# defog side windows



## fatgoat04 (Oct 25, 2004)

Has anybody had a probelm defogging the side windows? I can never seem to get them to become clear even when the temp in the car get really warm? Any ideas? or am I just crazy....


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## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

Noticed that last night also...they did eventually clear, but it took a long time...


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## lambertgoat (Oct 24, 2004)

i just turned the main vents on and aimed the door vents up toward the window, worked suprisingly well


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## jerhofer (Oct 16, 2004)

Do you have the A/C on? It will take care of the moisture in the car thus reducing the fogging.


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## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

jerhofer said:


> Do you have the A/C on? It will take care of the moisture in the car thus reducing the fogging.


Both of the above are good points-- will try them next time it rains.


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## richieb (Nov 2, 2004)

*Side window defogger - design flaw*

I also have very little air being pushed out through the side window vents. he dealership checked at least one other new GTO on the lot and it had the same condition. I think there is a design flaw here and will also be a safety problem this winter for anyone in the Northeast. I am trying to get my dealership to involve the Pontiac zone rep. Not sure what the process is to get this spotted for a recall. I find that there is plenty of air coming out of the ports at the sides of the front console but little coming out of the side vents when the door is closed. The problem could be as simple as replacing the rubber seal mounted on the door or maybe they just leak internally???


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## stucker (Sep 22, 2004)

I have found that running the A/C on recirculate will condense most of the moisture out of the car and clear the fogging.


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## GumbyGoat (Sep 24, 2004)

I have the same problem. I went another route. Rainx makes a product you can apply on the inside of the problem glass. It works great. Don't know how long it will last, but it was worth the 5 minutes it took to apply. Give it a shot. Probably not the best solution because the car should be able to defog itself. But in the interim....


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## GoatHerder (Nov 21, 2004)

richieb said:


> I also have very little air being pushed out through the side window vents. he dealership checked at least one other new GTO on the lot and it had the same condition. I think there is a design flaw here and will also be a safety problem this winter for anyone in the Northeast. I am trying to get my dealership to involve the Pontiac zone rep. Not sure what the process is to get this spotted for a recall. I find that there is plenty of air coming out of the ports at the sides of the front console but little coming out of the side vents when the door is closed. The problem could be as simple as replacing the rubber seal mounted on the door or maybe they just leak internally???


You might try rereading the owner's manual. There's a specific proceedure in it for defogging the side windows.


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## Questor (Nov 27, 2004)

*HOW TO CONTACT Pontiac About the problem*

I posted a similar problem in the LS1Tech web forum, but I those guys didn't appear that interested in the problem.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236071

Here is the last information I found out:

I contacted Pontiac about this issue after taking the car to the dealer to find "the side window defroster is working as designed".

I had an email response & talked directly to the Pontiac customer service rep. She indicated that they have no other owner complaints about the defrosters not working and when the dealer investigated the issue all the other cars worked in the same manner. She also said the only way GM will take care of the issue is if more complaints have been filed.

I can not accept the fact that a window vent installed on a car is not supppose to output air in the defrost mode. I've checked mine a couple of times, and when the defrost is engaged air is blowing out the side of the dash toward the connection point on the door (when the door is closed). But the air does not come out the door mounted vent. I think that leads to either a design or manufacturing flaw. Either way, I think it should be fixed.

Having the AC on or off does not change the amount of air coming out of the vents. So that is not an issue with this problem. The defroster system may work better with the AC engaged, that I do not know.

If everyone can join and raise the same complaint to Pontiac, care of 

Bree McArthur
Customer Relationship Manager
Pontiac Customer Assistance Center
[email protected] 
866-952-4368 ext. 58954 between the hours of 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. EST. Monday through Friday.

then maybe GM will fix the error.


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## GumbyGoat (Sep 24, 2004)

Upon further digging, I found that there are two pieces for the defroster vents. The main piece on the outside that directs the air to the window and the interior part that ties the vent into the main ventilation. On both windows the plastic tube that connects into the main ventilation was blocked by the insulation for the door. I just removed the tube, pushed the insulation out of the way and re-inserted the tube. It fixed the problem. I don't know if that is the answer for everyone who is suffering from this, but it's worth a try. I got tired of my earlier mentioned solution and decided to do some troubleshooting. No problems since.


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## Questor (Nov 27, 2004)

How did you get into the vent assembly? Did the outter ven snap off? I was messing with it a little bit, but I didn't want to break it.


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## GumbyGoat (Sep 24, 2004)

Questor said:


> How did you get into the vent assembly? Did the outter ven snap off? I was messing with it a little bit, but I didn't want to break it.


There is one snap-lock holding it in place. You have to pull it out and slightly away (forward toward the hinged part of the door). That will allow you to expose and pull up on the second piece that goes down into the door that connects to the ventilation. I just stuck my finger in the door vent by the door hinge and pushed the insulation out of the way and guided the vent back down until it re-connected to the ventilation. Then just snap the defroster vent back in place. Hope this helps and good luck. Sorry for the slow response. Too busy driving. :cheers


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## Trace (Dec 15, 2004)

Questor said:


> ...
> Having the AC on or off does not change the amount of air coming out of the vents. So that is not an issue with this problem. The defroster system may work better with the AC engaged, that I do not know.
> 
> If everyone can join and raise the same complaint to Pontiac, care of
> ...


I may be wrong, but don't most modern cars (with air-conditioning) turn on the compressor automaticly when the defrosters are turned on? The compressor running does most certainly reduce the amount of moisture in the air your pushing into the cabin making the defrosters much more effective. I haven't noticed any problem with mine defrosting the windows, but I live in CA & we don't really have any "cold" weather in my area. Will check this evening though, now that you've brought it up.


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## SFLGOAT (Oct 7, 2004)

Trace said:


> I may be wrong, but don't most modern cars (with air-conditioning) turn on the compressor automaticly when the defrosters are turned on? The compressor running does most certainly reduce the amount of moisture in the air your pushing into the cabin making the defrosters much more effective. I haven't noticed any problem with mine defrosting the windows, but I live in CA & we don't really have any "cold" weather in my area. Will check this evening though, now that you've brought it up.



You are correct. In defrost mode, the compressor is automatically engaged for the specific reason of reducing moisture in the air to make the defroster more efficient. :cheers


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## Questor (Nov 27, 2004)

There is also another reason the compressor is engaged for defrost. That is to lubricate the compressor. The refrigerant contains lubrication fuild. If the compress would sit idle for an extended period of time, ie over winter, then the compressor would sit unlibricated for an extended period causing early failures.

My orginal response was copied off a different forum that listed using the AC with the defroster, or something like that.


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