisture and then release once the car starts cooling and reaches Dew Point condensation will occur.

Things to try, make sure the the use of outside air is off, you don't want to be pulling in more cold damp air, use climate control to give a mix of heat and a/c.

If only short journey's are been driven, the car will never get chance dry so if it's got damp carpets and/or upholstery and it will need  a good dry out or you will just have to live with it and hope for better weather.

 Fortunately I don't have such an issue where I am based but when I was in the UK I knew the problems well with other vehicles.  

[O.W.L.]

I've now checked under the carpets and in the boot and there is no sign of damp.

Next step is contacting the Toyota garage I bought it from.

[TonyHSD]

10 minutes ago, O.W.L. said:

I've now checked under the carpets and in the boot and there is no sign of damp.

Next step is contacting the Toyota garage I bought it from.

When you are driving at motorway speeds do you get any extra wind noises like let say slightly open side windows? 
 

My gf had an Auris exactly as mine and this car had windscreen replaced previously but they did not fitted properly and the car had a lots of moisture happening, a wet driver sun visor and wet roof lining near the drivers ceiling  handle. The car went back to the dealer and they replaced the sun visor, fixed the lining and re done the windscreen. This time no more water from top but a huge gap left between the windscreen and car body lower left corner, so much noise and even wind chill could be felt. Anyway, the damp interior returned after few months to discover that her boot spare wheel well was full of water, perhaps a bucket full we had taken out, so much water that when braking the water was going under the hybrid Battery towards the front and my daughters complaint of wet carpets. I fix that too, was from rear lights clusters seals. Since than no more moisture and damp issues. 
The ideas that I shared earlier with dehumidifiers can only help condition and control moisture but they won’t stop it if there is some physical damage or something not fixed properly. If happens to many Chr owners could be even a design flow or workmanship error. 
Checking with dealer it’s a good idea 👍 

Good luck 

[O.W.L.]

Thanks Tony - I have no such issue re wind noise from the windows.

A few years back I had a Rover 75 that leaked so badly from the rear somewhere, that I actually drilled 3 holes in the bottom of the spare wheel well, to let the water drain out - even that car never fogged up inside 🙂

I have now booked the car in to Marshalls in Canterbury for 31st January.

[MartEd]

On 1/7/2022 at 2:31 PM, Chrispy chicken said:

Nice one Starensis, that's very interesting and a great piece of advice.

I spoke to Toyota GB about the condensation who were surprised it was happening and didn't really know about the issue from other customers, so its going into the dealer Monday for them have a look for any obvious faults. 

So I'm kind of left thinking is this a common problem? or is it just a few vehicles that suffer because of something like you said, vents closing or opening in the wrong position when parked?. Something that could be easily adjusted using diagnostic tools.

With my car, when it frost's over, the inside windscreen and all side windows are covered in a layer of ice. It then takes a good 15 minutes to clear using the heater with all turning to drips running down the glass, its a !Removed! nightmare. was yours like that? 

Is anyone's C-HR out there normal with no condensation issues at all????? (I can see O.W.L from previous comments doesn't have any issues with his) so any extra information I can get from you guys will help me when speaking to the dealer on Monday. I will keep this thread updated if they find something.

 

Mine is parked outside work overnight and I have had no issues with excess misting inside and definitely no freezing inside. 

Regarding the dehumidifiers- a cheaper alternative is cat litter which is designed to absorb moisture. A couple of old socks full along the top of the dash may help. 

[TonyHSD]

I went to a Lexus forum yesterday for a first time looking at ux cars which are similar to chr and based on Corolla chassis, for some reason there are quite few posts about the same condensation issues. It’s interesting 🤔 

[GBgraham]

16 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

I went to a Lexus forum yesterday for a first time looking at ux cars which are similar to chr and based on Corolla chassis, for some reason there are quite few posts about the same condensation issues. It’s interesting 🤔 

I don't think it'll be down to any particular range or model, if no leaks can be found in the cabin or boot space as you suggested would definitely cause a problem otherwise I would go more for the time of year as in weather conditions.

For an analogy, imagine someone getting in the car with say a damp or wet jacket and shoes, then driving for a shortish journey and breathing (hopefully😉) in a sealed cabin with a nice comfortable temperature and this is probably done daily, (multiply condition for more occupants) then getting out and shutting in the moisture, when in time due to the weather conditions this moisture hits dew point, voila condensation which if cold enough will freeze inside the cabin!