Ridiculous condensation

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Lyc
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by Lyc »

SRGTD wrote: Fri Nov 30, 2018 11:31 am From a current post on seatcupra.net forum on misting-up windows at this time of year - thanks to forum member andycupra on seatcupra.net;

Now understand that as air cools its capability to hold moisture reduces.. so if the air at 20 degrees has relative humidity level of say 75%, as the temperature cools overnight the relative humidity figures increases until you reach the dew point. - you tend to get more moisture form on the windows are these are the coldest bits.. (notice how headlights mist up when washing the car? - on that note if you get this issue and use a hair dryer to remove the moisture you must run the dryer on cold and remove the warm air)

Now, this time of year, its wet, its cold, you wear a coat... you breathe... this all means that the air within a car tends to have high relative humidity as you introduce moisture and ramp up the temperature...
So the good news is you can do somethings to help. - for example, in addition to fixing any leaks and removing wet items, plan ahead, and by that i mean, as you approach your destination, try and get the relative humidity down in the car. So hold your breath.. :)
Other ways to reduce the humidity may be to turn off the heater and open the windows to get some air changes through the car and hopefully reduce the humidity. - and/or run the air con to use the dehumidifying affects, but for this to work well you need to run the temperature lower.
and don't forget to do the windows up again! - hopefully this will reduce the build up.

The bad news.. is that moisture and misting up is a natural phenomenon all cars suffer, although the differing levels. Thickness of the glass, how air tight the car is, or is not... how wet the seats got when you sat on them with you wet jacket..
Interesting read. It's funny how many methods I've heard for demisting windows - everyone seems to have a different opinion on whether you should have your aircon on or off, whether temp should be ramped up to max, or set lower and whether you should open windows or keep them closed.

I am currently experimenting with the method below, which seems to work well for me so far, but conflicts in many areas with the post you quoted :shock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCmgWiEEZwA
david.stark
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by david.stark »

Getting back to the source problem, i.e. the wet rear passenger side footwell, I thought I’d see how bad it is after days of torrential rain.

Squelch squelch squelch! The carpet is sodden! Booked in on the 17th after the debacle in November!

If my theory proves correct, in that it’s down to the fitting of the rear dashcam leading to water ingress, then they will quite rightly refuse to cover it under warranty and charge me accordingly. I will ask for a written report which shows that they are beyond all doubt that the camera is the cause in order for me to write to Halfords and demand they pay.

If Halfords refused, I’d have no choice but to take them to court.
SRGTD
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by SRGTD »

david.stark wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 12:55 pm Getting back to the source problem, i.e. the wet rear passenger side footwell, I thought I’d see how bad it is after days of torrential rain.

Squelch squelch squelch! The carpet is sodden! Booked in on the 17th after the debacle in November!

If my theory proves correct, in that it’s down to the fitting of the rear dashcam leading to water ingress, then they will quite rightly refuse to cover it under warranty and charge me accordingly. I will ask for a written report which shows that they are beyond all doubt that the camera is the cause in order for me to write to Halfords and demand they pay.

If Halfords refused, I’d have no choice but to take them to court.
That’s not good David; hope you get it sorted.

Keep us posted on progress / the outcome.
monkeyhanger
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by monkeyhanger »

Why would the cause be the dashcam fitment? Are any of the door seals flared more than they should be due to front to back camera cable being routed under it?

I fitted my dashcam cabling under the rubber lippage where it meets the rooflining and where the B-pillar meet the rooflining. I don't have any leaks. If anything, I'd expect a flared seal (flared from the inside) to provide a tighter seal against the door. What's the door alignment like on your car? Maybe the door adjacent to the leak doesn't sit tight enough to the main body? Might be worth having someone drive the car and you sit as a back seat passenger listening for wind noise through the door seal?
david.stark
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by david.stark »

All the doors and seals seem ok to me. The reason I thought of the rear dashcam was because of how they messed about with the seal in the boot at the first attempt. They said it was a poor job on reflection and rectified it by feeding the cables down the tube where the cables for the heated rear screen go. They had to make a small incision on the said tube and then secured it with electrical tape.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=71810
monkeyhanger
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by monkeyhanger »

david.stark wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:57 pm All the doors and seals seem ok to me. The reason I thought of the rear dashcam was because of how they messed about with the seal in the boot at the first attempt. They said it was a poor job on reflection and rectified it by feeding the cables down the tube where the cables for the heated rear screen go. They had to make a small incision on the said tube and then secured it with electrical tape.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=71810
I fed along headlining/rubber seal lip popped out at the boot end of the headlining, popped the gaited rubber tubing off between main car body and boot. I then fed a curved wire coat hanger length from the rubber gaiter hole to the hole in the bodywork accessible at the end of car's headlining, taped the rear cam lead end to it and dragged the lead through (it would've been impossible to feed the floppy cable through between the connected cavity holes.

The lead end was then fed through the rubber gaiter via the coat hanger around the wiring, then taped to the wiring bundle at either end. Popped the lead through the framing of the boot lid to the bottom, bundling the excess and taping to wiring for the rear camera and lighting to prevent rattling.

The gaiters were easy to get on and off. It has a stretchy lip that wraps around a plastic lug to seal.

If the gaiters were the source of the leak, you could have water heading all around the headlining and elsewhere. Those gaiters are so easy to put back unless someone snaps the plastic collar that the gaiter end surrounds. Worth a quick check to make sure those are secure and there's a consistent lip all around the circumference.

Did they mess with the seal that goes around the whole circumference of the boot hole on the main car body? If they did, I would expect the well that the spare wheel sits in to be full of water if it's not sealed, rather than the football of the rear seats.

Worth checking around the spare wheel too.

Other than that, the buffer pins on the boot lid interior (that limit the slam on the boot lid) might be set too far out, creating a gap in the seal - but again I'd expect water in the spare wheel well and not the footwell.
david.stark
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by david.stark »

Thanks. Interestingly, the space where the spare wheel goes is bone dry. Hopefully I’m just jumping to conclusions and it’s something else unrelated to the camera.

Also interesting is that the piece of carpet just below the seats but just above the footwell is bone dry! So if water was running from a higher point, that ought to be wet.
monkeyhanger
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by monkeyhanger »

david.stark wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:07 pm Thanks. Interestingly, the space where the spare wheel goes is bone dry. Hopefully I’m just jumping to conclusions and it’s something else unrelated to the camera.

Also interesting is that the piece of carpet just below the seats but just above the footwell is bone dry! So if water was running from a higher point, that ought to be wet.
Sounds to me that your camera install is not at fault, unless that rubber gaiter for boot electrics is allowing water in to run down to a specific place through the hollow sections of the bodywork (highly unlikely). Almost certainly coming in through the adjacent door seal or from underneath the car (a huge worry if it is - but far less likely than the door seal).
monkeyhanger
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by monkeyhanger »

Wow, I should've checked your link to the install - that is terrible as first effort, and if they've cut into your boot electrics rubber gaiter/sheath then that is also terrible- absolutely no need as I was able to demonstrate with my own fitment that you can disconnect the gaiter at both ends, feed the wire through and reconnect.

If you do have an on going leak from that incision, it will be water getting in at that point and tunnelling it's way through the hollow sections of the bodywork and terminating at the footwell where it presumably has nowhere else to go. In order to properly fix the gaiter situation, they'd have to strip all the boot electrics, feed through a new gaiter and then refit the electrics. About 2 hours work at VW technician rates, and the cost of a new gaiter.

Got a pic of the incision?
Leif
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by Leif »

My front facing dashcam has a lead hanging down. I bought it from Halfords, but didn’t trust them to fit the lead properly, looks like I was right not to. Hope it gets sorted.
david.stark
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by david.stark »

monkeyhanger wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:17 am Wow, I should've checked your link to the install - that is terrible as first effort, and if they've cut into your boot electrics rubber gaiter/sheath then that is also terrible- absolutely no need as I was able to demonstrate with my own fitment that you can disconnect the gaiter at both ends, feed the wire through and reconnect.

If you do have an on going leak from that incision, it will be water getting in at that point and tunnelling it's way through the hollow sections of the bodywork and terminating at the footwell where it presumably has nowhere else to go. In order to properly fix the gaiter situation, they'd have to strip all the boot electrics, feed through a new gaiter and then refit the electrics. About 2 hours work at VW technician rates, and the cost of a new gaiter.

Got a pic of the incision?
Better late than never, here is the photo. My car is in with the dealer this morning and I have a courtesy car which is exactly the same as mine. Now I play the waiting game...

Image
Andy Beats
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by Andy Beats »

Good god, that is the definition of Heath Robinson right there....
To pass that off as professional is shocking.
Dark_cze
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by Dark_cze »

what butcher did that ? :D
RUM4MO
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by RUM4MO »

Hummm, not quite as good as it should be!
david.stark
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Re: Ridiculous condensation

Post by david.stark »

Well if it is the cause, I’ll pursue Halfords all the way to court if necessary.
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