Steamy windows!

Peater

Drive with the kerb-side front window open a centimetre and the opposing rear window open the same, then wear a coat.

Hot moist air meeting a cold surface (glass) will always cause condensation. Sounds like something is damp/wet inside the car (other than you) for the side windows to steam up. So think about ventilation and ways to reduce the damp. When the warmer weather comes, leave the windows open a smidge when parked, should let some of the humid air out so it doesnt get reabsorbed during the night.

Strider590

SusieWinwood wrote: »

You gathered wrong. Plus I set off and return home in the dark so cannot find the cause of the problem till I have daylight. Not a bodge in sight.

Ok, well the thing is i've given you some of the primary causes of this problem (especially at this time of year), they're not incredibly hard to resolve.

If the windscreen scuttle is full of leaves/crap and/or the cabin pollen filter is dirty/soaked, then within months you could be looking at expensive damage to the cabin air system and the interior carpets/etc.

I cleaned mine out just 2 days ago and despite not parking anywhere near tree's, it was like somebody had emptied the contents of a garden vacuum into it.

I realise there may be a reluctance to mess with anything remotely technical, after all w'ere being bombarded at the moment by TV/Radio adverts telling us just how stupid we are when it comes to cars and how complex a simple task, such as unclipping a light cluster to change a bulb actually (lol) is.

tyllwyd

I've started using a car cover at night - I think it is probably helping to keep some water from getting into the car through dodgy seals etc, but also because the whole interior of the car is that little bit warmer when I start driving, it makes the windows much less prone to steaming up.

epninety

Strider590 wrote: »

I realise there may be a reluctance to mess with anything remotely technical, after all w'ere being bombarded at the moment by TV/Radio adverts telling us just how stupid we are when it comes to cars and how complex a simple task, such as unclipping a light cluster to change a bulb actually (lol) is.

I must have misunderstood... I thought those people in the adverts actually were the staff of the store in question. Probably not though, they are far too competent to work there. from my limited experience.

droopsnoot

The other thing to check is the quality of door and tailgate seals, you can get damp ingress through these especially if the car is getting on a bit. Rubber seals start to dry out. I cured all my water ingress into the footwells by cleaning the door rubbers, spraying WD40 on and leaving to soak for ~5 minutes, then wiping off and spraying with silicon. I still have a drainage problem that causes some steaming up, but can't fix that until the weather is drier as it requires some dismantling. And mine is a 2-door convertible, more susceptible to leaks than normal cars.

Oh, also the heater matrix can start to leak after a period of time (especially if the coolant isn't changed regularly), so if the other ideas don't help, have that checked.