zzzXpandaXzzz

man it could be that im living in WA but this TSX keeps foggin up inside. I dont want to turn on the AC because the car gets pretty crappy MPG. Is there something i can do here? The foggy windows suck... My old Accord did this too... HOnda... errr...

tony4311

do you have the recirculate button on?

kenbiddulph

It could be the leather too. Every few weeks I have to clean the insides of all the glass surfaces in my car and I suspect its the leather causing part of it.

bob shiftright

I live near the ocean, so I've experienced this on all my cars.

Rain-X makes an anti-fog treatment for the inside of the windows and windshield. It also works on bathroom mirrors.

http://www.rainx.com/frame_auto_new.htm

Oh. And, on cars with climate control I always leave my AC on as a dehumidifier. It has minimal if any effect on MPG.

biker

Virtually all Hondas have a fogging "issue". While humid weather makes things worse it's not the only/main reason. It's just something in the design of the car. And yes, the AC being on has a significant negative effect on gas milage.
I read that on a typical hybrid vehicle the AC consumes as much energy as the engine itself when running on batteries.

idx

Sorry, I'm with Bob on the MPG. It can't eat that much or those of us in warm climates (read: FL) would be getting consistently bad mileage.

-r

bowersan

Wow. I really dont understand some people.
This is like saying "Whenever the window is open it gets cold inside the car, but I dont want to close the window because it's too expensive"

If the car is fogging up, open a window to allow air to circulate. If opening a window makes the car too cold, turn on the A/C. If turning on the A/C is too expensive, go back to your dealer, return your car, buy a Honda Civic, and with the money you saved, keep the A/C on 24/7.

You Americans have the some of the cheapest gas prices IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Don't worry about using a/c to defog your car. You can afford it (you're driving a 'luxury' car, aren't you?) and I'm sure the OPEC nations will continue to show their thanks for your support.

:P

Just teasing!

J.

dabuda

i've been using A/C ever since i picked up my TSX and i constantly avg 25-26MPG surburbia driving. i'm sure if i kept my A/C off all the time i could be getting 27-28MPG. but it's a small price to pay for having clear visible windows (lesser chance of hitting something)

also having the recirculate button on will fog up your windows. i tested this numerous times on my 2k drive last week. just leave the recirculate button off and it shouldn't fog up as much. or clean ur windows then apply rain-x as bob mentioned...good luck

moda_way

Actually, if it is the same "fogging" issue I'm thinking, it is commonly seen nowadays due to the plastic dashboards. Its actually a release from the vinyl/plastic dashboard, can't remember the chemical name, but there's not a lot you can do about it other than cleaning your windshield with a good cleaner, not Windex or ammonia based cleaners.

Also, using the A/C while defrosting is intentional because it helps to remove moisture from the air you're heating to defrost. That humidity, even in the cold air, leads to fogging. You should never use recirculated air to defrost because it doesn't remove the moisture as well at all.

jcg878

I have not noticed an appreciable difference in gas milage with the AC on or off. Even if there was one.. what's your alternative?? Drive around blind?

moda_way

I found the information, the fogging is due to plasticizers in the vinyl/plastic of the dashboards. Here is some information from a Ferrari FAQ

ricecake

I agree. I try not to have the A/C on as much as possible, just out of principle (environmental, mostly), so I do what bowersan says, which is just open the window a tad to equalize the temperature. If MPG is your big concern, then perhaps try turning it on at a very low level--it doesn't take much to de-fog.

P.S., I'm surprised someone has not yet offered the "Stop having sex in your car" solution to the problem of constantly having the windows fogged up. What's with you kids today?

majormojo

I'm curious, what is the perceived benefit to the environment of not running your A/C? I thought the issue had to do with gases released during the recharging of the system, thus the switch away from the older Freon-21 (I think that was it...) to the new refrigerants. Normally, it's a closed system, I can't see what impact there could be on the envrionment. I'm willing to be enlightened, however...

I always leave the climate control system on Auto, unless I need to specifically defrost the windows, which has been rare. In that mode, the system doesn't tell you whether the A/C is running or not (mine is non-nav, the nav version might) and frankly I don't care if it's on or not, even though the control freak in me really wants to know what's going on. I notice no perceptible difference in performance and I don't really care about the fuel consumption.

Regarding the fogging of the windows, I find that the back door windows fog/frost easily when people are in the back seats (even if they aren't having sex). That's when I need to keep the system on defrost and it does seem a bit inadequate.

XPLORx4

Consuming less fossil fuels, getting better MPG, expelling less greenhouse gases, etc. etc. blah blah blah.

I contend that not using the AC in the TSX is rather petty. I suppose y'all who don't use the AC never exceed 3000 rpm either... all in the name of the almighty MPG! What fun is that? I mean, geez, you're driving a TSX for Pete's sake! Drive the car, man, don't coddle it!

zzzXpandaXzzz

went to schuck's the other and no rain-x anti fogger... those bastard didn't have it? do you think pep-boys has it.. and does it really make a difference?

smap

i dont get this.........
fogging up windows is not just isolated with honda's its with every car...............

calbear2k1

Just a note to all these people who dont want to use the A/C to save gas: Driving with the windows open at any sort of speed hurts gas mileage, and near highway speeds, it hurts milage far more than the A/C. So a good environmentalist should sweat his balls off inside the car during the summer....

moda_way

I had it on both my VW GTi 16v ('87 and '93) and on my '89 325i. My parents have had it on all their cars starting back in the late 80's to current, even on my father's '01 Boxster S. It is a common thing I think most people just don't know about and to be honest, isn't all that fascinating either so it never gets that much attention.

tehCOW

yeah, fogging windows on the insdie happens in almost every car. the reason is due to cold temperatures and humidity. if you go into a relativly cold car (say its 50F outside) and you start to drive around without turning on heater with the AC, the windows will fog up. When you breathe air in and out, a little bit of water comes out and when you perspirate, water also comes out. It just so happens that the water vapor that comes out of your body in cold temperatures cannot dry as quickly as in warmer temperatures. so the water vapor from your body turns into humidity which in turn fogs ur windows. To fix the fogging of windows, you SHOULD turn on the AC with the heater. the AC will dehumidify the air, thus helping the fog go away faster.

I think there was a thread or 2 about how the AC doesn't really affect gas consumption. Having your windows down wastes more gas... if i remember correctly. So i have my AC on all the time.

Arcticcl9

If my windows fog up, i turn on the A/c and black the windsheld for 10 seconds, no more fog. Then again, I live in LA :P

As for freon, all new cars use R-13a refrigerant in US (old one is called R-12) that does not deplete the ozone layer.

Climate control turns on my A/C anyway...so it would be hassle all the time to manually turn it off. I like how it acts as a humidifier..makes the interior really comfy.

ricecake

ah, I didn't know this. Good to know. I usually do a real quick blast of hot air plus A/C, and then turn it off (or turn down the heat and turn of the A/C--I guess it's just mostly out of habit...)

ssm_tsx

I have had no problems with any fogging. I always leave the CC in auto though-which means the a/c is on all the time.

nitrustwinturbo

When you have heat or a/c on with the TSX's 4 cyl, does it take any power away?

tehCOW

the AC takes power away from any engine... but i doubt it is very noticeable. i don't notice it.

jcg878

I am 99.4% sure that the car cuts the AC when you accelerate hard. When driving I don't notice whether its on or off, but it idles a little roughtly when the AC is on and the engine is cold in my AT.

edit: I'm actually very impressed with the auto climate control in the tsx - it's way better than in our passat v6. It's one of the high points of the car, IMO.

Arcticcl9

I usually leave the CC on, and I don't even think about it. It's really amazing that it works well, when I step out of the car, I either feel too hot or too cold. It just feels right in the cabin with the CC, and it affects the mileage very little