Minty Fresh

The passenger side Front Defrost vent is stuck open. That reduces the AC that comes through the other vents and causes condensation on the outside of the windshield.

I am not a huge DIYer on this car. Any ideas on how to unstick it without going to a shop? AFAIK, it has been this way for 9 months. There are no error codes because several shops have done complete STAR reports. I never told the shops about it because there were more pressing issues at the time.

I have tried switching back and forth from defrost to the other vent options repeatedly.

E55Greasemonkey

Pull the dashboard out and replace the entire heater case. Not a DIY project.

Minty Fresh

Looks like I'm keeping that defrost vent open...

All of the other possible options (pods?) also require removal of the dashboard, so hardly worth it.

Hulk

That's the crappy part of the blender motors going, the whole dash has to come out.
Hey greaser is there a manual way to turn the blender door without taking out the dash?

FinanceMike

This same thing happened on my CLS55. I had a great mechanic (Wade - European Specialists) try every trick in the book short of pulling the dash out to replace one of the nine or so actuators that control the flow. He managed to reach under the dash and manually close one of the defrost vents permanently (I live in Florida, seldom needed) which forced the flow through the AC vents on the dash.

The parts weren't expensive but I really didn't want my dash yanked out. They never seem to go back as tight as they came out. Fortunately, it was on the passenger side.

Doug427

Must be a common issue, mine is doing the exact same thing. Passenger side as well. 2006 E55 here.

Hulk

Wade is a good technician

Doug427

Just thinking about this again. What if some sort of plug were fashioned, say out of foam, that could be inserted into the dash defrost vent on the passenger side. I believe the vent is sealed from the heater box under the dash right up to the outlet at the base of the windshield. Wouldn't that serve the dual purpose of both stopping the super annoying buildup of condensation on the windshield, and also stopping the air conditioned air "leak", making the dash vents blow stronger and more effectively?

Assuming this can be done in a way that is visually acceptable or invisible, this may be the answer to the problem.

I can't begin to imagine how many thousands of dollars the dealer would get to remove and replace the dash, let alone make the repair once they're in there.

Thoughts on this, anyone? In a VERY quick Google search on this exact problem, I turned up three others with the exact same issue, all on the passenger side. Obviously, there's a problem.

Has anyone actually done or had done the repair on this?

E55Greasemonkey

What happens is the stop in the case breaks and doesn't allow the motor to learn it's position. To close the vent manually you'd have to remove the motor and close the flap by hand. I've never tried it with the dash still installed, maybe you can remove yhe glovebox to get at it, or it may be the motor that is sandwiched between the 2 case halves. It's been a long time since I've done one.

FinanceMike

This is correct. He was able to access one by taking out the glove box. Unfortunately, he was unable to get to the motor that was stuck open causing the cold air to hit my windshield instead of blowing through the vents.

If our cars had a normal AC system it wouldn't matter much but in South Florida, my AC struggled to keep the car somewhat cool.

Minty Fresh

This is a notoriously weak AC system. My sister has a top of the line Audi sedan, and when I was riding with her she cranked it up to demonstrate it's full potential. Huge blasts of cold air were rushing out of the vents. Very impressive.

Here in hot humid North Carolina, I might pick my next car based solely on the AC system instead of driving and handling.

FinanceMike

The AC's are a joke in these cars. I've run my car through every diagnostic known to man and the AC checks out fine in each test. This car simply can't shake the hot and humid weather down here.

I was told it was a trait with European high performance cars but my wife has a BMW 1M and after a minute or two, I have to back off the AC because its so damn cold. A few of my friends have other M series and Audi S series and none of them have this problem.

Dublinoh

My ac blows very cold, did the E63 receive an ac upgrade? It's much better than my 09 BMW 335i was.

Papieye

My ac also blows freezing cold air, cant keep it on the low setting because it get too cold. There must be something wrong yours guys

StarvingArtist

Someone found that the inner lining of the low pressure hose collapses so the pump can't suck refrigerant very well. I wonder how common that is?

Minty Fresh

The air itself is cold, but the highest setting on the fan seems weak. On a six hour drive to Atlanta in June, the air kept getting weaker and weaker, but I finally figured out that the coils were freezing up. Once the car sat for an hour, it was back to normal.

Papieye

I have double pane IR and UV reflecting windows and window tint. Those help the AC a great deal. Without it I imagine it would be pretty though keeping temps down in extreme heat.

tscales

I have this problem on both my E55 and SL65. I suspect the same parts in both. Right half of the windshield has condensation. Annoying, but not worth pulling the dash.

MikeS123

08 E63 with 67k miles. Same problem here.

Jmatt07

I know this is an old thread; but did anyone find a fix for this that doesn't involve ripping the dash out? Inhave the same problem in my 06 E55.

bobgodd

If your problem stems from the vent diverter assembly being broken then I'm afraid not.

Hrvstr1

I can close mine using STAR but as soon as you disconnect it opens itself back up.