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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > UK > UK Technical Forum > my car steams up too easily



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      01-19-2012, 05:43 AM   #1
chrismanchr
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my car steams up too easily

my car steams up too easily when its rained ,the carpets are bone dry so's everywhere in the boot ,does anyone know of a common fault where water gets in ,or anybody else having this experience
its a 07 reg e92 325i ta.
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      01-19-2012, 05:55 AM   #2
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I know it's an obvious one, but you haven't got your recirculation on?
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      01-19-2012, 06:00 AM   #3
chrismanchr
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lol no ! i know the fumes from other vehicles tend to get in easily but i dont have it on very often
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      01-19-2012, 06:04 AM   #4
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Have you checked the drains are clear?
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      01-19-2012, 06:08 AM   #5
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When was your microfilter last changed? Blocked filters cause this
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      01-19-2012, 06:14 AM   #6
chrismanchr
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yeah i checked the drains they were clear and the filter was changed in sept

ive had the shroud around the top of the engine off recently(to change the plugs) so i had a good look around and everything seems ok
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      01-19-2012, 06:17 AM   #7
chrismanchr
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ive got a compressor and air gun everythings had a good blow out no change ,it steamed up today after a little bit of rain last night
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      01-19-2012, 06:26 AM   #8
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Do you mean its steamed up when you come to the car in the morning, or it begins to steam up when you are driving it?

I assume you have your aircon on all time, which is good practice anyway?
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      01-19-2012, 06:42 AM   #9
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With aircon on, misting shouldn't be a problem.... odd.
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      01-19-2012, 06:48 AM   #10
chrismanchr
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i rarely use my aircon to be honest just enough to keep it in service ,it mists up when i start driving ,its not misty when i get in ,i do use the car when i goto the gym lol but i'm not that much of a heavy breather ,if i put the aircon on ,it does clear it fairly quickly but the heaters alone tend not too unless theyre on pretty high ,the 325 really feels the effect of having the aircon on in its performance ,pherhaps i'll check the filter again or change it ,see if it clears up ,like I say inside its bone dry
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      01-19-2012, 06:58 AM   #11
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Keep your A/C on. I haven't turned mine off since 2002.
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      01-19-2012, 07:17 AM   #12
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+1 on leaving your air con on all year round. I would try that first before spending some hard earn on changing the microfilter.
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      01-19-2012, 07:23 AM   #13
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Are you having sex in the car?
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      01-19-2012, 07:33 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrismanchr View Post
i rarely use my aircon to be honest just enough to keep it in service ,it mists up when i start driving ,its not misty when i get in ,i do use the car when i goto the gym lol but i'm not that much of a heavy breather ,if i put the aircon on ,it does clear it fairly quickly but the heaters alone tend not too unless theyre on pretty high ,the 325 really feels the effect of having the aircon on in its performance ,pherhaps i'll check the filter again or change it ,see if it clears up ,like I say inside its bone dry
That'll be the problem. Just leave it on all the time, good practice and guarantee that's what BMW would say.

With auto-climate like ours, just leave the aircon on (snowflake symbol 'on') all the time as it acts as a dehumidifier too. It won't be taking much power if the weather is not hot as its just for drying in cold weather and the compressor will be off a lot of the time.

If I turn mine off it steams up in the winter too.
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      01-19-2012, 09:52 AM   #15
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If you only use the A/C when you have misting issues, you will make it more likely to mist much of the time. Moisture gets left in the system.

You either have to use it all the time, or pick times when you can dry it out at the end of trips, and that takes a few miles.

Take it from a guy living in a high humidity environment. A/C keeps the car much drier. You just can't use it for a few minutes during winter time, without a dry out cycle.

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      01-19-2012, 09:54 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaishang View Post
Are you having sex in the car?
His Wife is
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      01-19-2012, 10:58 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGTIME View Post
His Wife is

As above put the a/c on it will sort out the misting
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      01-19-2012, 11:07 AM   #18
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clean the windows. no joke that will make a HUGE difference.
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      01-19-2012, 12:07 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doughboy View Post
That'll be the problem. Just leave it on all the time, good practice and guarantee that's what BMW would say.

With auto-climate like ours, just leave the aircon on (snowflake symbol 'on') all the time as it acts as a dehumidifier too. It won't be taking much power if the weather is not hot as its just for drying in cold weather and the compressor will be off a lot of the time.

If I turn mine off it steams up in the winter too.
Really....is this best for the longevity of the system?

On both cars, air con isn't used much over winter, maybe once a month to keep it running ok, or if its really raining and does start to mist up

Cars are dry inside and dont have a problem with misting up.


Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
If you only use the A/C when you have misting issues, you will make it more likely to mist much of the time. Moisture gets left in the system.

You either have to use it all the time, or pick times when you can dry it out at the end of trips, and that takes a few miles.

Take it from a guy living in a high humidity environment. A/C keeps the car much drier. You just can't use it for a few minutes during winter time, without a dry out cycle.

HighlandPete
Thats what I do, turn it of half a mile or so before home and that seems to do the trick for the next journey.

I do always fight the air con symbol, when I press the Auto button (same on the 5 series). Wifey, of course doesn't notice, so she has aircon on more than i do.

Thinking i should leave aircon for both cars now
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      01-19-2012, 12:48 PM   #20
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Does leaving the aircon on not use up lots of fuel???...

I haven't used the aircon ...for a few years now....actually i think, i've used it once/ twice when i first got the car, just to test if it was working....
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      01-19-2012, 02:37 PM   #21
doughboy
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TMP / Zltm - You're stuck in the 90's!

You have a pretty clever automatic climate control system, not basic ON/OFF Aircon. Just leave the snowflake on and the car will decide how much and when it needs the compressor for you.

Dehumidifying is fairly low duty for the compressor, nothing like full-on cooling on a hot day.

Admitted, lots of short damp trips will build up moisture, but you need a good long warm run to dry that out, not really practical for some in winter, so just leave the the compressor enabled.

Just let it do what its designed to do. You paid for auto climate, leave the thing to do its stuff!

Last edited by doughboy; 01-19-2012 at 02:45 PM..
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      01-19-2012, 03:17 PM   #22
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The ac system in modern cars like ours is designed to operate all year round in all conditions with little need for changes by the user, therefore during kickdown or hard acceleration the compressor is temporarily disconnected in order not to hamper acceleration/performance or damage the unit itself.

When the snowflake symbol is lit up the compressor is always running there is no on off cycling like older systems, and as its a variable swashplate the cooling output can be regulated by altering the voltage sent to the actuator. This in turn angles the plate in the compressor which regulates the amount of cooling done by the system. Many factors influence the cooling output including the intensity of sunlight hitting the photo resistor on the dash!

Dehumidifying happens anytime the compressor is running, this simply is because the air is cooled below its dew point. At ambient temperatures below 0 degrees C the outside air is cold and dry enough to provide cooling and dehumidifying requirements to the driver so the ecu shuts off the compressor until the ambient rises.

Turning on and off the system during the year needlessly increases the chance of mould growth on the evaporator and causing smells.

The mist your getting is probably from the heater and evap matrix. When cooling was on, and then turned off, any condensation that formed on the surface of the evaporator that didn't drip off will be sitting between the fins of the coil. When you then need heat the outside air which can already be 'damp' is sucked through the wet evaporator coil then through the hot heater coil...producing a steam room effect!

Best advise is leave the snowflake on all year round and change your micro filter.
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