The inside of my windows are fogged up while nearby cars aren't.

After driving to an early evening meeting, and parking outside, I returned to my GLK to find the inside of the windshield and side windows fogged up so that I had set the climate control to Max Def. before they were clear enough to drive. I had a similar experience a few weeks ago, and in both cases, nearby cars were not fogged up although they had been driven and parked at the about the same time as mine. So I conclude that my GLK is slightly defective in that the windows should not fog up like this.

The problem's not very severe, and probably can be corrected under warranty, but I'm wondering if any other GLKers have experienced the same thing.

 

Breath through your nose! jk...

My heater stopped working this weekend and I had to use this technique to keep the windshield from fogging up.

 

page 179:

Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the interior air with the air
conditioning.
X Press button ¿.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.
i The evaporator will be vented when the
air conditioning has been in use.
Approximately 1 hour after locking the
vehicle, the blower switches on
automatically. The blower will run for
30 minutes at its lowest level. The blower
noise is normal and not an indication of a
malfunction. When you unlock the vehicle
in the meantime, venting will be
interrupted. If the vehicle battery is low,
automatic evaporator venting will not occur
in order to preserve the battery

 

We drove to/from Boone, NC at Christmas. Our 2012 GLK was parked outdoors for 10 days in widely varying conditions, mostly bad. Rain, snow, drizzle, fog and sunny. Any condensation stayed was on the outside where it belonged. Your problem seems unique. I have not experienced inside condensation with any vehicle. Visit your dealer.
I should have checked the blower dry down feature.

Wayne

 

Correction: My '61 VW iced up on the inside while driving over La Vita pass one night. There were 3 of us in the car, -20 something outside, the VW heater couldn't keep up. Extreme situation & opposite to your problem.
What were the outside conditions?

Wayne

 

Sailorlite, I would check the interior of your vehicle for a liquid spill. Somewhere in the carpet you will find somewhere wet and that evaporation is what you are seeing. I have seen similar when I get in my ML with snow on my boots and it melts into the mats. I see you are in So. Cal, so maybe rain water? For me what I do now is use the liner mats, which hold all the water till I dump it.
Anyways, drive with the climate control set on "Auto" for about a week, and it should dry up the remaining residue.

 

Digiturbo's explanation matches my VW experience: warmer interior moisture condensing on the cooler glass. A leak somwhere?

Wayne

 

Dlinjuly has it right. Keep the AC button on at all times. The evaporator will keep the humidity low so no window condensation.

 

True, but not dry enough if there is a leak.

Wayne

 

Another thought: A/C drain clogged. You can check that yourself. Park the car with the engine and A/C running. You should see water dripping from the drain. If not, that would explain excess water in the car. Sunroof, windows and fresh air intake are logical locations for water intrusion.

Wayne

 

E-How:

Why Does the Windshield in a Car Fog Up?

Temperature
Temperature differences between the inside of the car and outside create moisture that can build up on the inside of the windshield. Add increased humidity levels, and it's hard to drive until the glass clears. Foggy windows occur from condensation when moist, warm air meets cool air.

Whether it's your breath inside the vehicle or a damp, rainy day, this provides adequate condensation to steam the much cooler windows of your car. Switch your car's defroster to fresh air to help clear your windshield quickly. Air conditioning removes moisture from the air. Fog requires warm, moist air to occur. Sometimes, even the breath of the people inside the car can generate enough warm air to fog the windows.

Dirty Windshield
A dirty windshield can cause windows to fog more frequently. When dust and fingerprints mar the inside surface of the windshield, moisture particles from condensation adhere more readily to this dirty surface. A foggy windshield resulting from a dirty interior glass surface is difficult to clear with the car defroster. Clean the inside of your window with a high-quality glass cleaner and dry paper towels.

Remember that the inside of your car holds moisture because it's a sealed compartment. The moisture builds up and condenses into fine water droplets on your windshield. Keeping the window clean allows your defroster to work properly, to allow a clear line of sight through the front window of the car.

Mechanical Problems
Most vehicles built after 2000 have cabin filters to help regulate air quality inside the vehicle. These filters catch pollen, dust, particles and other contaminants to prevent their entry into the passenger area of your vehicle. Air conditioning and heat filter through these cabin filters as well. Dirty cabin filters can result in more dust inside your vehicle and can limit the effectiveness of your defroster.

Consider the inside of the car as you would a building, subjected to indoor air quality issues without proper ventilation. Cabin filters function to provide clean air from your car's heat and A/C. When these filters are dirty, the poor indoor air quality inside your vehicle allows more condensation to form on your windshield. Replacement of the cabin filter often reduces fog buildup on the windshield. These filters are often located behind the glove compartment and require changing every 1 to 2 years. Check owner's manuals, or contact your mechanic if there's a musty smell or you're having trouble cleaning a foggy windshield.



Read more: Why Does the Windshield in a Car Fog Up? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4925478...#ixzz1kEwbUp39

 

I experienced a similar problem, when I was at the dealer getting my brakes looked at, mentioned it to the service rep. He told me to turn on the AC and leave the thermostat set on a high temperature, run the front defrost on high. Seems to work

I got the dealer to check for leaks in the door/window while I was there, nothing to speak of. The front windows especially fog up going from a heated garage into the cold elements!

 

That is the normal warm moist air that you create. When the glass heats up I bet it goes away. Same as my VW story. When we got to the top of the pass the temperature rose dramatically and the windows cleared of ice in a few miles. The San Luis Valley, Colorado is a wicked place in the winter.

Wayne

 

I always thought every1 knew about turning on your AC (along with setting your temp what every levels you wanted) to deFOG the windows.

Ie to remove the moisture inside your car.
Guess not every does know this.

DeFROST is different that is to remove ice on your windows & you DO need to use heat only.

 

We do know. Those of us who live in humid & changeable locations.

Correction: Even though the temp. should be set to some level above freezing, I generally leave the dial set to 72F all the time, when you hit the dedicated FRONT DEFROST button, the A/C comes on to provide a modest amount of dehumidification. Just in case the condensation is on the inside. When you turn the DEFROST switch off, the A/C goes off. If it was off prior to using DEFROST.

The morning after we had rain, sleet, freezing rain & snow in Boone the GLK had ice on the front & rear glass. I started the GLK, hit both DEFROST buttons, and went back inside to fill my travel mug. When I returned maybe 5 minutes later, the ice on the windshield and wipers had thawed enough for me to operate the wipers and clear the glass. The rear glass & mirrors were clear. Lisa put her seat into Turbo Heat Mode and pronounced the effect very good. The GLK also performed admirably the night before climbing to and descending from The Gamekeeper Restaurant on a very narrow, steep & twisty bit of road. Nothing like throwing a new and unfamilar vehicle into the thick of things. A very nice winter vehicle!

Wayne

 

Scanned the post quickly, it might be true that you have a moisture buildup (leak) in the vehicle. I don't think the following has been mentioned. When turning on the heat other than using the AC it is best never during the winter to keep the system on recirculate. You must bring in outside air. The moisture and heat from people in the vehicle will fog up the windows for sure. To the point that if it is really cold you could form frost inside the vehicle after it sits for a while with no one in it.

 

Quick question, I don't kow the answer. Does recirculation stay on until turned off or is there a timer to turn it off after a few minutes? Our other 2 cars with auto climate and recirculation have timers. That agrees perfectly with Ken's caution. Thanks Ken.

Wayne

 

The MB like other cars when set to AUTO will go back and forth between outside and recirculated air depending on the outside temperature. But, if you push the recirculate button that takes it out of AUTO and will stay there until it is put back in AUTO.

 

Thanks. I hardly ever use recirculate intentially. Now if we do use it we will do so briefly.

Wayne

 

Recirculate is great on a hot summer day or just to cool the cabin more quickly, but not so during a cold winter. Another great use for recirculate is to keep foul smells out of the cabin.

 

 

If it says "REDRUM" you may have a possessed car, and should retain the services of an exorcist.

Seriously, though, a picture showing the letters and numbers would help.

Also, this is a GLK sub, not a C300 sub.