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MK7 defrosting issues

rjbied

New member
Location
Chicago
I'm having issues with defrosting in my 2016 Golf R. I'm getting excessive moisture building up on the windows and even at maximum, only the windshield will barely defrost. Any help appreciated.
 

imthanick_a

Autocross Champion
Location
Ohio
Make sure you're on recirculate to get the moisture out of the air
 

TimCv1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
CO
Car(s)
GTI mk 7, Tiguan MQB
Make sure you're on recirculate to get the moisture out of the air
You have it reversed. Unless you're like in warm tropical window-fogging situation (like summer rain in FL or something) you want to bring in fresh air instead of having A/C fight the continual battle of removing YOUR moisture from the air (breathing, skin).
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Fresh air and ac on...those should be the defaults when yoy hit the defrost setting.
 

SRGTD

Autocross Newbie
Location
UK
@rjbied - If you are getting excessive moisture build-up, it’d be worth checking to see if you have any leaks / water ingress into your car. Check carpets, mats, rear seat, roof lining and spare wheel well for dampness / water. Known water ingress points on the mk7 / mk7.5;
  • Perished grommet on the bottom of the hatch / tailgate drain tube, leaving water to drain into the tailgate and then into the boot / trunk.
  • Blocked / waterlogged pollen filter.
  • Cars with sunroof; blocked sunroof drain tubes.
  • Leaking door speaker seals.
  • A/C drain tube draining into car interior.
  • Deformed or damaged door / window seals.
  • Damaged / perished rear light cluster seals.
  • Poor seal around pressure equalisation vents behind the rear bumper.
  • Poor seal between tailgate hinges and hinge mounting points above tailgate / hatch opening.
  • Poor seal between entry / exit points of wiring loom (protected by rubber sleeving) above the hatch opening and into the tailgate.
  • Damaged / perished seal between roof mounted aerial and roof panel.
 
Last edited:

TwinSnails

Ready to race!
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Car(s)
B5 S4 Avant, Mk7 R
I’m having this same exact issue, woke up with a frosty windshield the other day and hit the defrost button but nothing is coming out of the windshield vent. I closed all the other vents on the dash and backseat and that did seem to work directing air at the windshield but then my windshield was literally dripping from condensation.

I checked my pollen filter and it was filthy so swapped that out and then did the HVAC climatronic relearn by holding the A/C and front air flow buttons until their lights start flashing.

Another Suggestion I’ve heard is to check/smell for coolant leaks as that could be a sign the heater core is going out and can cause the condensation.
 

lightbody

New member
Location
Glasgow, UK
Car(s)
2017 Golf GTI mk7.5
Its my understanding that... if the temperature is above about 5C, you can use the AC to dry the air - and recirculation will speed this up. The warmer it is, the more effective this works.

However when it gets really cold, the AC can't do its job any more (to do with the temperature difference between the chilled refrigerant and the outside air temp) so you have to do it the old way, and just use lots of fresh warm air (no AC, no recirculation). Has always worked for me, including in my current mk7.5
 

Cytokine

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Ottawa, Canada
Car(s)
2017 LSG 6MT Golf R
Assuming there are no coolant leaks in your heater core and any free water is wiped up, give this a try. Works every time for me. Should be cold outside for this.

1. Make sure recirculate is OFF
2. Turn off the A/C
3. Crank the heat to high, make sure the car interior is really hot, may need a while to heat up. Go for a long drive.
4. once all warmed up and driving, lower the windows and exchange the warm moist air for cold dry air. Do this a couple times.
5. enjoy your frost free car.

The A/C works well to quickly defrost in the winter but the moisture seems to get trapped and expelled when you stop the car and causes a re-frosting. The above works for me. Once it's done rarely need to re-do the procedure unless we get rain.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Assuming there are no coolant leaks in your heater core and any free water is wiped up, give this a try. Works every time for me. Should be cold outside for this.

1. Make sure recirculate is OFF
2. Turn off the A/C
3. Crank the heat to high, make sure the car interior is really hot, may need a while to heat up. Go for a long drive.
4. once all warmed up and driving, lower the windows and exchange the warm moist air for cold dry air. Do this a couple times.
5. enjoy your frost free car.

The A/C works well to quickly defrost in the winter but the moisture seems to get trapped and expelled when you stop the car and causes a re-frosting. The above works for me. Once it's done rarely need to re-do the procedure unless we get rain.
This - fresh air/AC is the magic and when it's raining out/humid even when cold I always run my AC in the winter for de-fogging. Also reduces the number of "why does my AC smell like ass" posts in the spring!
 

TwinSnails

Ready to race!
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Car(s)
B5 S4 Avant, Mk7 R
It's been single digits here in CO for the last couple of days and I'm still having issues with fogging on all windows, not just the windshield. I rolled down the windows to bring in fresh air and that cleared out the fog temporarily but it came right back once the windows went back up.

I feel like there isn't much air coming out of the vents on the dash, is there a way to test the blend doors or blower motor to make sure everything is working right? I already tried the climatronic reset a few times and it hasn't helped.
 

jonese

New member
Location
Calgary, AB
Car(s)
22Tiguan 17Alltrack
Perhaps a yet undiscovered source of water in the cabin?
 

imthanick_a

Autocross Champion
Location
Ohio
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