Anyone else's Leon take forever to clear the windscreen?

DragonQ

Active Member
Jul 26, 2016
34
2
Now the cold weather's hit, I am reminded of this problem again. If there's condensation on the inside of the windscreen in the morning (not ice), the car takes at least 10 minutes to clear it. This morning it took 12 minutes for the driver view to be unobstructed enough for safe driving. That's with the blower set to windscreen only, maximum fans, maximum heat, and I've tried it with A/C on and off (makes no difference). My wife's Hyundai i30 takes under a minute to clear the entire windscreen, so is this just a general issue with the Leon Mk3 or is something broken in my car?
 

davidstarkey11

Active Member
Jun 7, 2015
294
99
Newcastle upon Tyne
I had the same problem to start with so I think this might just be an issue with all Leon's however since fitting the wind deflectors it seems to be alright. I'm presuming this is because the wind deflectors leave gaps in the window seals enough for the moisture to escape during the night.

You could try something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pingi-LV-A...qid=1571818492&sprefix=car+hum,aps,138&sr=8-1

I had the same problem on my Ibiza previously, bought one of these, kept it under my seat and it made a noticeable difference to the amount of condensation on the screen in the morning.

Hope this helps!
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Yes, I don't know about MK3 Leon as my daughter has not mentioned that issue, but there again she had a late 2009 Ibiza before that - and it was a complete s*** of a car to use in cold weather, with absolutely no evidence of any water getting into the car.
Having experienced the good cabin air heating/cooling with my wife's 2002 9N Polo, then finding her 2015 6C Polo so awful in respect of window clearing and ventilation in general, I think that VW Group have messed things up very badly, my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion and then my 2011 Audi S4 never had/have these sorts of issues.
 

SteveGSXR600K1

Active Member
May 6, 2017
573
187
Thought I'd try one of these Pingi bags, so ordered one from eBay.
I don't usually suffer excessive condensation, but leaving this in the car should at least minimise it.
They say they don't leak, but is it safe to leave on the dashboard? Wondering if it would leave any damp marks, etc.
 

Kirky

Copper Cupra Advocate
Apr 10, 2019
1,042
497
What year is the car? I have a MY19 Cupra and I can leave it an entire week in my drive and I still don't have any condensation issues in the morning. Not sure if it's because I permanently use Auto so A/C is probably always on and dehumidifying the car or I've just got lucky.
 

DragonQ

Active Member
Jul 26, 2016
34
2
What year is the car? I have a MY19 Cupra and I can leave it an entire week in my drive and I still don't have any condensation issues in the morning. Not sure if it's because I permanently use Auto so A/C is probably always on and dehumidifying the car or I've just got lucky.
It's a 2014 model with only manual heating/cooling controls.

I had the same problem to start with so I think this might just be an issue with all Leon's however since fitting the wind deflectors it seems to be alright. I'm presuming this is because the wind deflectors leave gaps in the window seals enough for the moisture to escape during the night.

You could try something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pingi-LV-A300-Dehumidifier-Car-Home/dp/B00I3VKBJS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MOME3A9LABQA&keywords=car+humidity+absorber&qid=1571818492&sprefix=car+hum,aps,138&sr=8-1

I had the same problem on my Ibiza previously, bought one of these, kept it under my seat and it made a noticeable difference to the amount of condensation on the screen in the morning.

Hope this helps!
I actually have 2 of these already since I used to use them in my old 2002 Micra. This car shouldn't be old enough to have perishing rubber or anything though so it's a bit crap having to use these. Maybe the Mk3 seals are just not great quality?
 

Rockbox

Active Member
Apr 6, 2018
162
52
Mine gets Condensation on the inside this time of year but it clears in 3 to 4 minutes with the fan on full and a/c on and about 18c on temp (acc).
I do think the fan is not all that powerful in previous cars I have had the fans have blown like a gale whereas the one in my Leon is like a moderate breeze.
 

The Daily Meme

Insta: @thatredcupra
Jan 3, 2018
912
466
Cambridge
My pre facelift Leon SC had its air conditioning serviced for the first time just over a month ago. Ever since i've been getting more than usual condensation during normal diriving and find myself having to use the windscreen clearing button every 5-10 minutes.

Not sure if it is just coincidence that the weather is getting colder or what but its rather irritating because it dries my eyes out as well! :scary:
 

OJ9693

Mk3 Leon FR 150
Sep 2, 2019
284
56
Mine takes longer than i think it should but nowhere near 12 minutes! Probably about 4-5 minutes blowers on 26 degrees at about half power.
 

ray

Active Member
Jan 7, 2016
591
190
Mine clears a full windscreen of ice in a few minutes, the Cupra’s warm up really fast though, in comparison to my mk2 diesel it’s bloody brilliant in the winter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ZK_FR150

Active Member
Apr 16, 2016
221
32
You might already do this but clean the inside of the windscreen regularly, this will help so water doesn't stick to the dirt/oil on the screen.

Use a decent window cleaner or even vinegar, once clean use newspaper to buff/dry as this is supposed to lift any residue/oil off the screen.

Hopefully this shud minimise the condensation and even if you get it, the blower will clear it quickly.
 
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BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
my 2018 leon is chronic for condensation on the inside of the window

last winter it even froze on the inside, I booked it into seat as to me that says the car has a leak / bad seal

after a day at seat they told me there was no leak and gave me a service bulletin from 2014 (so it is a long standing known issue with the mk3 that they do not have a solution to) basically this bulletin started quoting environmental reasons as to why the problem occurs and it is not seats issue, at one point it even went into the dewing point of H2O.

this was a bulletin that was for internal use only and I was told it was not for public distribution
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,279
This is a fairly common discussion topic on forums at this time of year. It’s often discussed on VW forums - presumably they have the same basic heating, ventilation and A/C systems as Seat - although I’ve also seen it discussed on BMW, Mini, Toyota forums as well, so it’s not just something that affects VAG vehicles.

I have the climate control in my VW set to Auto and it’s on 24/7, and I don’t experience the condensation issues that others seem to. As @ZK_FR150 has said, ensure you keep the inside of the screen really clean. It’s also worth checking for blocked pollen filters, and for anyone with a sunroof it’s worth checking for blocked sunroof drain pipes that might cause water to enter the car’s cabin. Also, remove any outdoor clothing store or umbrellas from the car that might be wet / damp and contributing to any condensation build up issues.

Edit; also worth checking carpets and mats for dampness. If they are damp, then check door seals to ensure they’re not damaged and letting water into the cabin. Some owners of the mk7 / mk7.5 Golf have had issues with water getting into the cabin through defective seals around the door mounted speakers. Don’t know if defective speaker seals are an issue with the Leon, but for anyone with damp carpets that might be causing condensation issues, it’s worth checking.
 
Last edited:

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I don't usually suffer excessive condensation, but leaving this in the car should at least minimise it.
They say they don't leak, but is it safe to leave on the dashboard? Wondering if it would leave any damp marks, etc.
I have one of these on the dash secured by a blob of blutack, this left a small mark on the dash but cleaned off easily when I removed the bag over the summer, I also make the screen is kept clean and use rain x anti mist on it too but it does mist up easily(as did our mk11), wind deflectors and the windows open slightly help as does turning off the heat before you come to a halt, cooler interior helps stop the damp air condensation.
Seats do seem to be prone to this.
 

rcwsr

Active Member
Jul 5, 2019
34
3
I get a lot of condensation around the bottom left of the windscreen (RHD). Might try some silica bags too, thanks.
 

Speedbird

Active Member
Aug 10, 2018
268
135
My Leon is the worst car I have ever had for this. Last year I had ice on the inside of my windscreen a few times.

I regularly clean inside of my screen with Auto Glym glass polish, I have a dehumidifier bag on the dash board, I drive with the air con on all the time, it still happens. Last week it was so bad I had water droplets dripping down the inside.
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
My Leon is the worst car I have ever had for this. Last year I had ice on the inside of my windscreen a few times.

I regularly clean inside of my screen with Auto Glym glass polish, I have a dehumidifier bag on the dash board, I drive with the air con on all the time, it still happens. Last week it was so bad I had water droplets dripping down the inside.
Mine is the same SEAT fobbed me right off and gave me said letter i was quoting from earlier in the thread
 
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