Elantra windshield fogging up at night...

[97tbird]

This happens to my wife's 2003 Elantra, independant from weather conditions(hot/cold-summer/winter/rain). The windshield(front mostly, rear one not so bad) fogs up pretty bad, and fiddling with defroster doesn't help much..

I'm wondering if it's something from the dashboard material appearing on the w.shield???

Anybody have any suggestions/ideas as to what might be causing this & how to get rid of it?

Thanks in advance..

 

[ekpolk]

You should be able to tell pretty easily whether the "fog" is humidity or residue from the plastics used in the dash. If it comes and goes, I'd have to say pretty obviously water-based. If this is the case, and the car's environmental control system is not up to its defogging mission, I'd try the Rain-X anti-fog product (not the rain repellent, which is meant for the outside of the windshield). IMO, Rain-X products are among the minority of aftermarket automobile potions that honestly add value beyond the price you pay for them. I'd also suggest consulting the dealer about the performance of your car's defogging system. A car this new should not have this problem unless something is wrong. You didn't buy a car without air conditioning, did you? If so, then you've got a whole different animal (and a very hot one, at that...).

On the other hand, you "fog" may be from the vapors given off from the plastics used in your car's dash. If this is the case, you just need to periodically clean the inside of the glass. I use hot water, nothing more, and then buff dry, which should produce a no-residue surface, if done thoroughly. Be aware that newer cars with cheaper plastics used in the dash will produce more of this sort of fog than others.

 

[Ray H]

If the fogging is moisture and accompanied by a sweet odor, I'd be suspicious of a heater core leak. In any event, take the car to the dealer. You do have a 5yr./60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, you know. Another thing to consider is whether your wife typically leaves the HVAC system in "Fresh" air mode. (For whatever reason, Hyundai's engineers set their HVAC system up to reset to "Fresh" mode whenever the engine is shut down.) I believe Florida gets occasional humidity? Usually just the first 24 hours of every day? Bringing in fresh air constantly may be overtaxing the system's ability to drain it off efficiently. (Check the condensation drain tube from the evaporator/heater core chamber. The tube is toward the passenger side of the car extending slightly below the body work - it might be partially clogged with debris or undercoating. A piece of wire could probably clear the obstruction if that's what it is. In Florida, I'd expect that tube to dribble cold water condensation constantly when the air conditioning is in use.) Given your humidity, you might be better off using the HVAC system in "Recirculate" mode to limit the amount of moist air brought in.

[ September 11, 2004, 02:28 PM: Message edited by: Ray H ]

 

[ekpolk]

Humidity in Florida??? Where did you ever get an idea that we have that??? Seriously though, a good observation. Back in the mid-80s, I had the drain tube plug up in my 82 Jetta. Had a similar effect, and you could occasionally hear sloshing water behind the dash too. I can only imagine the gunk that grew up in there. A straightened coat hanger wire fixed the problem. I had totally forgotten about this incident until reading Ray's post. Good call.

 

[97tbird]

Elkpolk, Ray-H,

Thanks a lot for both youe replies, and suggestions...

True: The car usually is on "fresh" air setting. We'll try setting it on the "recirc" mode, and see what it does.
As for the drain tube, we think it's ok, 'cause whenever the A/C is on, cold water pours out/dribbles, so I guess that menas the tube is not plugged.
And also: we don't notice any kind of odor when this fogging happens...so I guess the heater core is OK, too.

I'll try Rain-x interior defogger, and putting the air on "recirc" mode, and if there's no change, take it to the dealer as you suggested.

Thanks again.

 

[tom slick]

i have found that rain-x anti-fog makes the fogging worse if you don't reapply it at least every 3 weeks.
i am a advocate of using it outside, but don't like it inside. the best thing i have found is a microfiber cloth for wiping down the inside with no chemicals. when it is fogged wipe it with the cloth, eventually you will remove whatever residue is causing the fogging.

 

[Brian Miller_dup1]

This seems to be the norm for Hyundai. My wife’s 2003 Santa Fe windshield fogged up really bad when we first got it. I finally found a Hyundai forum site and there were discussions about this topic.

Clean, clean, and clean. There is something on it. I don’t know why, but it’s hard to get off. We have had the car right at a year now, and I finally got the film off about 3 months ago.

Ours was so bad, you could see it at night when other car’s headlights hit the windshield.

Brian

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian Miller:
This seems to be the norm for Hyundai. My wife’s 2003 Santa Fe windshield fogged up really bad when we first got it. I finally found a Hyundai forum site and there were discussions about this topic.

Clean, clean, and clean. There is something on it. I don’t know why, but it’s hard to get off. We have had the car right at a year now, and I finally got the film off about 3 months ago.

Ours was so bad, you could see it at night when other car’s headlights hit the windshield.

Brian

---

Brian:

What you experienced is not unique to Hyundai, but may be exacerbated by their choice of likely lower quality plastics in the dash. In fairness, though, all of my Toyotas were bad this way for their first six months or so too. What you are observing is a film produced by residual chemicals evaporating from the interior plastics which then collect on glass surfaces. They can be a real byatch to get off, especially if they are allowed to accumulate and "harden." The problem made more difficult to solve since some of the chemicals you might be tempted to use to remove the haze are very dangerous for the nearby materials (acetone is a great glass cleaner, but woe to the owner who drips some on a plastic dash). For really bad cases, try a first scrub with a WD-40 soaked cloth. This will leave a smudgy, disgusting mess. Clean that with Windex or similar product. This will leave light streaks. Wipe then with hot water and buff with a soft cloth. This entire process should result in truly clear glass.

 

[Propflux01]

My 2002 Elantra did the same, and it was from the plastics in the car. I used Vinegar/water solution to clean, and after a few months it dissappeared. I do not blame 'cheap' plastics for this, just the 'more of' use of them in newer cars. bet you have noticed also that 'new car smell' has hung around alittle longer than usual?

 

[Matt_S]

If this is a film from the various plasticizers and other chemicals evaporating, the best product to clean it with is Stoner Invisible Glass. It's a foaming glass cleaner in an aerosol can. Spray the cleaner on, wipe off, then repeat. The glass will be as clean as it's ever been. Great product. You can get it almost anywhere they sell glass cleaner. It's been in almost every auto parts store I've seen as well as Kmart and Walmart.