So my dingtastic Nissan Primera has decided to ice up on the inside of the windows as well as the outside in the current (not too crazy cold) -8. It’s not done it before.

It’s a royal pita to deice 2 sides of a car every morning and evening (and sometime inbetween). Windscreen, rear, side windows. Ice on the internal exposed metal bits.

I thought it was to do with damp floor mats from snowy feet etc. Ive tried getting everything damp out, getting rid of excess snow etc. But it keeps happening.

There’s definitly no leaks – been round with a fine tooth comb looking for damp carpets etc. And the coolant isnt going down. I’ve also checked the pollen filter – it’s fine.

So any ideas? Where am I going wrong? Anything I can do?

yer just a sweaty bazza.

no seriously i dont know. i have a car with a hole in the boot that makes this problem worse but it happens in the other car too. usually when the bike is left in the boot or damp clothing the inside of the screen starts to freeze. i dunno whats going wrong in yours though. is the heater matrix thingy starting to go a bit iffy and leaking a bit?

Leave it running with the heater on full blast with the window partially open for 10 minutes.

Cardboard on the windscreen before beddies has been working for me recently. Taped round the doorposts but not with duck tape as this’ll make a right mess of your paintwork….

True – I is sweaty on the bike but normally v chilled driving!

I can of course leave it running etc but it’s just not normal. The other cars dont do it. I’m confused.

Edit – my initial thought was the heater matrix but the coolant level never moves a millimeter. Nowt.

My ratty old corsa did this today due to the old fridge Ieft in it overnight, the fridge had some snow on it when it went into the car and the car was hot. I mop down the screen with kitchen roll when it has defrosted which eventually gets rid of the problem.

Happens to mine some times, it just depends on how humid the air was when it went in there, doesn’t need to be a leak. Hardly the end of the world scraping the window on two sides though is it, I mean it’s not like it takes more than an extra…..20 seconds.

down to weather conditions at the moment.

And old trick is to stick a bundle of old newspapers in the back to absorb the moisture. the new trick is to run the air con although not sure how this works in the cold weather as the refridgerant will freeze and turn the compressor off.

In my old mini i found putting a hole in the footwell helped.

Our campervan has a pillowcase full of cat litter inside to soak up any moisture; it seems to do the trick. Every couple of weeks or so I put it in the airing cupboard to dry out (the pillowcase, not the van).

Is the air vent stuck on recirculate or the intakes blocked? I’m constantly amazed at the number of people I see driving along with all windows misted up. Also – are you just using it for short runs? I always find my cars have needed good long runs to really clear them out.

You’ll be amazed at how much moisture you can drag into the car when there is snow and ice on your shoes and boots. Try kicking as much as possible off before you get in. Basically, it’s moisture management.

And… when you finish your trip, leave the doors open for a minute or two, let the heat out and moisture evaporate. Minus 30 and 5 ft of snow and the car was never iced inside.

Possible reasons:
Short distance driving in cold weather
Snow on the floors
Clogged intakes, clogged drains
Wet indoor air filter (if exists)

I guess you don’t have access to warm and well ventilated garage to dry it? Small damp one does not help at all, if you have access to one leave it there for at least 8 hours.

Cheers guys! Top tips.

All my cars have always iced up on the inside when it’s really cold.I just accept it as part of winter

You should be happy it’s not a diesel.

My car Golf doesn’t heat up until it’s driven, which is always interesting trying to keep the windscreen clear with cold air.

Leave the windows open a crack on a really cold overnight, everything equals out

job jobbed 🙂

So you have ice on the inside too come the morning? Hmmm.

Have you got snow blocking the vents between the windscreen and bonnet?

Expensive option- Buy a Ford with heated windscreen. Works beautifully!

we just use warm (not hot) water on my wife’s ’73 Beetle as she has the same problem – melts the ice on outside and inside of the car as it warms the glass and then it doesn’t refreeze on her journey to work.

as above – leave windows slightly open as your driving will help get moisture out of the car.

A couple of these should sort it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kontrol-Streamline-Moisture-Trap-500g/dp/B0017RPIKM

It means your head gasket has gone.

That’s what the garage told my wife.

uplink – they’re ok in something static but the bottom bit fills up with liquid as the granules absorb water and dissolve – not sure I’d want them in a car as the liquid isn’t ‘nice’ when spilt.

You might be better getting a load of silica gel or something – you can dry that out indoors and reuse it too.

Used to happen to me with an old car as well. I sorted it by “borrowing” a large amount of anhydrous copper sulphate from work and putting it in a big tray in the back. Next day the copper sulphate had turned from white to blue and the car stopped icing up on the inside.

It’s just water getting everywhere, snow on boots (or on bike tyres if you put that in the back of an estate). About the only way to get rid of it is to take out all the carpets/mats and leave the car with all its windows open in a well ventilated heated garage for a couple of days.

Bullheart (how are you BTW?)

Was that said in a [rollseyes] kind of way – just because the HG went on mine last winter and now this winter I can’t keep the windows clear / ice on the inside, etc. Which i put down to damp mats / snow on the inside until your post sowed thetiniest of seeds of doubt……

uplink – they’re ok in something static but the bottom bit fills up with liquid as the granules absorb water and dissolve – not sure I’d want them in a car as the liquid isn’t ‘nice’ when spilt.

You can get sealed ones that can be recharged in the microwave

something like this ………

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/dry-egg-dehumidifier/F/C/cleaning-protecting/C/cleaning-protecting-de-humidifiers/product/21109

This looks quite good – portable and easy to dry out.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/product/9011

Couple of house bricks in a baking tray.
Pop in oven for an hour.
Place in car last thing. (Suitably protected).
Dont know where I read this, possibly a load of tosh. 😕

I’ve found a solution by accident. I usually put a towel over windscreen overnight and remove in the daytime for sun to get to it. but last few days I haven’t used it so left towel on. went out to it last night full expecting the usual ice but none. checked it again this morning and still none. so I’m sort of thinking the frost on outside freezes the windscreen and helps it form on the inside. towel left on means no frost so windscreen not quite as cold. could be crap but its working for me anyways 🙂

The air is so consistently sub-zero here that there is very little moisture carried in it – it’s all precipitated out and no more is evaporating from the frozen ground.

My humidity gauge records <40% in the house. My car hasn’t had frost on the windscreen for days, the dehumidifier in the house keeps cutting out and the dry air is playing merry havoc with my sinuses!

Run engine for half an hour with fans on full re-heat and windows half-open.

Cheap and easy dessicant is to put epsom salts in the microwave, blast the water from them and use that.

If you are worried about your microwave you can use the oven or hot skillet.

theotherjohnv – 😀

I’m fine fella, and just joking…

You could try a small bit of washing up liquid on a dry cloth and then rubbing this on the inside of the windscreen.

This supposedly makes it harder for windscreens to mist up which may help reduce the ice issue. HTH.