Fan misting up and engine damage from a crash

Dear All,
Bit of a long story, so apologies in advance. I have a C3 mrk2, 13 plate. Its a 1.6 ehdi 115 hp. I love it to bits. However it was involved in an accident in March, and they still haven't fixed it right. The first garage made the problems worse, in some aspects, and didn't fix the cosmetic stuff - the bumper, the boot (it sounded like the window was down, when going along!)

The second garage have fixed some of it, and it looks lovely, cosmetic wise. But, the engine makes a horrible "clunk" as it starts - only then, and if it has v v low revs (like if you almost stall it), it sounds horrible. Also when you start it, it sometimes sounds like it judders more than it should, for about half a sec. Like it is almost rocking slightly. 2 garages have said the engine mounts are fine. When I complained on Friday, after picking it up, they said they think its the Fan belt tensioner, knocking against the engine. So i have to take it back on Tuesday for them to fix.

More annoying than this is the windscreen (and sometimes the windows, and the rear view mirror) steaming up, a lot of the time. I spent a long time (before the crash) last winter trying to work out why this was happening, and in the end realised I had had the windscreen replaced.

So i got Autoglass to come back out and check it. They said they didn't do anything, but the problem vanished over night. It was perfect. Then after the first garage messed up the repairs, after the crash, the problem appeared again. They messed up the bumper repairs, and the boot repairs. So the second garage the insurance company said i could take it to, said they had fixed the steaming up prob, by taking off a panel at the back, and letting out water that was blocked. But last night it started doing it again. It always seems to be when air con is off (which is predictable), and the normal fan air is on the windscreen. It does do it less when the air is directed at the driver, and more away from the windscreen If this was a deign fault of the C3, then i would accpet it, but i know this is not the case. I could drive it around before the crash, after autoglass looked at it, without air con, in the rain, and in the heat, or humidity, and it was fine. I'm so sorry for such a long, negative post, but i am so so annoyed about it all. It cost a lot of money, and I was so proud of her. I hope this is ok to post. Here is a pic of her. (I have had a lot of C3s - one mrk 1, 54 plate, blue, 1.4 HDI, a XTR 1.4 90 HDI, 3 MRK 1, VTRs 1.6 HDIs 110. Then 2, 13 plates Mrk2, e-hdis - a 110, and now a 115.)

Best wishes everyone,
Matthew

Is there by any chance a smell of engine coolant when the heater is on hot?
Check the engine coolant level carefully a few times when cold and see if any is leaking.
I could be the heater matrix is weeping slightly.

Another thing to check is if the outlet from the heater box drain is clear and not blocked with leaves and dirt, swallowing the
heater box to partially fill with water.

Oh ok, I will do that. It so annoying. It was perfect before, and the min the fan is on, and or on the windscreen, it steams up. The AC keeps it at bay most of the time. But AC shouldn't have to be used (or never was) unless it gets wet and stuff, and people inside the car are damp!
Many thanks.
Matthew

Apart from checking the heater drain also the air con drain that the water drains from are both clear it is possible as it only steams up when the heater fan is used that the heater radiator has a small leak and this would cause the windscreen to fog up when the heater is used on demise position.

You should be able to see the loss of engine coolant from the engine expansion tank over a few days, it won't take much to steam the windscreen up if the heater matrix / radiator is leaking into the interior air flow.

Usually if the steaming up is caused by water ingress into the car from a window seal or anywhere else the car will steam up when standing in the sun and will usually have damp carpets somewhere.

ok, thank-you for that.

Sorry to go on, but do you know where the heater box is? i assume there are 2 seperate systems - one for the air con (which seems to be dripping ok, when car is parked), and this other heater box which could be clogged.

I don't think the engine coolent is leaking, from what i can see and smell.

I have googled things to find out where the heater box is (which i assume doen't have much to do with the heater matrix), but it comes up with so many random things, which are not linked to my search, it hasn't provided much helpful info yet.

Sorry to be a pain.

The heating/ air con units is in the centre of the car behind the dashboard facia, it's a combined unit that was all sorts of outlet hoses and one big inlet from the grill where the wiper arms are.
Just check the spare wheel well in the tailgate, as your can has been outside waiting repair, there is a chance that any water that has leaked into the car might be sitting there, but I think the whole car would steam up when standing in the sun.

ok - thank you very very much. I will attmept to work out how to get to that unit, without destroying the dash! lol. I have posted a pic of her, so you can see the car i keep banging on about!

hi - sorry, me again!

Is there an easy way to get to this heater box, if its hidden behind the dashboard?
thanks again,
Matthew