Kizashi Club

When I use the recirculated air button with no A/C my windows fog up more than any other car I have owned, this is #22. The service writer at the dealership says there is no heater core leak, they pressure tested it supposedly to 17 p.s.i. he claimed. It doesn't happen right away and not all the time either, the engine seems to be up to temp though when it does. The service writer says I need to run the A/C when using recirculated air, is that right?

It doesn't sound like a problem with the car. The rate at which the car fogs up is usually dependant on relative humidity outside/inside the car. As the inside air is recirculated over and over, the air gains humidity and eventually fogs up your windows. Quicker if there are a bunch of people breathing in the car, or if it was humid to begin with outside the car.

A/C does pull some moisture out of the air, which is why your windows would fog slower if the A/C is on when recirculating.

If you notice, after about 10 min the Kizashi will automatically switch off the recirc mode and pull in some outside air before going back to recirc mode to prevent excessive fogging

You could try some window treatment to prevent fogging - RainX makes some. Or use A/C when recirculating air.

First of all, recirculated air is known to contribute to fogging. This is because it's recycling the cabin air so the moisture from your breath, body heat, etc. is contributing to the fogging. You are supposed to use fresh air when defogging.

Also, when using the defogger, don't override the A/C. The A/C is supposed to automatically come on when using the defogger because the A/C compressor removes humidity from the cabin air. Other cars have the A/C come on by default when using the defogger, but because of the Kizashi's HVAC control layout, one can override the A/C while defogging. Don't do this if you want defogging done correctly. The A/C is supposed to be on (Does not mean it blows cold air, btw. It's for moisture removal.)

Also, clean the inside of your windows. I'd say this is the #1 reason why windows fog up. It's because of the residue and dirt build-up on the INSIDE of the windows. Wipe them down with a quality automotive glass cleaner like Invisible Glass and you will see a HUGE improvement in fogging resistance. My windows hardly ever fog up because I clean the inside of my windows regularly. I pretty much don't need to use the defoggers in both the front or rear unless I had snow build up on my windows.

Really great tips in here! Great stuff!

Thanks for the advise, it does seem odd that the A/C is able to be overriding in recirc mode though. Must be a very well sealed up car I suppose, thanks again.

It must be pretty well insulated because it's really quiet once I close the door each morning after I start the car with the door open to listen to the engine. It's on par with my dad's s500 in noise reduction if not more.

I wouldn't know, I NEVER use recirculate.

Running the fresh intake with the diesel exhaust and fried burger smell and the A/C on I still get fog in the corners of all windows. This sucks more than my 1985 TOYOTA on recirculate that has no A/C with 530.000 mi. that never fogs up unless you are soaking wet. What am I doing wrong?

Jimbob wrote:Running the fresh intake with the diesel exhaust and fried burger smell and the A/C on I still get fog in the corners of all windows. This sucks more than my 1985 TOYOTA on recirculate that has no A/C with 530.000 mi. that never fogs up unless you are soaking wet. What am I doing wrong?

Did you clean the inside of your windows???
I mean really well. Like with Invisible Glass.
This makes the most difference from my experience. I can barely drive other people's dirty cars comfortably because I can notice a dirty windshield immediately. Call me a windshield snob, but you'd be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

Jimbob wrote:Running the fresh intake with the diesel exhaust and fried burger smell and the A/C on I still get fog in the corners of all windows. This sucks more than my 1985 TOYOTA on recirculate that has no A/C with 530.000 mi. that never fogs up unless you are soaking wet. What am I doing wrong?

I'm assuming your Toyota isn't as tightly sealed as a new car. As in: fresh air leaks in from all corners which would prevent fogging because it's not a truly sealed environment.

This will happen on every new car - if you run recirc for too long you're going to get fogging even if it's on A/C. It's not a Kizashi-specific problem