Hello,


I have a 2012 Cooper S that is having an issue with condensation. Driving to the dealer the other day to take the car for service I ran the defroster full blast with the AC on and still both rear side windows were solid ice and the front side windows stay 90% fogged on the inside. If I change the setting to blow on both defrost and floor within ten minutes the windshield will start to fog to the point that I can't see.


The service department called me yesterday and said they have water test the car twice and cannot find any leaks so I have a bad feeling they are going to say there is nothing wrong with it or that it is "normal" .


Has anyone else experienced this issue?


Mdun6

 

Not normal....
But if you do bring lots of snow and ice into the car and onto your floor mats, this can happen, no leaks in many cars....
Are you sure the ac is working? It usually dries the air enough to limit the fogging of the glass....

 

Need to make sure your not recirculating the air. Mine fogs up fast if I recirc

 

It will fog inside if your carpet is damp too.

One thing I do when at home, when I park the car overnight in the garage, i leave the windows and sunroof open so it can air out. This is of course assuming you have a heated garage.

But something I have noticed, the rear windows don't get too much warm air too them. I have noticed that mine will frost up toward the rear of the panels ~ about the last 6-8 inches of the glass.

If there are no leaks and your carpet isn't wet, I'd say it's a matter that we have to live with.

 

I don't understand why having recirculation button on would effect it. The AC is still on and should be pulling that moisture out of the air. I posted some pics of how bad it is. Not sure why 1 is upside down.

 

Even with a/c on, recirc will work against you. I agree the a/c should handle it, but winter makes the situation worse.

 

Because the evap unit can only remove so much moisture per pass. Turn OFF recirculate. In cold weather (sub 35 deg F) the A/C compressor is deactivated regardless of what mode is pressed or what lights up on the dash.

(This is typical for all cars, not just Mini).

You have a car HVAC system, not a 7 ton roof chiller industrial unit.

Some cars (Honda) force you to turn off recirc in defrost mode. This is because Honda drivers don't read the book. Don't be a Honda driver, be a Mini driver. Read your owners guide. There is nothing wrong with your car.

 

I'll also add to make sure that under the floor mats it's dry...

And check in the boot/basement.. For water.

 

And maybe see if the cabin filter in holding moisture too.

Or maybe it is dirty and not allowing air to move well enoiugh.

 

Thanks to everyone for the replies.


I got the car back from the dealer yesterday and they did not find any leaks.


I drove the car back home which is about 50 miles without the recirculation button on and I have no fog or ice.


I just didn't think it would make that much of a difference as I have always pressed that button on every car I have ever owned and never had this issue.


Not a wasted trip to the dealer though. I got my oil changed and they said there was a software update as well.


Mdun6

 

Glad to see you found the solution.

 

We've experienced this too. My guess is there are a lot of things conspiring as we did not experience it last winter but this winter has been a whole lot harsher for a whole lot longer and its only January. Tracking in snow and ice that never evaporates due to short driving and ultra cold temps. Before said, ultra cold temps. The fact that the car takes much longer to reach full opperating temp vs milder temps. The smaller volume of space inside a MINI- there really is no place for that moisture to disapate. There is apparently a LOT that changes in the automotive world once the mercury drops below 20 degrees as we are learning this year. See Winter tire posts for other thoughts on cold temps.