I’ve taken my 2002 Subaru Outback to a Subaru specific maintenance shop to check all the window seals yet still get a lot of moisture in the cabin. Now as winter approaches the cabin accumulates a lot of droplets on the inside of the windshield, and when it gets cold enough overnight it’ll freeze to the glass.
We’ve looked around for places that could help, but we sadly haven’t been able to find a place that does such a specific job, which would be finding a seal breach/leak from the headliner/moonroof and/or the passenger window seals even though they were inspected and cleared.
The moonroof was checked, so we suspect it might be something completely different or the professionals we took it to just didn’t take the problem seriously... even it renders the car a risk to drive if not taken care of in the mornings. (Via whipping off the window and scrapping the ice onto some sort of catch like a towel ever morning for 3 or so months straight)
What makes this problem better or worse?
Running the defrosters for 5-10 minutes works most of the time but is time consuming, and driving it in general makes it worse, as in the cabin pressurization/warmth makes the moisture more prominent in the mornings.
How long has your 2002 Subaru Outback had this problem?
Been dealing with it for about 3 or 4 years consistently now
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Hello, my impression is that there is no leak likely, but rather a lack of drying out of the interior of the car on a regular basis. If the inside of the car has rain water in the carpets and mats and general moisture inside, and ventilation does not reduce or eliminate this moisture, that moisture will indeed stay inside the car, fog up the windows from the inside, and even freeze.
Instead of looking for phantom water leaks or entry into the vehicle, realize that you can't stop moisture from entering, yet you can encourage it to be evaporated.
Have you checked your air conditioning system to see if it is working properly? No, you don't want or need the cold air that air conditioning systems produce, but you do need the dehumidifying operation of the climate control system that utilizes the air conditioning compression, requiring it to be functioning even when not needing cold air.
I would bet the air conditioning system is not working as designed, the interior is not being dehumidified, and the fan is not regularly being used to introduce outside fresh air inside of the vehicle.
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