Condensation?

Do any of you living in humid areas get condensation on the lower part of the windshield with the inside climate set to auto/68-70 degrees? 72 degrees seems to keep the windshield dry but I hope I'm just missing a setting or something like that.

I do not know why the max air functions sends air to the windshield. Just turn it off. My car has the standard controls, no auto climate. The last button to the right bellow the AC panel, controls the air flow to the windshield, (defogger), in my car. You can toggle it on or off. In my car when you turn AC max it blows cold air to the windshield and generates condensation on the outside. When I first got the car I was constantly using the wipers. Check your owners manual since your AC controls might be different.

I do the same thing as Jaica. As soon as you turn on MaxAC, turn off the defroster vents and the condensation won't appear.

I'm not an AC person unless I'm with a girl. I usually have the windows down. Saves gas too.

I've noticed the very same thing in my car lately. Thanks for the post and the inputs.

I was always under the impression that driving with the windows down upset the aerodynamic balance enough to negate the benefit of turning the AC off. This is more prevalent in less aerodynamic vehicles such as an Expedition. I would expect the effect to still be present in a Cayman .

It doesn't seem like I can keep the vent from blowing on the windshield even at partial fan speed with the auto climate control on. The defogger can be toggled on (which indicates off usually) but that removes the auto indicator. I believe the new Car & Driver has an article about driving for fuel economy and they tested a car that got better crusing mileage with the windows down than with the AC on.

I ahve the same condensation issue - and have Auto Cliamte. I just toggle off the upper vents and the problem is gone. I guess that takes away some of the 'auto' nature of things, but it solves the issue. Glad to see the topic come up though.

This is really quite annoying. I dont suppose there is anywhere much worse to live than Houston in August to experience this.... but I feel like I have an unwanted 'heads up display' of condensation every morning on the way to work. - Yes, you can switch off the windshield vent and it stops.... but then its not 'auto'... - Yes, you can set the temp up to 74 and it helps.. - Yes, you can keep using the windshield wipers to clear it... BUT.... why is this the only car that I've been in that does this! I guess the solution would be to alter the mix of the amount of air which is directed to the windshield while in the auto position.... I wonder if there is a way for Porsche to do this?

My '96 C4 had the same problem when I lived in Houston. The best solution was to move to Santa Fe/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/tounge_smile.gif. As a small aside so did other non-US makes (except for MB)that I owned when living there. The only solution that really worked was to drive a few miles with the windows down but in Houston in August that means you need a new shower.

I just push the botton to send the air to my feet. I know this flies in the face of thermodynamics, but the cabin is so small it cools down fine and it seems to close off the defroster vents. Also, I believe the auto temp is still engaged, even though the 'Auto' light goes out -- my fan is still moderated based on the amt. of sun making it into the cabin so it seems to be minding the temp sensor.

exact same problem with auto ac in florida.

god bless texas

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr noshade="" id="quote" height="1" /> This is really quite annoying. I dont suppose there is anywhere much worse to live than Houston in August to experience this.... but I feel like I have an unwanted 'heads up display' of condensation every morning on the way to work. - Yes, you can switch off the windshield vent and it stops.... but then its not 'auto'... - Yes, you can set the temp up to 74 and it helps.. - Yes, you can keep using the windshield wipers to clear it... BUT.... why is this the only car that I've been in that does this! I guess the solution would be to alter the mix of the amount of air which is directed to the windshield while in the auto position.... I wonder if there is a way for Porsche to do this? <hr noshade="" id="quote" height="1" /> </blockquote> This has been and problem/issue with all the auto climate control systems in the Boxster , 996, 997, Cayman (not sure about the Cayenne ). As stated above the condensation occurs because of too much cool air being sent to the dash. Same problem was occuring in some VW/ Audi 's, but VAG did a firmware update to fix the problem...however, PAG has shown no effort in this area. I kept thinking Porsche would cure the issue with the 987/997 and Cayman , but it did not happen. It appears the best solution is not get the 'Automatic Climate' control option. I never use the 'Auto' feature on my 996 in the summer because of this problem. Edited by - bet on 08/03/2006 08:54:30 AM

I do not have the auto climate control however, in the week since I've had the car, anytime I turn on the AC with the air flow directed to the lower or mid level outlets, there is substantial 'leakage' from the defroster vents with the resulting windsheild condensation.Occasionally the vent outlet selector does fully close and the defroster 'leakage' is not present. When this happens, there is noticably greater airflow from either of the two alternate outlets. Apparently the vent control is is not shutting properly. I'm going to bring this up with dealer. Cheers, Edited by - Morefun on 08/03/2006 3:09:52 PM

I live in northern Nevada, while driving in a downpour the front window fogged up, I turned on the defroster as the window was getting harder to see through. I was passing a semi at the time, the window became fully obstructed, it was warm out approx. 90 degrees, I had to turn the heat on high and roll down the window to get some ventilation. This is a very dangerous situation, never had it happen in my 911 or any other car.

all the time...i just turn off the vents up there though..seems to work, kind of a pain in the butt though.

Did not have this problem on any of the 4 996 coupes I have owned, but it HAS been a problem on my 2003 MB C240 since day 1. No way to fully turn off or close that vent up there. Florida, year 'round. I also read recently that putting the A/C fully on your feet goes a long way to keeping you cool. Frank Lloyd Wright used this principle in many of his homes by actaully running pipes through the floor and heating and cooling the floor rather than the air. Ever notice how cold marble is when you are barefoot? MUCH evidence has beenpublished by very reputable and scientific groups that have documented that leaving the windows UP at HIGHWAY SPEEDS actually savesfuel due to aerodynamics. However, running the AC in traffic at city speeds does use more gas since aerodynamics are not largely inplay here. If you own a pick-up truck and you leave the tailgate DOWN to reduce DRAG, you are actually defeating the design of the cab and bed. The bed forms a bubble of air at speed and actually acts like an invisible roof. If you drop the tailgate, it spills the bubble and prevent the smooth flow of air over the bed. Again, this is STRICTLY at highway speeds and is not a factor either way in town other than you risk damaging your tailgate and the entire bed sides if struck from behind with the gate down. So many ********, so few teeth.

Same condensation problem here in Hawaii, however for some reason it has not happeded lately? Russ

one solution might be to clean this area of the windshield with some strong cleaner. in my old car every only the parts of the windshield, that had some hmmm, 'dirt film' on them became foggy. if your car is new, and i guess it is, your new ac will be blowing a lot of micro dirt onto the windshield. the ac has to sort its self out, takes a while.

Back when I bought a new '99 Miata , I had this issue. According to Mazda, it turned out that the plastics used in the dash incorporate aromatic chemicals that leech out and stick to the inside of the windshield. When humid, the water in the air interacts with chemicals to fog the windshield.

The condensation is on the outside of the windshield, not inside. Thats why this is a real problem in humid climates. I guess the AC really cools a patch on the inside of the windshield which then causes humid outside air to condense on it. When you use the wipers it clears the blob for about 10 seconds. Also, this does not happen at high speed, since i guess there is enough air movement outside to stop it from condensing on the spot.

I have this exact problem as well. You guys are right it makes you shut off the 'auto-climate control' which is stupid. I wonder what can be done to bring this up to the manufacturer and possiblty get it resolved.

I had the same problem in Atlanta. I have climate control.I think the problem is partly related to the design of the vents under the windshield: There is a 1 - 2' round hose or pipe delivering the windshield level air into a grate that is supposed to diffuse the air over a large area, but if you put your hand over the vent, you will find that the airflow still is concentrated over about a 3 or 4 inch span. That causes cooling all the way to the outside of the glass and thus exterior condensation. That cooling on the outside takes a little time, so you don't notice it right when you start up the car. When driving, there is competing warm airflow on the outside that also keeps the problem at bay. The condensation usually appears as soon as youhave to stop and wait at a stop light. It is most likely to occur when it is the most humid outside, especially at night when relative humidity increases. One solution that at least partly works is to obstruct the holes directly overlying the hose. That reduces the problem considerably, maybe 80% better. I did a test configuration with wadded up paper towel and was going to use some electrical tape to close off those slots from the underside. However, I then realized that would undoubtedly reduce the effectiveness of the defroster in the winter. I thencame up with a solution that works better: I turned on only the dash and foot well level vents, as mentioned RCayR . Then I went one step further and setthat as the default in PCM (from main screen press set, then follow prompts for individual memory).It isn't full auto, but I think all that means is that the airflow distribution isn't automatic. Temperature control still is automatic. Not sure if climate control automates anything else normally. All I know is that this trick works great and I'm comfortable with visibility preserved. A factory fix would require better diffusion of air under the windshield and better control over distribution with less directed to the windshield with AC on. I think that if you have to shell out $550 for climate control that the car should have an exterior humidity sensor in addition to the exterior temperature sensor and make adjustments to air distribution automatically based on those readings.

I have Climate Control, but have only notice this problem once when I got in the car with a somewhat wet swim suit and later noticed two of the front vent were closed - forcing more air up at the window through other vents I thought at the time. I leave it at 72 and about mid-air volume programed to the key. I'll watch for the problem a bit more, but it is humid and hot here so I would think that it should of happened more based on the accounts above.

I am in Houston and don't havea problem.