32 replies to this topic

[Richie83]

Best one I've seen is filling old socks up with cat litter and leaving them around the car

works better than filling new socks up with old cat litter.

[crackfoo]

for the people that do the litter thing.... do you have swap out the ones in the car for dry ones or can you simply just leave them in your car...

[Bubblebobble]

http://www.halfords....ar-dehumidifier

 

 

Or like has been said .cat litter on a sock , swap over and dry out other in warm place .

[Mini 360]

Just don't breathe :)

Edited by Mini 360, 14 January 2015 - 07:20 PM.

[fenghuang]

I bought one of the Hlafords dehumidifier bags before Xmas. It's been sat on a radiator or in the airing cupboard for 2 weeks now and still hasn't got back down to it's dry weight. I suspect it's just silica gel crystals.

Which kind of cat litter works?

A not of caution with washing up liquid: I believe it has a high salt content. It may not be a huge issue, but considering the Mini's tendency for tin worm

[lewBlew]

Best one I've seen is filling old socks up with cat litter and leaving them around the car

 

I tried this - had 6 of the things in the mini and didn't do a thing.

[mikep12]

Re route the exhaust along the top dash rail or feed 24 volt to the fan?
If it doesn't mist up how do you get the genuine mini experience?

Edited by mikep12, 15 January 2015 - 11:28 AM.

[MrElliott]

rebuild your heaters people! makes such a difference! and take your carpets out to dry and check for leaks! 

[fenghuang]

Is there anything particular about the design of Minis (other than being badly built and badly maintained) that makes them more prone to condensation than modern cars? Volume to surface area ratio? Less insulation?

[ibrooks]

Age.

 

The seals aren't as well designed and they've probably gone a bit hard since they were manufactured so the car isn't as well sealed as it was when it was new and even then it wasn't as good as a current car.

 

The heaters use foam seals on the flaps that direct airflow - these turn into powder so most of the airflow generated by the fan doesn't actually get to the screen any more. Plus the fan probably isn't quite as powerful or efficient as the one in a current car.

 

Less soft furnishing to hold the moisture. Less volume to act as a thermal mass.

 

All these combined mean that the interior of a Mini is going to have more moisture in it than a nice shiny new car. The fan probably isn't at it's best any more so can't clear the screen as well. The volume of air inside the car and the insulation is less than a new car so the temperature inside a Mini will change more rapidly and that's when the moisture in there gets driven into the air inside the car and then condenses out.

 

Get the interior as dry as possible - if the carpets are wet remove them and maybe the un-used seats too. Take them into a centrally heated house to dry out. Sort out why the water got in there so it doesn't happen again.

 

Get the heater working as well as possible - make sure the direction flap is sealing to the body of the heater and the matrix too so that what breeze the fan is making goes where it's supposed to. Make sure the air pipes are connected properly too (somewhere on a Mini where you can use duct tape for it's intended purpose).

 

Do NOT be tempted to remove the large pipe that's drawing air from outside (over the pedals and through the inner wing). Taking this away will result in the heater just circulating damp air inside the car and it'll never be able to clear the windows. Whilst we're talking about this one look at the pipe that runs under the wing - it has a foam liner which should be removed washed dried and re-fitted.

 

Iain

[Miniminx71]

Have you ever had a large wet dog in a Mini in winter? Might as well drive around with your eyes shut.

[mikep12]

Have you ever had a large wet dog in a Mini in winter? Might as well drive around with your eyes shut.

I hope that is not in the biblical sense!!!!

[Miniminx71]

 

Have you ever had a large wet dog in a Mini in winter? Might as well drive around with your eyes shut.

I hope that is not in the biblical sense!!!!

 

... weird ...

[hellom8]

I've heard of the washing up liquid trick before.

I find cleaning the windows each week, keeps it at bay.

[Black.Ghost]

 

Buy a Ford, oops tin hat on

 

I couldnt live without the quick clear screen on my Mondeo!

 

I use one of those microfibre sponges for the windscreen in the Mini. I got a pack of 3 for £1 from Lidl. Cracking the window open slighlty helps as it draws in fresh air.

 

I have a Focus and this feature is nothing short of the best thing on modern cars.

 

On my mini, I have a fog light switch fitted on a small switch panel to the right of the steering wheel, with two free slots in it. I love the heated screen of my Focus so much that I am seriously thinking about putting one in the Mini as well (obviously not from the Focus!). The car is having a bit of work done right now so it is the perfect time to do it. I'll also be re-furbing the heater to get the most from it. It will have a new carpet and seals as well, so I think I should be quite good going forward but we will see. 

 

Good maintenance has to be a better method that short term fixes.