AshleyD23

I park my car at the train station every day for work and (ever since the beginning of winter) EVERY DAY when I return to my car, it's the only one with a completely frozen/frosted inside windshield. (Trust me, I check the other cars and do a little comparison while I wait for my windshield to clear up)

The entire inside gets completely frosted over and usually takes 10-15 minutes to defrost to the point where it's safe to drive. This is very frustrating... I've checked to see if there is water in the car. It's snowing out lately, so if a little moisture on the floor of the car is causing this, I'm not impressed at all. I drove the RX350 for 5 years before this car and never experienced this terrible annoyance... What gives?? Anybody else have this happen? It's really ruining the whole "new car" experience for me..

Actually, this happens whenever I leave my car parked in a parking lot. It's never frosted when I get in the car in the morning. The car is parked alongside our house and in the shade.. And I always leave the air intake on fresh air..

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

Do you have the car on Recirculating Mode? This might mode might cause the moisture to got trapped inside the car. Also, try to run the AC for 10 minutes before you park the car and hopefully it will dry out the cabin.

ob450h

Turn your AC on, switch the vent to outside air, and the temperature up to drive the moisture out when driving to the train station. You probably could roll all the windows down the first several minutes, the humidity outside might be lower than in the car.

corradoMR2

Sorry to hear. What's curious is that when my wife uses the RX, she experiences the same thing whereas I don't or it's to a much lesser degree.

It has to do with moisture in the air and naturally, some of us expel more moisture than others in our breathing. When warm moist air cools down, cool air holds less moisture and so it deposits on cold surfaces, i.e on glass and turns to frost.

One thing you can try is leave your driver's door and trunk open for several seconds when you leave the car so you give a chance for the warm moist-rich air to escape before it freezes up inside.

Another thing you can try is leave a window slightly open (1/4 inch) enough to get air to exchange when you leave and lock the car.

Also, check that you're NOT running the heater in Recirc mode (take in fresh air)

Finally, experiment with the AC ON as the air conditioner removes moisture from the air. That should help as well...

One or a combination of these techniques will help reduce moisture and hence frost. Good luck and keep us posted on results.

vlad_a

I don't think AC will be of any use this time of the year. Compressors usually don't turn on below 32F.
I do not recall seeing an inside of the windshield (ever) being frozen. Certainly did not happen on my 450h, even at -6F, parked outside at the office for a day. All of windows are closed. No special tricks. Recirc is always on fresh air.

I would recommend cleaning your windshield from the inside. That always helps with fogging windows, so may have good effect on frost as well. The least you will get is better visibility.

Browninggo

We've had below freezing and below 0 for over a month and never had frost inside..better have Lexus dealer look at your vehicle...something is amiss

sightdev

AC compressor runs automatically at any temperature when front defroster is engage. recirc is only option when defroster is running on our vehicles.

frost inside is possible if there is enough moisture in extremely cold weather. reason I have side window wind reflector is to safely leave window slight opened during rainy or extremely cold days to reduce moisture build up inside. works perfectly.

vlad_a

Not exactly:
Pages 416, 419

hubble998

One thing that might be contributing to frost, is alot of moisture in the floor mats. If you have deep ones, can trap alot of moisture. During the day the car will warm and cool with the sun and might cause evaporation. This used to happen to me with my previous vehicle when it was parked outside for long periods of time. The RX spends most of it's time garaged so can't compare.

corradoMR2

Good point!

kitlz

Ashley, welcome to CL. I haven't experienced a problem with the inside windshield freezing, even when there's moisture on the floor mats. The manual says using recirculated air mode for an extended period to time may cause fogging. Outside air mode is better. Keep the outside vents in the windshield cowl (underneath the wipers) free of snow. Also, check the carpeting for any signs of moisture. And if you're not using all weather mats, install a set immediately. Good luck.

chuckGS350

Maybe it's time to check the cabin air filter.

raylor4

I agree with the people who say something is amiss. Sounds to me like your recirc. system is giving a false indication.
Ray

raylor4

You may have a small leak in your heater that builds up humidity inside the car, then condenses and forms frost inside the glass while you are at work.
Just a thought. Let us know what fixes the problem.
Ray A.

ejm3

I've never had this happen to my car and does not seem like normal behavior so I would get it checked out.

What I have seen (quite a lot this winter) is the outside of my windshield and wiper blades freezing up driving in the snow.

Its made for several scary rides home from work this year becasue I can't see anything despite the defroster on full-tilt.