Condensation

[mip]

Hey hey,

Been a while since I posted, had my car for 18 months and apart from a squeaky seat belt the car has been good as gold.

However,

On the first frosty day of the year I got a lot of condensation in the car which didn't completely go away even after a a 20 minute drive. Audi have looked at it but couldn't find anything.

Today it has been dry all day, drove the car at lunchtime for 5 minutes without any issues. I popped out to pick up the take away about 19:50 tonight and the screen fogged up and it took quite some time to clear.

I always leave AC on, never turn it off, generally drive the car everyday.

Thoughts anybody?

Anybody have similar issues?

Thanks in advance

[hussains]

Hi

I had the same issue 2 weeks ago, not the norm from other german cars I have had....after 20 mins, it was still there, however, as the temp has increased, I have not had any problems...This could be an issue when the winter really kicks in.

[rjkflyer]

A reasonably common fault is leakage around the rear light clusters into the boot LID. I had this - severe steaming up (at the back more than front obviously) as the boot lid was full of water. Because of a/c you tend not to worry as it does of course clear it quite quickly.

However, when i checked my boot lid i could hear water sloshing about.

So, to rule out or confirm:

Open the lid, and pull the two small rectangular RUBBER plugs out of either side of the boot lower edge (which will be looking at you when it's fully open) - then lower the boot lid and see if water comes out. If so, get the dealer to reseal the lights. Must admit i have left the plugs out...

[pippyrips]

I had the equivilant of a bath full of water in mine previously! That said it didn't cause any steaming, it just made the boot lid weigh half a tonne!

[pippyrips]

I had the equivilant of a bath full of water in mine previously! That said it didn't cause any steaming, it just made the boot lid weigh half a tonne!

[mac4RS]

I had the equivilant of a bath full of water in mine previously!

That's what you get when you buy these 'Sedan' motors...the 'proper' RS's don't have such probs...

[mip]

Thanks for the answers guys...

I checked the boot, no water ran out when I pulled out the rubber bungs..

My problem appears to be front screen related...

Guess I have to wait for the cold weather again to see what happens.

Thanks again.

[mjc_rs4]

When I first get in the car and the aircon comes on it smells pretty damp and there is more of a problem with misting then I remember there being previously. It'll be one of the things I'll be asking about when I get it serviced in the next couple of weeks.

[simonhill]

Perfectly normal - it's because the air con unit doesn't run if the outside temp is below a certain value, so the air is no longer dried by the condensor and thus can't clear the moisture as quick as normal. The lower the outside temp, the more chance you have of condensation on the inside.

[rjkflyer]

It's about 5 deg C below which the a/c comp won't operate to protect the circuit from freezing.

The smell can be down to pollen filter getting dirty (and in fact mildewy). Which is why you should change it periodically. Although it usually goes off once the a/c has been running for a few mins. However, that doesn't really cure the problem, it just masks the symptoms.

[mip]

Hmmmm

Never had this problem with any other AC system in any car ?

My M3 cleared the screen in seconds....

[PetrolDave]

Never had this problem with any other AC system in any car ?

My M3 cleared the screen in seconds....

Did you own your M3 during the winter?

Some manufacturers do leave the aircon compressor turned on even in cold temperatures - but that leads to the compressor and system getting iced up and being less reliable. Given how big the bill is for a new aircon compressor - I prefer the Audi way.

[mip]

Never had this problem with any other AC system in any car ?

My M3 cleared the screen in seconds....

Did you own your M3 during the winter?

Some manufacturers do leave the aircon compressor turned on even in cold temperatures - but that leads to the compressor and system getting iced up and being less reliable. Given how big the bill is for a new aircon compressor - I prefer the Audi way.

Yes..

I had my M3 for over 3 years....

Never had this kind of issue...

Mind you...

I never did in an old A4 or in a Fiat Coupe, or in a Scooby or my Evo6 TME

or any other car with AC I have owned either...

Not impressed.....

[rjkflyer]

The M3 had an automatic cut out to prevent freezing in the evaporator. It said in tbe manual - i think all a/c systems have said item else you get compressor burnout.

[PetrolDave]

I never did in an old A4 or in a Fiat Coupe, or in a Scooby or my Evo6 TME

or any other car with AC I have owned either...

ALL of those turn off the compressor below about 5 Celsius to prevent compressor damage.

Perhaps the problem is that Audi are too "honest" - by turning on the ECON light you can see that the compressor is turned off, rather than thinking that the compressor is turned on.

This is a manufacturer thing - it's a "rules of physics" thing, which even BMW can't do anything about!