Condensation

[Telegram Sam]

This must have cropped up in a previous thread, or three

Hot air from a heating fan meeting a cold (glass window) surface will condense. Elementary. But why does it do this so much more in my car as it cools down in winter than anyone else's?

Following repeated fixes I believe that water ingress to the area round the heater fan matrix has been sealed out.
I am not aware of any damp patches in the upholstery that could be evaporating.
There is no - obvious - leakage when it is raining.

I have tried various tricks - like driving the last mile with the fan on but heating off, with one or more windows (partly) open, even with the sunroof open (not when it's raining). A squeegee and absorbent cloth are always just at hand on the passenger seat. I am even experimenting with a Poundland humidity Damp Trap*. All to no avail.

Has anyone found a cure?

*I see that Halfords have the "Air Dry" on sale @ £10.

[thegriffin]

Are you sure your carpets are dry? They might not
feel wet but you really need to lift them.
I had to bail water out of my footwells last winter
because water was getting in via the scuttle .
It took a while but it's nice and dry now.

[Telegram Sam]

Thanks for the tips. I will re-examine the carpets.

Basmati or long grain??

[btcctroy]

You must have water getting in I bet the foam under the carpet is soaked !

[Telegram Sam]

I'll be very miffed if you are right considering how much I have spent on getting the underside re-welded and re-sealed. I forgot to specify a sandwich layer of rice to the guy who was doing the work.

[btcctroy]

It can come in from the corner scuttle drains.
Dash out job to repair

[Telegram Sam]

Obviously better to check the carpet foam state first. In my limited experience taking interior fittings out is bad enough but getting the bits to fit together again afterwards is a real pain (brackets breaking ...)

[btcctroy]

I'm guessing you've never had the dash out

[Telegram Sam]

I guess you're correct. Some time back there was a mini-problem with one of the warning lights. I discussed this with the garage and he said that for all the hassle that was required to get the dash out and back in, it wasn't worth it. It would of course be different if what you describe could result in long-term accumulation of water and the inevitable corrosion. Condensation I can live with, but repeating the re-welding I'd prefer to do without.

[btcctroy]

It can get pretty rotton up there and is a pig to put right

[Envoy CDX]

Will br damp in there somewhere
Need to strip it out and get it sealed up and investigate any rot you might find. reseal and panels and generally work on things as you find them.

[Telegram Sam]

Is it possible to inspect the area and see if there is or is not a problem (as opposed to putting it right) without actually dismantling the dash?

If there is, is there a prevention "cure", in addition to putting right what you find - or am I going to have to repeat the operation every so often?

[Envoy CDX]

You need to cure the problem before you can ever hope to prevent it re-occurring.
Like I said when you undertook this last year- it needed stripped down and started from scratch.
You will need to check for obvious things like water getting in from the following places:

Floor - loose grommets / rotten drain holes
Windscreen - lower corners behind the dash
Blocked elephant trunk in the bulkhead
Leaking / weeping heater matrix.

And that's just to start with.

[Telegram Sam]

I'd have hoped Turbo Tom would have included (most of) this in his refurb job in Boston. Would inspection / check in Hebburn be practical? Underneath the Rustbuster seal seems to be OK.

[TurboDan]

If you remove the trim panels under the dash above pedals and below glovebox, then get your head right under there and look into the corners with a torch you should just be able to see any problems. You will probably see some rusty water marks that have dripped down the sides of the metal.


I have also seen them rust there and so its well worth checking.

[btcctroy]

This will be your problem.
It hasn't been overlooked because it's easy to miss.

[humbucker]

"Floor - loose grommets / rotten drain holes"

This. Worse still, rotten/missing grommets. Cheap enough to replace. Turbo #2's driver's side one was missing. Soaked carpet underlay. I ditched the lot, put new grommets in. I'll probably weld the hole closed tbh.

[humbucker]

Oh, and a caravan dehumidifier works wonders. Only a quid each, and they absorb up to four times their own weight in condensation. I have them in all my cars (two in the Rolls !)

[Telegram Sam]

"If you remove the trim panels under the dash above pedals and below glovebox, then get your head right under there and look into the corners with a torch you should just be able to see any problems. You will probably see some rusty water marks that have dripped down the sides of the metal. I have also seen them rust there and so its well worth checking"

My worry is that if I risk taking out and then trying to replace the panels, see some rust, apply Rustbuster or whatever, can I then stop the water ingress from continuing (without major surgery)? Or is there a basic design fault somewhere that needs more than a bandage to cure it?

[Envoy CDX]

I'd have hoped Turbo Tom would have included (most of) this in his refurb job in Boston. Would inspection / check in Hebburn be practical? Underneath the Rustbuster seal seems to be OK.

Potencially, depends on how extensive a search you're wanting really. All takes time and I have little enough currently due to work pressures.

I'd have hoped Turbo Tom would have included (most of) this in his refurb job in Boston. Would inspection / check in Hebburn be practical? Underneath the Rustbuster seal seems to be OK.

Not if you didn't ask him to. None of the interior came out from what I remember (I might be wrong).

"Floor - loose grommets / rotten drain holes"

This. Worse still, rotten/missing grommets. Cheap enough to replace. Turbo #2's driver's side one was missing. Soaked carpet underlay. I ditched the lot, put new grommets in. I'll probably weld the hole closed tbh.

All mine are getting repaired and welded up when they get done.

[Telegram Sam]

I'd have hoped Turbo Tom would have included (most of) this in his refurb job in Boston. Would inspection / check in Hebburn be practical? Underneath the Rustbuster seal seems to be OK.

Not if you didn't ask him to. None of the interior came out from what I remember (I might be wrong).

Thought for Christmas: Are there companies in our part of the world that specialize in "interiors" and such work? Taking out carpets and panels and things is not a normal garage job, nor one for the "upholstery" people, and if bodywork people like T. Tom aren't into this, it seems like you fall between several stools.

[Envoy CDX]

I'd have hoped Turbo Tom would have included (most of) this in his refurb job in Boston. Would inspection / check in Hebburn be practical? Underneath the Rustbuster seal seems to be OK.

Not if you didn't ask him to. None of the interior came out from what I remember (I might be wrong).

Thought for Christmas: Are there companies in our part of the world that specialize in "interiors" and such work? Taking out carpets and panels and things is not a normal garage job, nor one for the "upholstery" people, and if bodywork people like T. Tom aren't into this, it seems like you fall between several stools.

Not something I have ever looked into.
Can you tell me exactly what you'd want done?

It might not be that T. Tom wasn't into the task - was everything written down and agreed or just verbal?

[Telegram Sam]

Being wise after the event (of course), verbal, based on trust (and Humbucker's recommendation!). I had anticipated (for that price) a "comprehensive" refurb. He might well say "ah yes, but doing the sills etc doesn't include sorting out what's hidden under the carpets". But the pics he sent showed what appeared to be the car stripped down bare in his workshop.

This might of course be a false alarm, there is not much visible evidence of dampness above the carpets and I have only got the condensation factor to go on till a more thorough investigation is possible.

[Envoy CDX]

Being wise after the event (of course), verbal, based on trust (and Humbucker's recommendation!). I had anticipated (for that price) a "comprehensive" refurb. He might well say "ah yes, but doing the sills etc doesn't include sorting out what's hidden under the carpets". But the pics he sent showed what appeared to be the car stripped down bare in his workshop.

This might of course be a false alarm, there is not much visible evidence of dampness above the carpets and I have only got the condensation factor to go on till a more thorough investigation is possible.

Not really no, if you said "Sills, arches blah blah!" but the floor wasn't mentioned. I doubt he is going to look into it.
You'll find if there is damp in the underlay / sound deadening. It will likely be held between the bottom layer and the actual floor itself.

Without seeing those pics I couldn't comment. I don't recall seeing the interior stripped out on the thread though.

[btcctroy]

There is no way the scuttles would have been done. It's not an obvious fault