[CentralMASubie]

I've never had a car that was so hard to keep condensation down on. It's started getting into the low 50s in the morning here. I'm not doing without heat. I don't blast it, and my heated seat isn't on. Is anyone else noticing this, or have any tips on keeping it down?

 

[Trey T]

Turn on the AC to remove the moisture. Things to consider when talking about condensation inside or outside of cabin: ambient temp, dew point temp, and relative humidity. The dew point temp (temp which water vapor condense) changes as the condition changes thru the day so it's hard to make an apple-to-apple comparison across US.

Operational tips:
If there's condensation outside of glass, lower the AC or point vent somewhere else. If there's condensation inside of glass, turn on the AC. If your windshield is all fogged up, turn on AC and add heat to assist w/ the condensation removal - the Ascent should have a button/mode for this.

 

[Jason]

Also, toggling the air circulation button can help. Bringing in outside air can help rather than just circulating the same air inside.

 

[packduckrock1]

I've noticed some days there are just conditions that makes it very hard to remove the condensation/fogging effectively. (Generally cool, humid mornings here in the NE) But that is with any car, i haven't noticed that the Ascent is any worse than my previous car.

 

[Trey T]

I've noticed some days there are just conditions that makes it very hard to remove the condensation/fogging effectively. (Generally cool, humid mornings here in the NE) But that is with any car, i haven't noticed that the Ascent is any worse than my previous car.

You nailed it!! You're very observant about the complexity in ambient conditions.

 

[CentralMASubie]

Thank you all. I'm hoping to figure it out as Fall moves in. Very frustrating on the highway morning commute.

 

[sharp859]

Front Windshield has little dots, anybody else?

The front windshield has these little dots it's not because it's dirty i already cleaned it very well, never goes away, anyone having similar issues.. It is not water sports or anything. How can we get rid of this.. very annoying,

 

[Jason]

The front windshield has these little dots it's not because it's dirty i already cleaned it very well, never goes away, anyone having similar issues.. It is not water sports or anything. How can we get rid of this.. very annoying,

Inside or Outside?

 

[Sparkland]

Could it be the special heater Subaru put in the Ascent to warm up the cabin quicker that is causing the condensation? That would make total sense. A blast of warm air on a cold window - just like a bathroom that has a window in the shower area. Just a thought!

 

[Nemesis099]

Could it be the special heater Subaru put in the Ascent to warm up the cabin quicker that is causing the condensation? That would make total sense. A blast of warm air on a cold window - just like a bathroom that has a window in the shower area. Just a thought!

What special heater are you talking about? I didn't look into it but this is the first I have heard on this. Granted it is still warm here the A/C is always on so I haven't really tested out the heat yet.

 

[Sparkland]

What special heater are you talking about? I didn't look into it but this is the first I have heard on this. Granted it is still warm here the A/C is always on so I haven't really tested out the heat yet.

Others have mentioned it before. All I can find is a mention of it, but nothing concrete.
"The way I understand it is there is essentially an electric heater in there to assist with heating the cabin air until the engine is warm enough. I would think/hope it is also just the initial smell as mentioned above. But obviously it's up to you to decide if it should go to the dealer."

 

[sharp859]

For me looks like outside, I cleaned with glasss cleaner make sure inside also, it is not dirt or water mark, it is clearly visible.. looks like it is embeded within glass.. I will report this to Subaru, hopefully it is under warranty. I tried to take picture, but it won't be visible. if we google other older cars have this issue.

 

[chiefsilverback]

Could it be the special heater Subaru put in the Ascent to warm up the cabin quicker that is causing the condensation? That would make total sense. A blast of warm air on a cold window - just like a bathroom that has a window in the shower area. Just a thought!

A window in a bathroom fogs up due to the moisture put into the air by the shower/bath. Point a hair drier on high at the fogged window and it'll clear in a few seconds because you're hitting it with hot, dry air. If the Ascent is somehow pulling moist air into the car and then warming it, but not drying it, then it would fog the windows, but it's the moisture content, not the temperature that causes the problem.

 

[whatmeworry]

You may be on to something. The problem might be a fault with the lamination between the safety glass layers.

 

[norway]

A window in a bathroom fogs up due to the moisture put into the air by the shower/bath. Point a hair drier on high at the fogged window and it'll clear in a few seconds because you're hitting it with hot, dry air. If the Ascent is somehow pulling moist air into the car and then warming it, but not drying it, then it would fog the windows, but it's the moisture content, not the temperature that causes the problem.

Moisture and air temp go hand in hand; hot air holds more moisture while cold air holds less. That is why it's called Relative Humidty, at 95degF 90% Humidty is a lot more moisture than at 50degF.

So the most effective way to reduce moisture is AC and heat, the AC condenses the water out of the air on the coils and the heat expands the air allowing it to hold more moisture to more easily remove it and make it feel relatively less humid.

 

[sharp859]

I guess it is embeded within the windshield, during sunny I see lot of refelctions, will Subaru gives me warranty it is less than 2k miles.

 

[Carl Abrams]

I guess it is embeded within the windshield, during sunny I see lot of refelctions, will Subaru gives me warranty it is less than 2k miles.

Do one thing. Get a new razor blade and some glass cleaner. See if the razor blade can scrape something off the windshield.

If so, then it's a labor intensive but easy fix - just scrape the entire windshield from whatever the heck got coated on it. (I've seen that happen a few times, from transport trucks and the mysterious fluids they leak when hydraulic lines spring leaks.)

If it does NOT help at all, it may be that the lamination between the glass is a one-off bad.

 

[francisp]

I have a 2018 impreza and previously owned a 2008 outback and a 1990 GL loyale wagon. All are plagued with the condensation issue. One thing I suspect causes these issues with Subarus is the way the drain the water droplets on the outside of your windows. they drain into the door sill and I think the water remains there till the door is opened and then drains out. this collected water could possibly the issue behind the fogging. anyone seem to have thought the same? just open all doors prior to getting started to drain water.

 

[YoopsconsinII]

I've never had a car that was so hard to keep condensation down on. It's started getting into the low 50s in the morning here. I'm not doing without heat. I don't blast it, and my heated seat isn't on. Is anyone else noticing this, or have any tips on keeping it down?

I have the same issue!! I live in Wisconsin and I cannot keep the windows free from fog without running the fan full blast! I’ve become very frustrated with it as it’s a constant issue all Winter long!!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Are you both leaving the AC on? If not, then put the car on auto defrost and let it turn on the AC as needed to dehumidify the air.