Filmy car windows!

[dustin92]

Does anybody else have a problem with their car windows getting filmy really quickly? I never had a problem until I got my current car last october, a 2000 Mazda 626. It was a one owner car , owned by a nonsmoker and very clean. I regularly clean my car inside and out (sometimes every couple weeks or even every week), to within an inch of its life (vacuum seats and carpet thouroughly, wipe down the dash and instrument panel, wash the windows, wash and wax outside.) I have noticed on several occasions the inside of the windows are coated in a film, I do not smoke in the car, and nobody else is allowed to either. It looks like I have sat in the car and chain smoked a pack of cigs with the windows up! I rarely open the windows, I prefer the air conditioning, but if it gets really hot, I will open the windows to let the excess heat escape. This nasty film usually appears in a month or less. Any ideas on what is causing this film? It is really driving me crazy, because ordinarily I would just wipe where spots appear (mainly dogs nose prints) and wash all windows completely maybe once or twice a year.

 

[danemodsandy]

It's Usually....

....Off-gassing from vinyl components in the car's interior, with imports being more prone to it than domestic automobiles.

Parking the car in the shade does more good than anything else. Mineral spirits usually cleans it off.

 

[dustin92]

At home I dont have the option of parking in the shade. I used vinegar and water to wash the windows today and it removed it no problem. I had thought of the vinyl/ plastics letting off some type of fumes, but on a car this old?

 

[danemodsandy]

Dustin:

Overseas automakers sometimes fail to understand the extremes of climate found in America, and vinyls that work perfectly well in their home country don't work as well here. Vinyls aren't the only problem - it took years for Volvo to come up with air conditioning that was effective in America's Southern states. More recent models have fewer climate-related problems than earlier ones.

If vinegar is getting rid of the film, that's probably as much of a solution as you're going to find, unless your parking situation ever changes.

 

[dustin92]

Ugh... I may be looking for a different car soon anyway, apparently my engine is worn out at only 117,000 miles . It is burning oil pretty bad and wont run right.

 

[cehalstead]

a product called

"Invisible Glass" does a great job of cleaning car windows and removing that film. It also does a great job in the house, too. I bought mine at KMart, but that other Mart that I don't shop in has it, too. I have also seen it in auto parts stores.....it's a great product.

 

[dustin92]

I have used the invisible glass and it does work well, but I was out, so the vinegar and water did fine. I forgot to mention in my last post, my next car will NOT be another Mazda.

 

[jamiel]

You also may want to check your cooling system....a small pinhole in the heater core can put a fine fog of ethylene glycol into the passenger compartment.

 

[DADoES]

 
My 626 was the best car I've had, but that was 20 to 11 years ago.

 

[dustin92]

I got this one in October of last year with 102,000 miles on it, and not a month after I got it, the timing belt needed to be replaced, and I had hoped to keep it until it had 250,000 on it. It has gradually gone downhill from there, I have kept the oil changed regularly and it now burns a quart of oil every 200 miles and it doesnt run worth a crap. I have been told the engine is worn out and needs to be replaced at a cost of $3600. I only paid $3900 for the car, so in my opinion, not worth it.

 

[dustin92]

My guess is that the cooling system is fine, the heat and air conditioning work fine, the car has never overheated and I have never had to add a drop of coolant.

 

[sudsmaster]

FWIW, both my 99 300M and my 97 Neon get a film inside the windows, after about a month. I part both outside, although if they are going to be stationary for more than a couple of days I'll put a car cover over them.

Anyway, it's not just an import car problem. I also think that the film may form from conditioning products one might use to restore the finish to plastic surfaces and/or leather seating. So even if one is a meticulous detailer, the very products used to keep the interior looking nice are probably eventually winding up on the interior windows.

 

[retro-man]

i get this also in both cars. i find it appears more in the summer than winter. my findings are that it is the a/c unit causing this. you drive the car with the ac on. you park and the car sits and the ac unit defrosts. you start the car the ac goes on. all the moisture that is left on the coils and the drain pan which do not drain out completely get blown into the vehicle upon starting. feel the air coming out of the vents. its like an exhaust fan in the bathroom while showering. this humid moist air is filling the vehicle and creating a film on the windows. i have pretty much solved this by opening the windows . after 2 or 3 minutes close the windows and the unit will have exhausted the moist air and will be cooling. give it a try. i find its even worse if you have it set for defrost. the windshield sometimes even fogs over on the inside until the unit is cooling.
Jon

 

[mrb627]

Dash

What are you using to wipe down the dash and interior?

I use invisible glass and a microfibre towel. Works perfectly.

My Mazda 626 was one of the BEST cars I have ever owned.
I do miss the SWING button.

Malcolm

 

[dustin92]

I used vinegar and water yesterday, but usually I use glass cleaner. I do like the swing button, and have gotten so many comments "thats cool and I have never seen that before"

 

[MrX]

Related - but different climate problem!

It's odd actually, a lot of Japanese cars, and until recently cars from Italian manufacturers did not survive very well in the Irish climate and tended to rust to bits.

Japanese cars have improved but, you still get the odd car that doesn't like the rain.

The related problem that I have is that the seals on any car I've owned turn green with moss (and even grow moss!)
The only thing I can do to control it is to pressure wash the car, very carefully going around all the seals on the windows etc.

However, you still get green moss growing under the boot (trunk) lid, under any part of the car that's not exposed to the car wash.

Automatic roll-over washes and tunnel washes just don't remove it. So, ever 3 to 6 months I have to remove it all by hand with a Karcher and a cloth.

Any suggestions for a method of preventing this? Obviously I don't want to try anything too harsh and nasty as I don't want to damage the rubber seals or paintwork.

This happens to EVERY car brand that I've owned. Volvo, Toyota, Opel, Renault, etc etc.

 

[franksdad]

I had a 1984 Chevrolet Chevette with the same film problem.  I had to wash my windows every couple of days as the film would get so bad your  field of vision would be blurred.  When I complained I was told that it was film coming from the vinyl components.  Believe it or not that little Chevette gave great service for 115,000 miles until I traded it for a 1996 Nissan 200SX. 

 

[kenwashesmonday]

I noticed years ago that the use of Armor All can accelerate this problem.  I will no longer use it.

 

Ken D.

 

[mitch]

Several Toyotas

we have owned over the years would do this. Come to find out, if you keep the HVAC on "Fresh" instead of "Recirculate" this helped to prevent the windows from filming up. They would still do it--just not near as much.

Sorry to hear you have not gotten the expected service out of your Mazada. Wonder if the previous owner was deligent about changing the oil.

Thanks and good luck!