Poor warm up and de-misting

[Muldoon]

Hi

Noticed this morning after a mild frost potential issues with de-icing and getting the car up to temperature - the gauge hardly moves and when it's started from cold it just idles at the normal level (probably due to the ECU being efficient and a modern engine) so it puts hardly any heat into the cooling system. On previous cars you could leave running and whilst scraping the windows it would start to warm up and clear the windscreen - not this one. When I set off immediately the inside of the screen misted up due to breath and took ages to clear.

Once it gets really cold and minus 5 etc I might be spending ages de-icing and getting some heat into the car to drive off. I suspect this is a lot down to the TSI engine being efficient and not giving out any waste heat.

[Andy Beats]

Demisting is terrible in my car too.
I'm beginning to wonder if the aircon is actually working, to be honest, as I've never had a car with aircon take so long to demist before.

[Muldoon]

Demisting is terrible in my car too.
I'm beginning to wonder if the aircon is actually working, to be honest, as I've never had a car with aircon take so long to demist before.

I agree Andy - I'm not sure does aircon help? I've tried different combinations, one thing I've noticed is the 'Recirculation' button has a mind of it's own - it won't come on unless you have the windscreen setting activated, also doesn't seem to come on with the fan on? There is some kind of control mechanism happening which prevents you selecting Recirculation all the time. Sometimes cars are too clever for their own good... I read somewhere if you select this it helps stop cold air coming in and just warms up the cabin a bit faster?

I might resort to buying some of those 'heat bags' to warm in the microwave and sit them on the dash to help get some warmth in the cabin whilst I de-ice...

[Andy Beats]

I agree Andy - I'm not sure does aircon help?

It absolutely should, yes.
Aircon should clear moisture off the windscreen in seconds, it dehumidifies in winter as well as cooling in summer.
Every other car I've had for decades now has demisted quickly when using the aircon.
Which is why I'm honestly beginning to wonder if my aircon is actually working, as there is no visible difference in demisting between off and on.
In my Juke, a clue the aircon compressor had stopped working was the car not demisting - it was repaired under warranty.
Easy to test aircon in summer, just see if it blasts out cold air.
Not so easy to test in winter (if anyone can give me a test to see if my aircon is working, I'd be grateful).

[Andy Beats]

Oh, and I've also noticed the recirculate button doesn't work on my car.
I don't understand why it would need special settings to be used or avoided to work.
I was behind a smelly car this morning and needed it, but nope.....nothing.

[Muldoon]

Oh, and I've also noticed the recirculate button doesn't work on my car.
I don't understand why it would need special settings to be used or avoided to work.
I was behind a smelly car this morning and needed it, but nope.....nothing.

I think it's got a mind of it's own - might work if the fan is on '0' than on 1,2,3 - also might depend on the direction of airflow. I've noticed Aircon comes on automatically when you have windscreen selected. Couldn't be bothered trying to find the relevant page in the handbook to find out...

[RUM4MO]

I think it's got a mind of it's own - might work if the fan is on '0' than on 1,2,3 - also might depend on the direction of airflow. I've noticed Aircon comes on automatically when you have windscreen selected. Couldn't be bothered trying to find the relevant page in the handbook to find out...

The AC coming on when you demand "demist" - well at least on any VW Group car I've owned, is to provide dehumification as Andy says, also, again with any VW Group car I've owned to date, just using the controls to direct only a portion of the available air to the windscreen does not auto switch the AC.

One thing though, on any car with a fridge system, ie AC, its operation will always get inhibited below a certain ambient temperature and that will probably be +4C as operating it below that temperature will over cool the evaporator and cause it to ice up.

Edit:- bigger/better cars in the VW Group range that have DERV engines, do tend to get an auxiliary heater fitted to the cabin airbox, just a pity that VW Group seemed to have missed that out, or not made it available as an option depending on location, to importers - and so on to their customers.

Seems like improvements in thermal efficiency of these engines has appeared without anyone considering where now to get cabin heat quickly in colder weather.

I'd think that Polo 1.0TSI upwards would get the auxiliary heater option in "cold climate" sales territories.

Edit:-it looks like auxiliary heater comes as part of option PR-7E0 or PR-7E6 - though I'd doubt if VW UK (fully owned by and part of VW AG) could comment on that as they have already dismissed it from the listed of possibly options for UK orders - or have they, any of you guys placing factory orders noticed that being offered to you?

[silverhairs]

If you park on your own drive, 10 minutes before you go out on a real cold icy morning. get a 2Kw room fan heater, plug that in and let the heater do the demisting (and warms the inside of the car up). You can put it in the car the night before, so you don't have the hassle first thing in the morning.
You can just open the car, plug it in (extension lead) shut the door and lock it, no fear of anybody opening and pinching your motor. When your ready to go out, open door unplug the extension lead and coil up, start the engine and off you go , no condensation either .

[Andy Beats]

If you park on your own drive, 10 minutes before you go out on a real cold icy morning. get a 2Kw room fan heater, plug that in and let the heater do the demisting (and warms the inside of the car up). You can put it in the car the night before, so you don't have the hassle first thing in the morning.
You can just open the car, plug it in (extension lead) shut the door and lock it, no fear of anybody opening and pinching your motor. When your ready to go out, open door unplug the extension lead and coil up, start the engine and off you go , no condensation either .

WTF......?

NO!!!

[Andy Beats]

One thing though, on any car with a fridge system, ie AC, its operation will always get inhibited below a certain ambient temperature and that will probably be +4C as operating it below that temperature will over cool the evaporator and cause it to ice up.

I've not come across a 'minimum working temperature' for the air con in any other car I've had.
Even in sub zero temperatures, you can see the difference between aircon off and aircon on, so it's definitely working.
If VW's aircon doesn't work below a certain temp, that would explain why it doesn't look like it's working in my car.
Although doesn't explain why VW have taken this decision when other manufacturers haven't.

[silverhairs]

If you park on your own drive, 10 minutes before you go out on a real cold icy morning. get a 2Kw room fan heater, plug that in and let the heater do the demisting (and warms the inside of the car up). You can put it in the car the night before, so you don't have the hassle first thing in the morning.
You can just open the car, plug it in (extension lead) shut the door and lock it, no fear of anybody opening and pinching your motor. When your ready to go out, open door unplug the extension lead and coil up, start the engine and off you go , no condensation either .

WTF......?

NO!!!

It worked for me, everyone to their own, but being retired, and the cars frozen up, we don't go out till about 10.30 or even midday, wait for it to clear.
But when I was working and had to be out the house by 6.15 am, I found it very handy, just for the sake of plugging it in, it takes way less than 2 minutes to do .

[Leif]

Don't think this has been mentioned, but you cannot have recirculate on when the air is directed at the windscreen. I think it's a safety feature, recirculate allows humidity to build up, and directing humid air at the cold windscreen is asking for trouble.

Recirculate does not prevent air being taken in, it reduces it, as the car needs some fresh air to allow you to breath. I keep a window open, to allow damp air to escape, and get fresh air in. As long as the heater is on max its fine even on a cold morning.

My car is awful in terms of condensation. This morning I had to keep the air on the windscreen even when cars were in front, so I breathed in exhaust fumes. It took 10+ minutes to clear the windscreen. I need to get an absorbent cloth so that I can wipe down the damp windscreen in the morning. The air con helps, as it dries the air, but I don't like it as the air is too dry for comfort. Condensation is a real problem. If only they did a heated windscreen, that would be so useful. Why not?

One thing that drives me bananas is the recirculate button. Whenever I turn it on, the air con comes on too, so I have to turn that off, and spend three times as long looking down at the controls as I should need to, so not good for safety. Why? I hate air con. Why does it insist on coming on?

[RUM4MO]

I've not come across a 'minimum working temperature' for the air con in any other car I've had.
Even in sub zero temperatures, you can see the difference between aircon off and aircon on, so it's definitely working.
If VW's aircon doesn't work below a certain temp, that would explain why it doesn't look like it's working in my car.
Although doesn't explain why VW have taken this decision when other manufacturers haven't.

Maybe ask your dealer's service department, it has been like this since cars started having chillers fitted to them, if you did manage to run the AC chiller below +4C or so, you would quickly find that it would end up with no air passing through it because it had frosted up completely.

As to why this does not get mentioned, well I'd guess that most people only use the AC chiller in hot weather coupled with the fact that modern AC systems protect themselves from freezing up, so while you didn't know it was happening in winter weather, it would be.

[Andy Beats]

Why? I hate air con. Why does it insist on coming on?

Many manufacturers, like Renault for one, are now making the default setting for aircon as 'on'
Instead of pressing a button to put it on, you press a button to put if off.
TBH, I think this is the way it should be.
The benefits of aircon are all year round, I think you're unusual in hating it.
I wouldn't even consider a car without it, as much for winter use as summer.

[Andy Beats]

As to why this does not get mentioned, well I'd guess that most people only use the AC chiller in hot weather coupled with the fact that modern AC systems protect themselves from freezing up, so while you didn't know it was happening in winter weather, it would be.

Are they maybe running the dehumidify function without the chiller?
I don't know there, but I do know aircon definitely works on plenty of cars below +4C.
I've seen it myself when experimenting in Scottish winters.
Switch the aircon off, especially with passengers, and the car will mist up quickly no matter how hard the fan is on.
Switch on the aircon, the air is dried and end of misting.