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My Wife's car has hardly moved during the last year and is presently only run for a few miles every other week to maintain the battery. It has always suffered a but from condensation as it is 18 years old, however of late it is getting worse. Is there anything that I can put in it to capture the moisture?
Before anyone says it the gullies and drain channels are clear and free from debris.
Have you tried closing the windows?
Is your aircon not as effective? Aircon dries air quite well.
We had a Touran that was a nightmare for misting up - it just seemed from the day we got it (3yrs old) to 7yrs/160k it was a steam room on wheels.
It has aircon, but I don't know how effective it is.
As it only runs for a few minutes every other week during lockdown the aircon isn't really getting chance to do anything.
Have you tried closing the doors?
Windows and doors are shut. It hasn't got a sun roof.
This is interesting, I am having the same problem. I checked the car the other day and it felt very damp inside. A bag I keep in the boot was showing signs of mould. I think it is just the fact it's not being used as there doesn't seem to be any signs of standing water or wet carpets in the car.
Is the moisture specific to one area of the car? I'm having issues with the rear window and believe it is due to water ingress around the rear light due to a perished seal. Previous car had an issue with the radio antenna seal perishing too and letting in water. Have you checked the seals?
[s] Sun roof?[/s]
We use these in our caravan over winter. They certainly soak up the moisture.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/streamline-moisture-trap-1ltr/4159h
https://www.screwfix.com/p/kontrol-crystals-refill-pack-2-5kg/4896h
Can you store it in a dry garage? if not why not get rid of it? get a new one if/when the wife starts driving again and save on tax/mot/insurance.
Air recirculation OFF.
Airconditioning ON.
As it only runs for a few minutes every other week
probably using more battery to start it than you are putting back in...
Having the same issue in our car (14 yr old) as it just isn't being used so I am watching this with interest...
Silica cat litter, inside a big sock, or one of the purpose made ones you can buy that can be dried off in a microwave. I used to use the cat litter in wifes fiat 500, now have a reusable one from Aldi, works pretty good, as the fiat is murder for condensation.
Don't have a garage. Not going to sell it.
Will try one of those moisture trap things.
Check drains - bottom of the windscreen, bottom of doors, etc and make sure water clears as it should.
Search amazon for "1kg silica gel car dehumidifier". Like a massive bag of the little sachets that come with electronics to keep them dry - they'll absorb loads of moisture. If you know it's bad (and you're not going to fix it soon) then get two, one can be drying out on the radiator while the other is in the car.
Is it a VW by any chance?
Take the mats out and check if they're damp.
Take the car out for at least 30 minutes and the air con on or heating up.
In the last few minutes of journey turn heating direction to floorwells. Make sure all vents are closed and down when finished and leave car asap.
Have air coming in from outside once car has warmed up. Try not to circulate already damp air.
Those moisture trap things linked to from Screwfix are a bit risky. They have loose calcium chloride crystals in which will eventually dissolve into thick brine which is easy to spill, and although I'm not a chemist I'd imagine it could be fairly corrosive.
Silica gel would seem to be a lot safer, however I'm not sure how effective it is.
Soooooo...
Check under the car carpeting, the ones on my car felt dry on the top but are 6" thick in places and had an ocean of water in them.
The cause was a loose air con drain pipe so the condensate wasn't going outside but into the carpet out if sight.
I use these and they work very well
Pingi Dehumidifier Car And Home... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N7RVVEE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Silica gel would seem to be a lot safer, however I’m not sure how effective it is.
They work well, I'm using them. They get noticeably heavier when they're saturated. Got them for days when we go out on rainy days and the car is full of wet boots, coats, etc but there's definitely some water coming in from somewhere. Can't be bothered to troubleshoot until it's a bit warmer.
I've had issues with moisture in the car this winter as well. I think just a combination of a 15 year old car, no AC and not driving it very often. Thankfully drive it often enough that mould doesn't seem to be an issue but there has been times when the seats feel damp and there's water droplets on the windscreen, rather than just condensation
I've pretty much solved it to a manageable level (no more damp seats!) by using one of the microwavable moisture trap bags, which needs dried out in the microwave every week or two, and also keeping a roll of kitchen paper in the car. Any time I get in and there's moisture of the windows, I'll use the kitchen paper to wipe the worst of it off and then bin the paper - previously I just blasted the fans or used one of those demister sponges which takes the moisture off the windscreen but, without AC, it doesn't really leave the car and so condensates as soon as the interior cools down again
For my ageing Focus I got a box of those chemical dehydrator thingies off eBay - similar to that Screwfix jobby but a lot cheaper! Worked a treat. Not fallen over and dissolved a hole through the car as of yet.
I had a leak in my car, from the windscreen, but it was obvious - after a while, at least. There is also a leak in the boot, which appeared after it was dented and fixed (so not VW's fault this time!) and after rain the spare wheel well can fill with water.
So check carpets, spare wheel well, and other places where water might gather. I reckon misty windows in locked cars usually means a leak somewhere into the interior, or damp stuff inside.
I reckon misty windows in locked cars usually means a leak somewhere into the interior, or damp stuff inside.
Scotland yard missed out on you Molly!
Our cars haven't been moved much. Condensation will be much worse after a period of rain and cold like now. I'm making my car is being run, even if it's just on the drive to cut down on moisture, and it's 19 years old. Get the air con on permanently - it dries out the air - I never turn mine off.
Yeah i've been having this lately with our SMax. it's 12 years old and is not getting used very much. I got in it the other day and the heated windscreen did it's thing for the ice on the outside but I had to wait ages for the water on the inside of the windscreen to dry out before moving.
The previous day it had been really cold and bright sunshine thorugh the windscreen. must have been a bit damp inside from previous use, probably got in wet from rain or something, then sun evaporates it but it then condeses on the windscreen and the freezes over night.
I recon after a good run out it'll be reet again.
Do what car dealers do - wait for a dry day and open the hatchback / windows all day
wifes 06 nissan note is also quite bad for this, carpet/mat was going green and mouldy. she bought one of those microwaveable pad jobbies but doesnt seem to have made much difference.
mechanic seems to think a door seal may be faulty and suggested wiping silicone somewhere (on the seal maybe) but she cant remember. any idea what that advice may have been for a dodgy door seal?
My 10 year old Transit Connect gets soaking inside and the windscreen is huge. The aircon and blowers do an amazing job of drying it out. Does your aircon work properly? Might need a re-gas or a new condenser.
As we have just had our car regassed what is the procedure with AC to dry the car out?
I'd still be looking for a leak. The wife's Corsa had a damp floor and we eventually tracked it down to a leaking seal on the brake pedal assembly. I couldn't see how that much water was getting in but once fixed it stayed dry. Also they take ages to dry if some water does get in. We had to take the mats and carpet out and hang them up as even with the leak fixed it wouldn't dry from normal driving.
Opening the windows a couple of inches when we get a dry day will be as good as anything. And check your spare wheel well isn't full of water - I had a long-standing problem with damp in an old Mondeo and it turned out the 6 inches of water left in the wheel well from an unwise bit of fording a couple of years previously was mainly to blame!
Agree with jam bo too, a few minutes running every couple of weeks won't be doing your battery any favours, I'm surprised it's survived this long.
I think you need to open it up more regularly to get fresh air in there and circulating. Same with a shed at this time of year.
Have you tried replacing the cabin / pollen filter? I've done it on both our last two cars and it's made a MASSIVE difference to condensation.
Focus was a massive pain, FR-V I think it took longer to get the new filter out the packaging and the crap out the glove box than it did to replace.
It should be a service item, but apparently often gets forgotten.
Also as said above, pretty sure turning it over for a few minutes will drain the battery more than it charges.
Can you get these type of window rain guards for your car? I leave the back windows of my 26yr old Toyota truck cracked open 50mm all the time. Nothing else worked properly to reduce moisture in an old vehicle used infrequently.
Have you thought of fitting it with a log burner or a pizza oven?
Have ordered some of those microwavable sachets things.
Car gets driven for 20 minutes (so don't worry about the battery) every couple of weeks.
No damp in boot or footwells. No blocked drainage holes.
It lives on a drive and gets hardly any direct sunlight, so it never gets warm.
Cabin filter. Seriously. If you haven't changed it in the last year or so it'll only cost a few quid.
I have a big bag of desiccant stuff (it was sold to use in a car to reduce condensation, I think I got it from Amazon but can't see anything similar now), you microwave it once a week to 'recharge' it. It's not really very effective though, I still get condensation (and ice on the inside of the windscreen when it's cold). I've checked for leaks but it's never as bad as obviously damp patches so I think it's just the standard VW group (it's a Skoda) issue a lot of people report (crap seals maybe?).
+1 for silica crystals, I just bought a one kg tub on eBay, filled some old socks / suitable bags with them. Weigh them dry and make a note, then leave in the car. Every fortnight or so, take them out and microwave them until they weigh close to the original weight - do it in stages - then replace them in the car.
There's loads of silica gel crystal options on amazon and eBay - and the posh cat litter too. Take your pick.
My ageing passat had a seal fail where the fresh air inlet was in the bulkhead below the windscreen. A £10 upgraded original vw part fixed it.
It then leaked from one of the rear door seals i think. The car was a daily driver and i took a drain plug out of the footwell on the offside. It made it all manageable but only fixed the symptoms....
Ian
Our '07 Jazz is persistantly damp. There was a genuine leak at the rear which has been fixed so the boot no longer fills up with water when it rains, but there's still some water getting in. Last week I had to deice the *inside* of the car windscreen.
Car gets driven for 20 minutes (so don’t worry about the battery) every couple of weeks.
Don't do that, then? Take it on a proper run somewhere. At that sort of use case I'd be replacing it with a taxi.
My other half's Up! suffers from the same issue, the inside of the windscreen is wetter than the outside of a morning. I've thrown a couple of 'dehumidifier' tubs of crystals in there. Seemed to help last year and they were 69p each.
I don't know why I'm defending our need for two cars but... When not locked down it is a commuter and needed for ferrying the in-laws about. Not much call for either at the moment though.
Sachets of Magic™ ordered. Let's see how it pans out.