Does your defrost feature fog up your windshield before it begins to defrost? Danger!

[doowopaudi]

This has happened for as long as I've owned the car, but am barely getting around to posting about it now. It's been on numerous occasions that I start the car, take off and then notice there's a light layer of frost or fog on my windshield, so I naturally push the defrost button and the air begins to blow on my windshield and suddenly the entire windshield is covered in fog. I can't see anything! Luckily I've never had to do this on the freeway but it's still scary. I've had to roll down my windows and look out the window like Ace Ventura just to see where I'm going. Other times, I've had a small cleared area on my windshield that I peek through, but it's still not safe. It took at least 1 minute before the windshield began to clear up. Has anyone else experienced this? I can't imagine this is normal. Do I really need to sit in my car while I defrost my windows before driving off? I live in Southern California! The coldest it gets here in the evenings is in the low 60s!


My mom has a Toyota 4Runner and once my parents and I were going up a windy road at night when the windows fogged up and my mom turned on the defrost and I thought this was it. I thought we were gonna fly off the cliff, but no, the defrost did exactly what it was supposed to do: defrost the window instantly!

This is about 1.5 miles later at a red light, when it finally began to clear, but imagine the windshield completely fogged up like that little section and only a few spots to look out of.

[endy1]

Done that a few times but in diffrent cars. I have learnd to wait abit before i turn it on.

One time i accedently hit the windshield washer button on the highway, dident see a shit :O

[booost]

Is your air compressor working?

[doowopaudi]

Is your air compressor working?

How do I check for that? My AC works fine, but I don't really know whether that's what you're referring to. Are air conditioner and air compressor the same thing?

[inNout]

Happens to my car as well

[Crucible35]

Looks like the fog is on the outside. I get this in the summer....start the car and because the air inside the car is cooler than outside, the windshield fogs up on the outside. A quick swipe of the wipers normally clears it. In the winter here, it's the opposite....air is way colder outside than inside, can take forever to defrost the inside of the windshield.

[r6_11b8]

its normal its just condensation build up when you first turn it on...what speed does the fan blow at when you first turn on the defroster?? mine is around 10 i think and it only takes a second or 2 for everything to clear up..sometimes it starts at a low speed and fogs it up even more and i have to manually go in and turn the fan speed up

[doowopaudi]

Looks like the fog is on the outside. I get this in the summer....start the car and because the air inside the car is cooler than outside, the windshield fogs up on the outside. A quick swipe of the wipers normally clears it. In the winter here, it's the opposite....air is way colder outside than inside, can take forever to defrost the inside of the windshield.

I tried swiping the windshields and nothing cleared up.

[doowopaudi]

its normal its just condensation build up when you first turn it on...what speed does the fan blow at when you first turn on the defroster?? mine is around 10 i think and it only takes a second or 2 for everything to clear up..sometimes it starts at a low speed and fogs it up even more and i have to manually go in and turn the fan speed up

It only takes a second of no visibility to turn into a disaster. Must I really have to pull over to the side of a road to defrost a little spot on my windshield because it must first fog up the entire windshield before it can remove the original little spot I wanted?

I usually hit the defrost button and that's it. I'll change the speed next time.

[adamazing]

This happens because your vent settings are open at the windshield and you don't have recirculating air enabled (it's defaults off every time you turn the car off - normal with all cars).
The stagnant air in the pipes, which has now become warmer or colder than the ambient air, is being accelerated out as you drive - hitting the windshield and causing condensation.

The easy fix is to always set your windshield vents to closed until you actually need the defroster.

[oascom]

Turn the auto recirculation. Never had problems with mine

[doowopaudi]

Turn the auto recirculation. Never had problems with mine

For clarification, I should push the defrost button, but also the auto recirculation button in order to prevent the windshield from completely fogging up?

[oascom]

For clarification, I should push the defrost button, but also the auto recirculation button in order to prevent the windshield from completely fogging up?

I never press that circulation button. I got mine set to "auto"

[oascom]

It's in the settings somewhere don't remember now.

[bermudakid]

Just press the defrost button , but if you are getting fog buildup on the outside flick you whipers on.

[KFizz]

The recirculation will cause the windows to fog more, not less.

[nross33]

This has happened for as long as I've owned the car, but am barely getting around to posting about it now. It's been on numerous occasions that I start the car, take off and then notice there's a light layer of frost or fog on my windshield, so I naturally push the defrost button and the air begins to blow on my windshield and suddenly the entire windshield is covered in fog. I can't see anything! Luckily I've never had to do this on the freeway but it's still scary. I've had to roll down my windows and look out the window like Ace Ventura just to see where I'm going. Other times, I've had a small cleared area on my windshield that I peek through, but it's still not safe. It took at least 1 minute before the windshield began to clear up. Has anyone else experienced this? I can't imagine this is normal. Do I really need to sit in my car while I defrost my windows before driving off? I live in Southern California! The coldest it gets here in the evenings is in the low 60s!


My mom has a Toyota 4Runner and once my parents and I were going up a windy road at night when the windows fogged up and my mom turned on the defrost and I thought this was it. I thought we were gonna fly off the cliff, but no, the defrost did exactly what it was supposed to do: defrost the window instantly!

This is about 1.5 miles later at a red light, when it finally began to clear, but imagine the windshield completely fogged up like that little section and only a few spots to look out of.

Same man, we both live in the same area and this happens in any car I've ever been in, I live on the beach so in the morning it gets a little colder and it can be especially bad, are you on the coast or more inland?

[doowopaudi]

Inland.

Also, the recirculation button won't turn on if the defrost button is on.

[Warren S]

If you park your car outside overnight, eventually condensation will build up inside of the windshield on one of those cold nights. You can turn on the defroster of which the A/C will simultaneously turn on, and dissipate the moisture, might have to wait a minute or two. Or you can get a rag out every time, so tedious to do. Or you can try this neat trick of getting an old sock (w/o any holes), fill it with crystal cat litter (clean, not used), and set it on the dashboard or just leave it under the seat. The silica crystals act as a desicant. I've been testing this out for several weeks, and so far I haven't had any fog build up inside the windshield.

Here's a video of what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TVgk-WUX04


I got the crystal kitty litter at Walmart, the Mimi Litter brand (4 lb. bag) for $5.

[d1amund]

Just exactly how much "frost" are you getting on the outside of your windshield in Southern California? No need to answer, I know it's none.

Windshield fog is condensation that builds up on the glass because the temperature is below the dew point of the surrounding air. The dew point is a reflection of the air’s temperature and humidity level. High humidity levels and temperature, as often found during the Florida summers (or, let’s face it, all year-round in Florida), mixed with low relative humidity and temperature inside the car (especially when you’re running the AC full blast) can cause the window to quickly fog up. Condensation builds on the outside of the glass. You can use your windshield wipers to clean it away, or slowly make it warmer in the car until the window clears. That means turning the AC off for a bit or even turning the defrosters to warm air.

During the winter, the opposite effect happens. Condensation builds on the inside of the windshield because the air inside the car is warmer and more humid (thanks to your body) than the cold, dry air on the outside of the car. To combat cold weather windshield fog, use the heater to slowly draw the humid air out of the car and replace it with dryer air. Turn off the re-circulation feature, as that will just keep the humid air inside the vehicle. If you need to defog your window in a hurry, the fastest way is to make the inside temperature and moisture level the same as the outside, which means turning on defrosters with cold air or rolling down the windows. This method is not particularly comfortable, of course, and so is best reserved for flash-fogging situations.

[ChicagosPhantom]

Anyone of you guys checked in cabin air filter lately?
I'm aware that you've B8s and that it's a newer car,but dirty filter can cause that kind of problem.Dirtier filter it is,more moist it collects and air flow gets significantly reduced.If you haven't tried in cabin charcoal filters instead of regular paper filter,I highly encourage you to do so,cause charcoal preventing filter to get moist.Also turn your AC off,just have regular venting in winter,there's no need to run AC in winter 'cause it was designed for warm weather and I saw plenty people running it all year round.Also one more thing,make sure that your windshield/windows are really clean from inside,use windshield cleaning cloth & spray to get it clean.
I'm driving A6 C5,following all of these steps and never had this problem,my windshield gets foggy sometimes,but it's not covering completely,just few lines by the vents and it gets clear in few seconds.
Good luck,hope this helps someone or even better everyone.

[doowopaudi]

thanks for the explanations. I have no problem doing this before taking off, but I've never had this happen in any other car. I've turned on the defrost while driving on previous cars and it immediately cleared the windhshield instead of fogging it up first completely, then clearing it up. If I have to pull over to do this, then I guess that's what I'll have to do. I just thought this may be a defect, similar to our poor aerodynamic design that doesn't allow me to drive with my windows rolled down on nice days because the wind just blows in your face, unlike other cars where the wind blows along side your face with the windows rolled down.

Anyhow, thanks guys..I'll skip the used cat litter with socks with holes trick. I'll just have to settle for pulling over on the freeway shoulder to defrost my windows if it ever happens again.

[Warren S]

:) meow!

Also keep in mind, that whenever the A/C is turned on, condensation will also build up in the evaporator core box, as seen as water droplets draining out under your car when running the AC. Water dripping out is normal, but check the drain holes to make sure they're not plugged up. What that also means is that if it hasn't had sufficient time to completely dry out, it will start blowing out the moisture that was left over from the evaporator core box as soon as you turn the air on again. Yeah, I've had that happen, it's annoying and can be dangerous when it blows out steamy air right on to your windshield.

What I always try to do if I'm running the A/C or defroster, is that a few miles before I head to my destination, I just turn it to "Fan" only (no A/C, no recirculating), so that the fan could dry out any moisture from the evaporator core box. The worst thing that can happen is getting a musty odor or mold build up inside the core, definitely not healthy to breathe that. Also, change your cabin air filter once a year like what ChicagosPhantom said.

Seriously, the $5 crystal kitty litter and an old pair of socks seems to work for me.

[RandyQUATTRO]

You can use your windshield wipers to clean it away, or slowly make it warmer in the car until the window clears.

^this is what I do.


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[doowopaudi]

First off, I did use the wipers and nothing happened. This was on the inside.

Guys, it was only 65 degrees outside at around 7:30 pm in SoCal when I parked my car at a shopping center for about an hour and a half when I returned to my car and turned it on and noticed a small patch (about 30%) of fog/condensation/frost/whateveryoucallit (it's pictured above) had formed on my windshield. I was able to see out of about 70% of my windshield, so I drove off into the sunset when I thought, hey, let me get rid of that 30% of fog/condensation/frost/whateveryoucallit (it's pictured above). So I hit the defrost button and voila!, the entire windshield was covered in fog/condensation/frost/whateveryoucallit (it's pictured above). I could only see 1% out of my windshield now. Keep in mind, the car was in motion. I struggled to see and quickly reduced my speed and rolled down my windows and began looking out like Ace Ventura Pet Detective. After about a minute, the windshield began to clear up and I was back to where I started, with 30% of the fog/condensation/frost/whateveryoucallit (it's pictured above). Who knows, it was probably the original patch I started out with. I'm afraid I'll have to pull over now and wipe my windshield down whenever I notice any fog/condensation/frost/whateveryoucallit (it's pictured above) on my windshield for fear of being in motion and then pushing the defrost and having no visibility. It's happened to me 100% of the time.

Maybe I will place a cat little box under my seat.

[r6_11b8]

another thing you can do is run the fan WITHOUT the ac on for 10 minutes before you get home..that way you can let the vents dry out...its all condensation

[booost]

Why don't you try cracking a window for the last minute or so of driving before you park. I noticed that my windshield and rear window were icing up after I took the car on short trips (2 miles to get lunch etc.) when I would get back to the car a few hours later. This happens when it's very cold out but I think it's the same principal. I started 'venting' the car to let the moisture/condensation out before parking the car and I haven't had the issue since. Also:

[doowopaudi]

Why don't you try cracking a window for the last minute or so of driving before you park. I noticed that my windshield and rear window were icing up after I took the car on short trips (2 miles to get lunch etc.) when I would get back to the car a few hours later. This happens when it's very cold out but I think it's the same principal. I started 'venting' the car to let the moisture/condensation out before parking the car and I haven't had the issue since. Also:

hahahhahahah!! That was me the other night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!