Apologies in advance - I still have new car paranoia

Today, went for a small drive and went to get some fuel. On pulling out of the petrol station, the entire cabin filled with steam and it looked like it was coming from the air vents (behind the handbrake). Is this normal?

The car was fairly warm before I pulled in to get petrol and was left standing for about 10 minutes. The air con & heaters were on. Once the steam had cleared, the car seemed fine - all the temps were fine and she drove perfectly.

Is this just a 'quirk' of ownership?

I think this is a quirk of aircon and cold damp weather. Our VW doesn't quite emit steam, but after a short stop, mists up the windscreen immediately - but clears just as quick. Just keep an eye on the coolant level.

this was an option in Turkey
they love steambaths
pic

1560 - that was exactly what it was like last night!
DaveW - it was full on steam. The entire cabin was filled with it - to the extent that I thought the car had actually caught fire. All my cars have misted up when starting up but I've never seen them have steam pouring in before

Is the coolant level OK?????
I once had a hose burst (on Christmas Eve) in the garage on my MGB and it filled the garage with steam, as the water hit the exhaust manifolds. Like you I thought it was on fire. So a possibility is a jet of water from a loose coolant hose squirting on the exhaust, or something like the washer bottle pipe coming off and dumping the contents on the exhaust. Check those levels.

could be the washer bottle emptying onto the exhaust manifold. The earlier cars. Had this. The manifold is so close the water boils quite quickly when there is no cooling air flow.

Absolutely not. This would be a first I've ever heard of this glitch.

I cannot imagine it being a result of the A/C - the windows steaming up would be indicative of the warm air mixing with the moisture from the A/C once the vent pump was turned off; however, actual steam would seem to indicate a fluid leak onto something hot - as Cereal states, onto the manifold, etc.

If the car has been parked outside, could it be attributed to water that has frozen and them thawed as you drove the car?

Parked in a garage (albeit unheated so probably very cold ). The steam didn't smell of anything so after my initial panic that the car was on fire (and the OH thinking it might have been the clutch), we figured it was probably just water + A/C because it was odourless.

BTW thanks for all your suggestions on coolant levels etc - it's been a bit too cold to venture outside so I haven't checked the fluid levels yet.

Often it is a short period before the compressor gets up to working pressure. The exhcangers may have condensation still in them from the last operation if it is damp and so it has not evaporated out.

As you turn the unit on again the damp is blown through by the fan before the unit is up to operational levels and so the cabin mists. Combine this with your warm breath in a cold car and you get the same as well.

The only car I have not had this in is the Phaeton which seems to have been designed by aliens who make things better. The golf does do it.

Have had similar in the Middle East but obviously in hotter climates? I would guess the prognosis is the same though?