It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

Pete

Its really not long enough to get all the damp out - Certainly hot air holds
more water vapour than cold, so its good to get the inside as warm as
comfortably possible, but equally important to get a good airflow through the
car at all times, hot or cold, to whisk away the damp air.
If you have aircon that drys the air and, even when cold, will help.
Don't use recirculate.
When you arrive at the destination, let the hot moist air out by leaving the
door open for a few seconds.
Do whatever you can to avoid bringing water into the car - damp raincoats /
dogs / shoes etc. - probably little you can do about this.
If parked under a carport or in a garage, leave a window or two cracked open a
touch if security is not compromised to allow air flow through the car.
Go for a long hot breezy drive once or twice a week to dry the car out.

Hope that helps,

Nick

"nick smith" wrote in message
...
Its really not long enough to get all the damp out - Certainly hot air
holds
more water vapour than cold, so its good to get the inside as warm as
comfortably possible, but equally important to get a good airflow through
the
car at all times, hot or cold, to whisk away the damp air.
If you have aircon that drys the air and, even when cold, will help.
Don't use recirculate.
When you arrive at the destination, let the hot moist air out by leaving
the
door open for a few seconds.
Do whatever you can to avoid bringing water into the car - damp raincoats
/
dogs / shoes etc. - probably little you can do about this.
If parked under a carport or in a garage, leave a window or two cracked
open a
touch if security is not compromised to allow air flow through the car.
Go for a long hot breezy drive once or twice a week to dry the car out.


I'll give that a try
Thanks

In message , nick smith
writes
Its really not long enough to get all the damp out - Certainly hot air holds
more water vapour than cold, so its good to get the inside as warm as
comfortably possible, but equally important to get a good airflow through the
car at all times, hot or cold, to whisk away the damp air.
If you have aircon that drys the air and, even when cold, will help.

Which bit of "I don't have aircon or recirculate." in the OPs post
couldn't you understand ?


--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , nick smith
writes
Its really not long enough to get all the damp out - Certainly hot air
holds
more water vapour than cold, so its good to get the inside as warm as
comfortably possible, but equally important to get a good airflow through
the
car at all times, hot or cold, to whisk away the damp air.
If you have aircon that drys the air and, even when cold, will help.

Which bit of "I don't have aircon or recirculate." in the OPs post
couldn't you understand ?

It's a public forum, others who have the same problem may well have aircon
etc. I posted that I didn't have aircon to prevent an inital round of "have
you got aircon" posts.

I had the same problem a while back with an old car.

How old is your car? I found that my car had a small leak and the carpets
were always damp
and I think that had alot to do with it. Tried everything to fix it but
never did, sorry couldn't help

Paul

"PM" wrote in message
...
It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

Pete

"Paul" wrote in message
...
I had the same problem a while back with an old car.

How old is your car? I found that my car had a small leak and the carpets
were always damp
and I think that had alot to do with it. Tried everything to fix it but
never did, sorry couldn't help

10 yrs old. I suspect that seals etc aren't up to scratch, I've already
fixed leaks in the light clusters and scuttle panel.

PM wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.


Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.

Best is heater full blast, open windows, and leave the windows open a
crack at night.


Pete

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
PM wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.


Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.

Best is heater full blast, open windows, and leave the windows open a
crack at night.

When my old Fiesta had damp problems, I sorted the leak first (silicone
sealant round window seals sorted it) followed by leaving a fan heater on
low on the back seat on a plank of wood (just in case it got too hot) and
leaving windows slightly open for an afternoon. Sorted damp problem.

Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.

If you have aircon, recirculate is the best thing you can do. Reducing the
humidity of the small volume of air in the car is rather easier than drying
the damp air drawn in from outside. It amazes me how many people I've spoken
to with car aircon never use it in the winter to demist their cars. Me every
aircon system in the cars I have owned has been broken :-( and more
expensive to fix than the value of the car.

Sam

Sam wrote:

Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.


If you have aircon, recirculate is the best thing you can do. Reducing the
humidity of the small volume of air in the car is rather easier than drying
the damp air drawn in from outside. It amazes me how many people I've spoken
to with car aircon never use it in the winter to demist their cars. Me every
aircon system in the cars I have owned has been broken :-( and more
expensive to fix than the value of the car.

Sam


Recirculation doesnt work because all teh sioggy wet air goes around and
around. The ourtdie iar, being cold, is able to xcarry less water
anyway, and what there is gets sucked oput by teh aircon. THEN you hate
THAT and its ultra dry - a lot dryer than air sucked fromn inside the car.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Sam wrote:

Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.


If you have aircon, recirculate is the best thing you can do. Reducing
the humidity of the small volume of air in the car is rather easier than
drying the damp air drawn in from outside. It amazes me how many people
I've spoken to with car aircon never use it in the winter to demist their
cars. Me every aircon system in the cars I have owned has been broken
:-( and more expensive to fix than the value of the car.

Sam
Recirculation doesnt work because all teh sioggy wet air goes around and
around. The ourtdie iar, being cold, is able to xcarry less water anyway,
and what there is gets sucked oput by teh aircon. THEN you hate THAT and
its ultra dry - a lot dryer than air sucked fromn inside the car.

But the air is recirculated over the aircon condenser round and round and
gets dryer and dryer. If you are drawing in cold damp air then it's going to
take longer to dry.

Sam

Sam wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Sam wrote:


Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.


If you have aircon, recirculate is the best thing you can do. Reducing
the humidity of the small volume of air in the car is rather easier than
drying the damp air drawn in from outside. It amazes me how many people
I've spoken to with car aircon never use it in the winter to demist their
cars. Me every aircon system in the cars I have owned has been broken
:-( and more expensive to fix than the value of the car.

Sam

Recirculation doesnt work because all teh sioggy wet air goes around and
around. The ourtdie iar, being cold, is able to xcarry less water anyway,
and what there is gets sucked oput by teh aircon. THEN you hate THAT and
its ultra dry - a lot dryer than air sucked fromn inside the car.


But the air is recirculated over the aircon condenser round and round and
gets dryer and dryer. If you are drawing in cold damp air then it's going to
take longer to dry.


You don;t apprecaite then that soggy air at 20C holds about 4 times as
much water as soggy air at 2C.

Air below 0c holds no water at all...
Sam

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 12:40:48 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:



Recirculation doesnt work because all teh sioggy wet air goes around and
around. The ourtdie iar, being cold, is able to xcarry less water
anyway, and what there is gets sucked oput by teh aircon. THEN you hate
THAT and its ultra dry - a lot dryer than air sucked fromn inside the car.


And translated this means................??????

MJ

In article , "
says...
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 12:40:48 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:
Recirculation doesnt work because all teh sioggy wet air goes around and

Recirculation doen't work because all the soggy wet air goes around and

around. The ourtdie iar, being cold, is able to xcarry less water

around. The outside air, being cold, is able to carry less water

anyway, and what there is gets sucked oput by teh aircon. THEN you hate

anyway, and what there is gets sucked out by the aircon. THEN you heat

THAT and its ultra dry - a lot dryer than air sucked fromn inside the car.


THAT and it's ultra dry - a lot drier than air sucked from inside the
car.


And translated this means................??????

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
PM wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey
to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist
air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.


Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.

Best is heater full blast, open windows, and leave the windows open a
crack at night.

I've not done that yet .. will give it a go

Ta

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
PM wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey
to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist
air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.


Recirculate is the worst thing you can do.

Best is heater full blast, open windows, and leave the windows open a
crack at night.

Windows open a crack at night (and during the day) has helped a lot. Mind
you, it hasn't rained for a week so there could still be a leak somewhere...

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:34:05 -0000, "PM"
wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

The only real way is to find out where the leak is and fix it. Here is
one way wet could be getting in
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_u...jhr

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:34:05 -0000, "PM"
wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey
to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist
air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

The only real way is to find out where the leak is and fix it.

I suspect it's an accumulated effect from previous leaks, moisture from wet
clothes & my breath and so on. I've noticed lots of cars have the same
problem, seems to be more prevalent now than a few years ago.

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 13:12:57 -0000, "PM"
wrote:


"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:34:05 -0000, "PM"
wrote:

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey
to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist
air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

The only real way is to find out where the leak is and fix it.

I suspect it's an accumulated effect from previous leaks, moisture from wet
clothes & my breath and so on. I've noticed lots of cars have the same
problem, seems to be more prevalent now than a few years ago.

No. It soon dries out once you have *really* stopped more water getting
in.

Check
- holed wheel arch
- rear screen leak behind back seat
- from heater radiator
- from heater via scuttle (poss due to blocked drain tubes)
- holed scuttle or seam seal defective
- sunroof
- door to body seals
- door membrane

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

Phil Addison wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:34:05 -0000, "PM"
wrote:

I believe that it can also be a symptom of a leaking heater matrix.
You'd be topping up the coolant regularly, if this were the case.

"PM" wrote in message
...
It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

Pete

Have a look around for leaks, around door seals, windows surrounds,
rearlight clusters, bootlid etc. Do you have a sunroof? Blocked sunroof
drains is a classic. If you can't find an external leak check the heater
matrix. These can develop leaks, usually one or other footwell will be damp.

Good luck, damp cars are horrid!

Sam

"Sam" wrote in message
...

"PM" wrote in message
...
It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

My Q is how to best get rid of the dampness whilst driving. My journey
to
work is about 15mins and it takes 5mins for the car to come to
temperature.
Do I drive with the heater on full blast all the way? Should I open the
windows a couple of minutes before I get to work to let the hot moist
air
out?

I don't have aircon or recirculate.

Pete

Have a look around for leaks, around door seals, windows surrounds,
rearlight clusters, bootlid etc. Do you have a sunroof? Blocked sunroof
drains is a classic. If you can't find an external leak check the heater
matrix. These can develop leaks, usually one or other footwell will be
damp.

Good luck, damp cars are horrid!

Sam


Can't find any damp patches, more like a damp smell in the whole car plus
the interior feels colder than it should, if you know what I mean.

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 13:14:00 -0000, "PM"
wrote:


"Sam" wrote in message
...

Can't find any damp patches, more like a damp smell in the whole car plus
the interior feels colder than it should, if you know what I mean.

Pull up the carpet - it *will* be wet underneath. Once you convince
yourself there *is* wet, you are half-way to curing it :-)


Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 13:14:00 -0000, "PM"
wrote:


"Sam" wrote in message
...

Can't find any damp patches, more like a damp smell in the whole car plus
the interior feels colder than it should, if you know what I mean.

Pull up the carpet - it *will* be wet underneath. Once you convince
yourself there *is* wet, you are half-way to curing it :-)


Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

Had a bizzar fault on my astra, the stale air vent by the offside rear wheel
was broken, filled body pannels with water, noticed the steaming up
problem...

It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

Hyundai Accent's are damn near unroadworthy when it comes to misting up -
i`ve never known a car as bad for it.

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

"PM" wrote in message ...
It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

A common cause of this sort of problem is if the vehicle has a 'pollen
filter' fitted. Basically they are very similar to a carb/injection
system air filter, just a bit bigger and are usually found by the air
intake for the ventilation system. The car manual should mention one
on the service schedule if it has one, typically they are supposed to
be replaced every year or so. They can normally be picked up at
Halfords for less than a tenner for popular makes.

You would be amazed how much condensation you can get with an old
filter that hasn't been changed for years. In one of my previous cars
I couldn't be arsed to get a new one so just took it out altogether,
the difference it made was incredible - the damp feel and condensation
completely dissapeared within a few weeks.

MH

"Mary Hinge" wrote in message
m...
"PM" wrote in message
...
It's the time of year when my car tends to get lots of condensation
inside,
enough to have to wipe the insides of the windows. If it freezes it is a
real pain.

A common cause of this sort of problem is if the vehicle has a 'pollen
filter' fitted. Basically they are very similar to a carb/injection
system air filter, just a bit bigger and are usually found by the air
intake for the ventilation system. The car manual should mention one
on the service schedule if it has one, typically they are supposed to
be replaced every year or so. They can normally be picked up at
Halfords for less than a tenner for popular makes.

You would be amazed how much condensation you can get with an old
filter that hasn't been changed for years. In one of my previous cars
I couldn't be arsed to get a new one so just took it out altogether,
the difference it made was incredible - the damp feel and condensation
completely dissapeared within a few weeks.

No pollen filter on this car, my old Mondeo had one, or rather, it didn't
have one where it should have done; this let water in.