[flossie]

Has anyone had problems clearing and then being able to keep clear the front windscreen?I know it's been very damp, especially here in North Yorkshire but I seem unable to keep the window clear of mist and it's a bit dangerous when it happens. I have tried the side air vents in various positions, varied the temperature, had AC on and off but nothing seems to keep it clear. I am not a heavy breather either!!
Any input much appreciated.
I wish there were the old Polo vents along the base of the front window. I feel this is a bit of a design fault. It's OK with just one person in the car but on a damp day with 3 or 4 people in the car it's dire.

 

[catman]

Hi

I haven't got my up! yet, but in other cars I've had the air con has cured it. Keep all windows closed and turn on the aircon. You may need the blower fan a bit higher than one to get it clear - but the blower fan always must be on at least one. If it is on zero you get no air movement at all.

Some people make this mistake, and to be honest I don't know why manufacturers put a zero on the blower fan - it is pointless. It must be on at least one all the time.

In the days before automatic/electronic engine cooling fans (approx 1970s) you could leave it on zero because air would flow through the engine bay and therefore into the car, but since electronic cooling fans were introduced there hasn't been the natural flow of air through the engine compartment, and hence no air in the cabin without the interior blower fan.

 

[Markmod1]

Air con clears it fast for me too. Ensure you haven't got the air in on recycle too.

 

[move up!]

Hi Flossie,
First thing is to clean the screen very well. Moisture condenses on the dirt or overspray of Autoglym or whatever contaminants there are on the screen.
Having done that, it should be easy to demist the screen, unless there is an issue with a wet carpet or something like that.

 

[flossie]

Thank you all, However, I have tried all the above suggestions. Still looking for a cure!!

 

[SiJ2000]

Is there really no air coming from the bottom of the windscreen? I don't have my up yet, but there must be. I have had a look t pictures and the icon on the right hand blower knob has the windscreen icon at the top like all other VWs.

Put it on that, AC on and recirc off and it should be fine... Move up is also right, the cleaner the screen is, the better it will demist.

There is also only so much moisture the AC can remove, so if the whole car is soaked through, it will take a long time for it to dry out!

 

[ZumbaQueen]

There's a vent on the dash that faces the window to demist.

I find it works better when the heater is blowing a tiny bit warm

 

[willowaz]

The way I cleared mine was slightly warm like stated, on at least 3 blower, made sure air was coming from outside the car, AC on, and obviously set to blow on windscreen only.... it cleared within 10 seconds.

and there is a vent that is specific to the windscreen

 

[MSH]

Interesting thread. I came to this forum as I'm also having a problem with moisture on the inside of the windscreen when I get in the car after work. Doesn't seem to be a problem in the morning for some reason! It only seems to clear when moving - bit of a problem when you can't see! May be if I stopped breathing............. Have asked VW for tips, awaiting a response.

 

[Scoop77]

Likewise these last couple of weeks have found the demister wanting. Actually I'd go as far as saying its rubbish. I don't like running air con but without you could sit there for 10 minutes at the beginning of a journey before being able to see enough to pull away. My sons classic mini blower is better than this. A major let down.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

At our dutch "up club" we have 22 members including me with this problem. (http://vwupforum.nl/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1209 in dutch)

As you can see in my car, there is ice at the inside of the windshield...

We didn't received any comment from volkswagen yet...

 

[luckyjimmy]

My car has had ice on the inside of the windscreen on two occasions of late - the most ice formed last Saturday. It was so bad that water was running in streams down the inside of the windscreen as the ice melted!

My car has had water seeping in through the windscreen seal though (fixed by dealer) and I just assumed there was still some moisture in the carpets. However, the volume of ice on the inside of the screen makes me think there is still water getting in somewhere. Further investigation required...

 

[ducatikid]

i have noticed a bit of misting when starting car after standing. The mist does soon go away.

Two icy mornings recently and I have found the screen clears quite quickly, but there is some ice on the inside of the wndscreen which , i'm sure, was from over night rather than morning breath. I'll check this out again.

Car with aircon which is usually left on.

 

[AlanG]

My up has also had a frozen inside screen for the last two mornings. This morning, I thought I had cleared it and started my journey and almost instantly the inside froze up again and I had to pull over and go through the clearing exercise again. My car does not appear to be leaking ie all the carpets are bone dry - so where's all the moisture coming from!?

 

[Jim37]

My up has also had a frozen inside screen for the last two mornings. This morning, I thought I had cleared it and started my journey and almost instantly the inside froze up again and I had to pull over and go through the clearing exercise again. My car does not appear to be leaking ie all the carpets are bone dry - so where's all the moisture coming from!?

Do you operate with the AC on ? I have had the same issue but now do not use the AC. First you need to let the moisture evaporate and resist using AC if windows mist up. Eventually all seems to be better.

 

[AlanG]

A/C is supposed to dehumidify! However, something's not quite right. I compromise and turn my air con off about 5 mins before the end of my journey.

 

[PeterWestSussex]

A/C is supposed to dehumidify!

1) Yes - but ONLY if the outside temperature is at, or above, +4°C. Below that, and it cuts out (to prevent the system under the car freezing up) so altho it APPEARS to be ON, actually its OFF!
2) Unless you dry out the system at the end of a journey, there will be a residual moisture'sink' in the system, and when you next switch it on, it actually mists up the screen initially. Worse still, if the outside temp is below +4°C the misting up just gets worse (until heated air gets onto the screen)
3) At the end of a journey when I thought I might have problems starting up later, I used to perform the regime that daily Telegraph's HonestJohn describes to 'dry out' the a/c ventilation system. I believe it also helped to clear that moisture 'sink' build up.

 

[Royal Windsor]

There is a thread about this topic in the Main Message area, it's called 'Clearing Miosture From The Windscreen'. In particular see my experiment of 23 November. Since then I have had no problems at all with moisture on the windscreen and hence no ice either. I think there is some sort of design/operational fault with the aircon system that leaves a lot of miosture in the car with nowhere to go. It then gathers on the coldest part - the windows. I now drive with the aircon off, just running it very occasionally to keep it ticking over, even then I turn it off well before the end of my journey and really heat up the car to ensure its dried off. This procedure has certainly worked for me.

 

[Royal Windsor]

The post from PeterWestSussex came through while I was writing mine. I agree with what he says and my experience would seem to confirm it.

 

[cotterc]

I also have the same problem.