Funky smell

aporzio · 08-15-2013, 10:14 AM

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Hello all,
Took my car to the dealership recently because of an odd smell in the A/C, kinda moldy smell. They said it was humidity in the system and there was nothing they could do other than a 200 dollar A/C system cleaning the would probably not work. Anybody else have this or heard of it. Have lived in florida my whole life and have never had it happen especially on a car thats less than a year old.

normsbimmer · 08-15-2013, 10:37 AM

Had the same issue. Run your fan for 15 mins then the heater for another 15, make sure you have your ac turned off. My SA told me if you're running your ac a lot might want to turn off the condenser (ac button)15 mins prior to shutting down your car.

nikneo · 08-15-2013, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aporzio

Hello all,
Took my car to the dealership recently because of an odd smell in the A/C, kinda moldy smell. They said it was humidity in the system and there was nothing they could do other than a 200 dollar A/C system cleaning the would probably not work. Anybody else have this or heard of it. Have lived in florida my whole life and have never had it happen especially on a car thats less than a year old.

This is a very common problem - it has to do with mold growing in the AC system from the condensate. It can be avoided by not allowing condensed water to build up - how does one do this you ask? Just turn off your AC (but keep the fans running) for a few minutes before you get to your destination. I've been doing this and have not had this problem so far. In your case, now that you already have the smell, you could try what the previous poster suggested and then moving forwards, do what I do.

vitriol · 08-15-2013, 02:00 PM

I've had this problem with various cars. As others have said, what you're smelling is mildew whose growth is promoted by un-evaporated water sitting in AC condenser.

Turn off AC 5-10 minutes before you reach your destination in order to ensure no moisture is left sitting in the system. PITA but it's the only way I know if to avoid this issue.

To get rid of the smell, I have in the past sprayed Lysol into the center A/C vent -- maybe 2-3 five-second blasts -- which will kill the mildew and knock out the smell. It works (although the smell of Lysol lingers for a couple of days).

08-15-2013, 10:14 AM	#1
aporzio New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 328i Sport Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Miramar iTrader: (0)	Funky smell Featured on BIMMERPOST.com Hello all, Took my car to the dealership recently because of an odd smell in the A/C, kinda moldy smell. They said it was humidity in the system and there was nothing they could do other than a 200 dollar A/C system cleaning the would probably not work. Anybody else have this or heard of it. Have lived in florida my whole life and have never had it happen especially on a car thats less than a year old.
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08-15-2013, 10:37 AM	#2
normsbimmer Enlisted Member 2 Rep 41 Posts Drives: 2012 328i Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Had the same issue. Run your fan for 15 mins then the heater for another 15, make sure you have your ac turned off. My SA told me if you're running your ac a lot might want to turn off the condenser (ac button)15 mins prior to shutting down your car.
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08-15-2013, 02:00 PM	#4
vitriol Private First Class 15 Rep 128 Posts Drives: 2016 340i M Sport Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	I've had this problem with various cars. As others have said, what you're smelling is mildew whose growth is promoted by un-evaporated water sitting in AC condenser. Turn off AC 5-10 minutes before you reach your destination in order to ensure no moisture is left sitting in the system. PITA but it's the only way I know if to avoid this issue. To get rid of the smell, I have in the past sprayed Lysol into the center A/C vent -- maybe 2-3 five-second blasts -- which will kill the mildew and knock out the smell. It works (although the smell of Lysol lingers for a couple of days).
	Appreciate 0 Quote