Mist on windscreen

**dazat5** · Tuesday 28th April 2009, 09:19

Hi all had my v70t5 for a few days, took it for a good run yesterday and noticed the smell of water, a few minutes later the passenger side windscreen started steaming up, any ideas?, i looked under the bonnet and cannot see any leaks.

Thanks

**timbo_1975** · Tuesday 28th April 2009, 09:32

Time for a heater matrix i'm afraid....

**dazat5** · Tuesday 28th April 2009, 10:44

Oh lovely...

**Tomcat** · Tuesday 28th April 2009, 11:46

Yeah defo heater matrix, however, it's not that bad of a job, you can change it without removing the dash.

**dazat5** · Wednesday 29th April 2009, 07:20

Originally Posted by Tomcat

Yeah defo heater matrix, however, it's not that bad of a job, you can change it without removing the dash.

Ahh thats what i wanted to hear... i have heard so many stories about how much of a pain it is to replace, i didnt fancy taking half the dash out, as i know for a fact if i tried putting it back i would have needed sellotape lol.

**JelT5** · Wednesday 29th April 2009, 07:29

Yep, it's not that bad a job, even I managed to do that one on mine when I first bought it.
Couldn't see a f@cking thing and had to drive around with windows down which was unpleasant, as it was in November!

**mikouk** · Wednesday 29th April 2009, 09:14

Mine did that and it turned out to be the pollen filter that needed changing. Been perfect ever since.

Worth a look?

**850 t5 vs 600cc** · Wednesday 29th April 2009, 09:27

My Audi A4 done that years ago, it was only 5 years old and i ended up with a bill for £650 and a silly A2 for a week.

**C70Dan** · Wednesday 29th April 2009, 15:07

My heater matrix went on mine but luckily it was still under warranty. With mine though I wasn't sure why it was steaming up until a mechanic mate asked me if there was a curryish smell. That's the antifreeze apparently. Don't know if yours has the same smell

**dazat5** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 08:05

yeh mine smells, to be honest though i havent found any wet patches in the footwells, but when i turn the heater on it STINKS, its ok on cold air, just when i use hot air i gotta stick my head out the window to see

**mikouk** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 09:48

Honestly that was almost the exact symptoms mine had except mine did it all the time but much worse when heater was on and it was the pollen filter. Russ at RT's said it looked like it had never been changed. It solved it straight away. Its worth a check at least, as the pollen filter is cheaper than a heater matrix!

**dazat5** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 10:26

Originally Posted by mikouk

Honestly that was almost the exact symptoms mine had except mine did it all the time but much worse when heater was on and it was the pollen filter. Russ at RT's said it looked like it had never been changed. It solved it straight away. Its worth a check at least, as the pollen filter is cheaper than a heater matrix!

Just checked the pollen filter its brand new, so i thought i would take up the passenger side carpet, when i removed the black plastic panel behind the carpet to access the matrix i got splashed in water and coolant so i guess its deffo the matrix at fault

**timbo_1975** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 12:47

Don;t worry too much. They are not bad at all to do. Mostly a nut and bolt job, abit fiddley to remove the hoses in the engine bay bulk head. Keep washing your hands so you dont get grubby paw prints on the lower trim and carpets.

If you are at all able- blow the remaining water out of the matrix- as when you undo the pipes inside the car you will get ~2l in the footwell which is a nightmare to dry out especially with antifreeze in it!!

**Tomcat** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 13:51

Make sure when you pull the hoses out of the clips on the bukhead that you catch all the plastic and rubber washers that are on the tubes, I thnk there's two plastic and two rubber on each pipe. If you loose any then you won't be able to re seal them without buying new ones.

**woz** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 22:40

Originally Posted by Tomcat

Make sure when you pull the hoses out of the clips on the bukhead that you catch all the plastic and rubber washers that are on the tubes, I thnk there's two plastic and two rubber on each pipe. If you loose any then you won't be able to re seal them without buying new ones.

Good idea to get some O rings too. The Vovo ones are king expensive. You can buy a whole multi pack for about £6 in Aldi or Wickes or B&Q. You can throw the rest away if you want and still be quids in, but if yours is damaged in the process you will need to replace it. I put a squidge of LSX around mine too to be on the safe side. You cannt really see if you get a leak untill its made a big mess - as you know already ;>))) Did mine ages ago - same symptoms.

Good luck.

**Marvin** · Wednesday 6th May 2009, 23:02

Had the same symptoms recently, heater matrix was the culprit. I was told this is one of the common problems the the V70 ?!

**timbo_1975** · Thursday 7th May 2009, 00:02

The Genuine O rings are only about £1 each from Volvo, and certainly better than risking some inferior Aldi ones to give up prematurely and spurt coolant all around without warning... They are also square in section, not round, or at least mine were...

**Tomcat** · Thursday 7th May 2009, 00:17

You'll probably find that they've gone square over time, I think they're meant to be round.

**Bash's 850 R** · Sunday 27th September 2009, 23:03

Hi im having the same problem mist on all the windows, ive also noticed the the REC and A/C lights start to flash on the dash board sometimes and also a funny smell when temp is turn up and the drivers side foot well is alittle damp/wet can anyone help

hi there just noticed that the radiator cap has quite a few cracks in it and it split from one side

**Flatout Phil** · Monday 28th September 2009, 12:07

Originally Posted by Bash's 850 R

Hi im having the same problem mist on all the windows, ive also noticed the the REC and A/C lights start to flash on the dash board sometimes and also a funny smell when temp is turn up and the drivers side foot well is alittle damp/wet can anyone help

Could be two issues here. The flashing lights are a warning that there is insufficent refrigerant in the aircon - probably needs a regas (at least I hope it's just a regas). Footwell water: heater matrix, or could be a leak from almost anywhere - if you have an R assume it has sunroof so check the drainage channel is clear.
I know a good mobile aircon company if you are in SE London or north Kent. They did a great diagnostic and aircon clutch fix for not too many quid on my T5 a year or three back. In my experience 850 seem to need a regas every two to three years no matter what you do