General Misted up Punto

[Fistral]

Hi all,
First winter that I've had my 1.9 Multijet, and having problems with the windscreen misting up inside, especially first thing in the morning when it's cold or wet. It clears in about 5 minutes with the heaters on full blast, but it seems as if cold air is getting in from somewhere. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

 

[TallTom]

When was the last time you cleaned the inside of your glass?

The condensation is a mixture of different temp air and the cold surface of the glass, but it can only really form on residue on the glass, if the glass is squeaky clean it has less to cling to.

Try giving your glass a good clean, newspaper and glass cleaner is normally pretty good and doesnt leave streaks

 

[TempleCain]

Good advice, I've had a nightmare with my mjet misting.

 

[jameshobiecat]

Diesels are always a pain to de-mist as they take so long to warm up.

Once you have cleaned the screen, don't touch it again; certainly don't ever wipe the mist off.

If you need it to clear in a hurry, switch the air-con on. Mad as this may sound at first, it makes a big difference. As well as cooling, ac also dries the air making it better able to absorb moisture from the screen. Its also good for the air-con system to be run now and again during the winter period. You must make sure you keep the ac on until the engine is warm through though, or else you will get a lot of misting when you switch it off.

 

[Ffoxy]

Water / damp in the car will make this 100x worse.
Check everywhere for water ingress or signs of it, the boot and under the dash are popular sites.
The issue with the dash & boot leaks are well documented in here.

 

[james44422]

If you need it to clear in a hurry, switch the air-con on. Mad as this may sound at first, it makes a big difference. As well as cooling, ac also dries the air making it better able to absorb moisture from the screen.

This

I didn't really want to believe this would work the first time I heard it but it helps clear the screen in no time

 

[Wyldie]

Hi, My M-Jet also suffers with this, and seems quite condensated in the mornings (on the inside).

As previously advised, I've made sure the inside of the glass is really clean (dont wipe it with your hand or some grubby cloth in the door pocket) and then put the air con in and it will clear in a shorter time. Turn the fan down, leave the air con on and it will keep the car clear and de-misted.

 

[varesecrazy]

worth checking the drains in the scuttle ( wiper motor area) too as that may add to the damp air being drawn over the screen,
Charlie

 

[DolbyR]

When was the last time you changed your pollen/cabin filter?

 

[Cairnsy]

With this weather just now I'm getting a frozen windscreen sometimes on the INSIDE! How would I go about clearing it if I shouldn't wipe it..

 

[varesecrazy]

scrape it off with a credit card..,
should do a reasonable job of lifting the dust off with the frozen water,
Charlie

 

[jameshobiecat]

With this weather just now I'm getting a frozen windscreen sometimes on the INSIDE! How would I go about clearing it if I shouldn't wipe it..

This shouldn't happen. You must have too much moisture in your car. Do you regularly leave wet kit in it?

If not, try drying it out by using the air-con and warming it through. If moisture persists then perhaps you have a leak.

 

[Cairnsy]

This shouldn't happen. You must have too much moisture in your car. Do you regularly leave wet kit in it?

If not, try drying it out by using the air-con and warming it through. If moisture persists then perhaps you have a leak.

I wouldn't say regularly but I have the odd pair of wellies in the boot?
I've had to use an external dehumidifier last winter and it came up with a bit of water but I'll keep an eye on it for now, thanks!

 

[DueUno]

I've been having problems with condensation inside and struggled to shift it using the heater. Over the weekend I've done a couple of things and, considering the amount of external frost this morning, I seem to have solved it.

I gave the inside of the window a good clean with a Windowlene type product. I also changed the pollen filter, which was absolutely filthy. Only had the car about 9 months, so no idea when it was last done, but suspect it was more than a years worth of dust.

The heater now actually blows air out and it's hot. I suspect that's had the biggest effect, so if anyone is having misting problems, have a look at your filter. It's a 30 second job to take it out, even if it is a bit tricky to get back. At this time of year, you could probably get away without it whilst you wait for a new one to arrive (about £5 off eBay)

 

[Fistral]

Thanks everyone for all the replies, I'll have crack at a few of them this weekend - much appreciated!