I am the new owner of a 2006 Mk3 a S was wondering if all the condensation build up on the back and front screens is normal. Not convinced the rear heated screen is working ( light is on but not a lot happens) and I get that the hard top is not an air tight seal but I never get to see drivers behind smiling at me :)
Do you hear water sloshing behind you?
You may need to clear your drains.
Are your carpets dry?
You may need to check for any little leaks.
Fill an old sock with cheap cat litter and leave behind the seats, it helps :)
Or drive with the roof down and you will see everything ;)
Do you know that the hardtop is plugged in?
You have to unplug the power to the soft top and connect it to the hardtop.
For this you will need an extra cable.
If it's all connected properly I would be surprised.
This has been happening to me recently, i'm attributing mine to a slow leak of water from the driver side window. I recently posted about this, and a video, here
Leaky window (https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=61586.0), although i see you have a hardtop.
Reccommendation for me was to get gumifledge. Still not done this yet, but i bought passive dehumidifiers off Amazon prior to posting about my woes.
Dehumidifiers (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075KNG4C8?ref_=Oct_CARAsinC_3593780031_1)
The heavy rain, low temps, contracting hood material was my guess here for my particular issue. Not sure about yours.
As others have said, check the drains - a forum search will bring up loads of helpful topics.
Mine has condensation forming inside - drains are clear, but just a little moisture taken in to the car from shoes/wet hair etc can form on the windows inside.
Do you have a multimeter? If so set it to volts and with the heated rear window on just check across the terminals attached to the rear window. If showing 12v then it's connected and working. If showing zero then a little more investigation needed (checking the plugs/cables are connected. Fuse blown etc etc)
Check your drains if you have the issue with the soft top these can fill to the brim adding moisture to the air, even if partially blocks they can cause the issue. Get a disposable dehumidifier from the local camping shop for less that a fiver, they work brill.
Norman
Visit your nearest Poundstretcher/Poundland etc of choice and dehumidifiers are around.70p a go. Even have ones you can hang from the rear view mirror if you're in the mood...
The dehumidifier things are brilliant
I have them in all my cars, even my daily
Saves a lot of time demisting
Make sure that you put them somewhere they can't fall over as they can be the devils own job to clean up
I drive my car daily and as its a short ride to work in the early cold morning it also means condensation (from breathing) without to chance to warm up the car and dry it out.
The bag of moisture absorbant stuff bought from Halfords for about £8 work well. I have two of them for good measure. You have to put them on a radiator every now and then to dry them out, after which they are perfect again. Do not dry them in a microwave as it destroys the glue and they fall apart...
You can accidently knock them over, drive away with it on the dash and there is no mess to clean up. Totally reccomended.
Check drains either side - Check demister cabling under mats behind drivers seat - There should be two - 1 for soft top / the other hard top If you have a/c use it on damp mornings and lastly invest in a re-usable de-humidifier pad, to keep moisture at a low level!! ;)