Condensation

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HPFirenza
Joined: Tue 29 Jun, 2010 14:49
Posts: 64

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Lytham St Annes

Condensation

Post by HPFirenza »

Does anyone use a small dehumidifier in their car for the removal of condensation ? If so what type/make etc.
Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Condensation

Post by Warrior »

I use a couple of the Pingi Drying Bags. Not perfect but they do keep the worst at bay...
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colb
Joined: Sat 05 May, 2012 22:46
Posts: 690

  Z3 roadster 1.8 TU
Location: Newport South Wales UK

Re: Condensation

Post by colb »

Drying bags or dehumidifier pots you can get from the pound shop type retail outlets are probably the best bet just to get the worst out of the interior, you will never get it all. Propper dehumidifier machines will just pull the moisture out of the air and if the car is outside or in a garage its just going to pull more moisture laiden air into the car on a never ending cycle. Ventilation providing a free flow of air through the car interior would help to eliminate condensation forming, if its in a garage leave the windows down a little so there is an airflow through the car.
Colb
1999 BMW 1.8 Z3
2003 BMW 2.5 Z4
1998 Honda Deauville NT650V
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HPFirenza
Joined: Tue 29 Jun, 2010 14:49
Posts: 64

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Lytham St Annes

Re: Condensation

Post by HPFirenza »

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately it's not in a garage so can't leave the windows open. But it's a pain as some days it's really bad. Just looked into the Pingi drying bags. Seems like there worth trying, I think I will get a couple of them to see how they perform.
vzh7gk
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Joined: Fri 05 Feb, 2010 13:12
Posts: 121

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheltenham, UK
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Re: Condensation

Post by vzh7gk »

I tried the Pingi bags.
No use in my MB CLC when I owned it.
I leave one on the dash of the Z3 and the only bit it clears is the windscreen right next to where it's placed.
When I remember, it will go in the dustbin.

Nice Droop Snoot BTW! :)
Not seen one for a long time.
Graham (G4FUJ)
Prescott marshal and Hill Controller
Found another Z3 so back here after a long break :) 1999 1.9, Palmetto Green
1 Morgan 4/4 (selling in Spring) and a Land Rover 90 (keeping forever)
saltcoatsbhoy
Joined: Thu 11 Jan, 2007 23:19
Posts: 65

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Condensation

Post by saltcoatsbhoy »

Last winter I couldn't even get mine to clear with the heater full on. Then I started to hear the noise of water sloshing about. I mentioned it at my local garage and it was as simple as reaching under the engine compartment to release a drain cover. God knows how long it had been building up. There was a tidy puddle underneath. Worth checking.
Brian4
Joined: Mon 19 Dec, 2011 19:02
Posts: 541

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Hinckley

Re: Condensation

Post by Brian4 »

HPFirenza wrote: Thu 15 Feb, 2018 14:36 Does anyone use a small dehumidifier in their car for the removal of condensation ? If so what type/make etc.
The condensation is due to damp in the car due to a water leak. Obviously not the time of year to dry the car out and find the leak but needs doing as soon as it warms up a bit.

Common places for leaks are
1 A pillar where the roof meets the door pillar.
2 From the front scuttle under the wiper arms where it fills and overflows into the front of the car.
3 From behind the door cards when water runs between the door glass and the rubber seal.
4 From where the soft top is joined to the body of the car the seal can break down.

There is a thick layer of foam under the front carpets which holds a lot of water and the carpets feel dry.
Brian
3.0I Topaz Blue


2000 E36/7 Z3 3.0i
2016 F31 335d
2015 F21 118i
Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Condensation

Post by Warrior »

Revitalising this old post to see if anyone does use an electric dehumidifier and how they are getting on with it?

My earlier reply that the Pingi bags worked for me is somewhat dated and they don't keep up with the condensation issue all the time.
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
Posts: 9521

  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Condensation

Post by Gazza »

I’ve not used a dehumidifier but as Brian says above the foam holds LOTS of water, if that is the problem a dehumidifier would take years.
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

Z3 S54 M roadster Image, BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
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Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Condensation

Post by Warrior »

Update: I tried the dehumidifier from my business unit that just about fitted in the passenger side footwell. Ran it for 24 hours and every drop of condensation disappeared but there was barely a mug of water in the container. I've put the Pingi bags back in and so far no obvious signs of condensation on the rear screen which has been saturated on and off for a few weeks.

I've ordered 2 x 1kg Pingi type bags (should be about 4 times bigger?) off of Ebay so with 4 of them now I'm hoping we can keep things under control.
stahlgrau_hants
Joined: Mon 04 Jan, 2016 17:29
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Condensation

Post by stahlgrau_hants »

Mine is terrible for condensation. Prior to Covid, my Z3 was my daily driver, and the condensation was a minor irritant in the winter. However, with driving and having the heating and ventilation going, it limited condensation to some degree. This year though, thanks to Covid I've barely driven my Z3 at all, and unfortunately my garage is full of stuff.

Worried by the weather and condensation I was seeing around Christmas time, I put a cover over the car. At the weekend, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I took the cover off and looked inside the car. Some nice mould on the seats, steering wheel and doors, and lots of moisture and water droplets. The carpets were also damp, especially in the passenger footwell. So, I gave the car a good wash and wax on the outside. Concerned about the roof, I applied new waterproofing just for good measure. I then gave the inside a good clean and disinfect, and the floor mats ended up in the bath for a soak. Since the weekend, I've had a small Silvercrest electric dehumidifier from Lidl in the footwell. The extension lead cable goes through the gap in the door, and I have it on a time switch to come on for two three-hour periods every day at the moment to see how it goes; once in the late morning when it's warming up outside, and again in the evening when it is cooling down. I didn't really want to run it all the time. I've also used a hair dryer intermittently to target the damp areas and generally attempt to warm up the air temperature.

A couple of days have passed. With the damp weather, there is still condensation, but the car does seem to be drier inside than it was, and it is helping to keep the damp at bay. I'd say the reason for the condensation is gaps in the seal between the roof and the windows, of which one gap you can pass a pen through, though only leaks with heavy sidewards rain or a wash and not normal rain. I used to have a really bad damp problem in the boot too, but taking out one of the rear light clusters, cleaning it up and repositioning the rubbers has greatly reduced that. The moral of the story is to plug the gaps, so air cannot readily be sucked into the car when it cools down in the evening.
Warrior
Joined: Tue 11 May, 2010 10:02
Posts: 497

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Condensation

Post by Warrior »

These arrived and they've completely solved my condensation problem. They are huge compared to Pingi's.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124061407611

I did put our office dehumidifier in the passenger side footwell first and run it for a couple of days until the windows were clear. Surprisingly, very little water, about half an inch, in the collector. The bags have been in place for just over 2 weeks, the cars as dry as a bone, and I've not had to dry them out yet.
yellowz
Joined: Mon 06 Apr, 2020 11:29
Posts: 4

  blank

Re: Condensation

Post by yellowz »

My wife managed to leave the passenger window half open in her X1 (?) just at the time it rained for 2 days pretty much non stop, it was properly wet inside, puddle on the floor and front seat, hoovered out the worst and then I borrowed an electric dehumidifier and it dried it out perfectly in 2 days.
I was so impressed I bought one of my own.
The Z3 is parked next to it on the drive and I noticed the rear window was so condensed I couldn't see through it, perfect opportunity to try out my new toy, dried it out so well in a day, couldn't find single bead of condensation anywhere in the car and it has been clear pretty much since, 3 weeks maybe.
So for me that's the way to go in the future, curiously heavy condensation has only been a problem on the rear window since I replaced it last year with a non BMW screen, something about the plastic maybe...
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