Smelly Air Con

Steve · April 5, 2002

Who suffers from smelly air conditioning when you first start your car... a horrible fausty smell

I would try and find this air con filter it is supposed to have but it means taking all the carpets off the side wall of the consol.

Leexus · April 5, 2002

Got the same "problem"...it only occurs when you start up the car...it takes a few minutes until it's gone...also wonderig where it comes from...

thought it only concern the IS...

[Edited on 5-4-2002 by Leexus]

Chris.S · April 5, 2002

Yeah I've heard it mentioned before

Basically what happens is -= After you have used your aircon and then switched it off you get a small amount of condensation inside the heater box this then settles on the filter then when you switch it back on and get fresh air circulating it evapourates giving off a musty smell

Monster-Mat · April 5, 2002

all it is ,is stale air in the recirculation unit,if you have your aircon set to outside air you shouldnt get the gopping smell

Steve · April 5, 2002

well i think Lexus should do something about it...

Just think.. this will happen on the LS model for sure... imagine taking a client out on important business and you get that horrid smell

Out of all the technology that goes into the car that one little problem is not fixed.. after 10 years of having the same problem! Mine gets it and mats gets it which is virtually a brand new car.

Ok I have vented myself.. and I did not smell!

lexicon · April 5, 2002

I think this common to lots of cars, not just Lexus. I've noticed it on several I've owned/driven.

ricky_is200 · April 6, 2002

I've been using the aircon for the first time this year and have noticed this smell when starting the car. I don't remember getting it the last two summers. I thought maybe a filter needed replacing.

Lethal · June 30, 2002

I'm glad I read this thread, I thought I was going mad thinking I could smell the Lexus air-con.

Funny thing is, my car is parked at the back of my work all day near a load of air-con units on the building, I assumed it might of been those!

I'm sure my air con didn't smell as described above last summer (when it was 6 months old), I notice it more on a hot day and switch it on max (which recirculates internal air) after my car has been standing for a few hours.

I'm gonna mention it to my dealer (where my IS200 resides right now getting 5 new free replacement wheels to replace the corroded ones!).

Will post comments here (if any!)

Rodders_UK · June 30, 2002

I think te smell actually comes from Algae spores (kinda like mildew) that breed in there (it's warm and damp). I read somewhere that an occaisional spray of bleach will kill any spores - I suspect that one of those anti-mildew sprays you can get would do the trick as well - take out the cabin filter and spray into the filter tray and pipes (sparingly).

vic · June 30, 2002

I used to get that smell...but ive managed to stop it by buying one of those air freshners (the ambi pure ones) that clip on the vent. The minute i start the car the it blows through & I get a nice fresh smell.... Sounds a bit obvious but it does work well....

Mike246 · June 30, 2002

My understanding is that this is a common problem caused by microbiological contaminents which are present in the air colonizing in a perfect breeding ground - moisture, darkness and warmth.

Products have now come out on the market which cure this and can be owner-applied without taking anything apart. With some the a/c in run for 15 mins. on reculculation while the canister is placed in the footwell and allowed to discharge; with others the canister is emptied into the air inlet before running the blower motor for a similar period.

I'll see if I can find out more but one product which fits into the latter catagory is Delphi's ACAT 40. Delphi are on 01926 472794.

Zee007 · June 30, 2002

Are we sure its not the flux capacitor.......

lewispv · June 30, 2002

Originally posted by Mike246
My understanding is that this is a common problem caused by microbiological contaminents which are present in the air colonizing in a perfect breeding ground - moisture, darkness and warmth.

Isn't that a description of how Legionaires Disease gets spread about ?:o:o

ricky_is200 · June 30, 2002

Mine's stopped smelling now I've left the air con on all the time, it was only at the start of the summer when it hadn't been used for a while (all winter) that it happened.

Mike246 · June 30, 2002

Quote: Isn't that a description of how Legionaires Disease gets spread about ?

Dunno - I'm a telephone engineer, not a bacteriologist. It's the same principle but Legionaires is a pneumonia bacteria, (unless of course, one really is a legionaire).

Rodders_UK · June 30, 2002

Originally posted by lewispv
Originally posted by Mike246
My understanding is that this is a common problem caused by microbiological contaminents which are present in the air colonizing in a perfect breeding ground - moisture, darkness and warmth.

Isn't that a description of how Legionaires Disease gets spread about ?:o:o

I think it applies to a great deal of bacterial and viral infections - how many times have you caught a cold after you've been on a plane!?:bounce:

lewispv · July 1, 2002

Just come back from Halfords, and see on the shelf a product made by Wynns for refreshing aircon and killing bacteria - did not buy though

Steve · July 1, 2002

cheers for that, I shall check that out next time i am at Halfords

Mitch · July 1, 2002

try washing your car. maybe thats why it smells....... hahahaha:lol::lol:

tonb · July 2, 2002

I get a smell from my a/c on start-up now and then ...... but then it does always seem to happen just at the time when the local farmer is spreading muck on his fields ..... :smilegrin:

Seriously though, I had a real problem with the a/c when I first got the car - the person that had it b4 me used to keep the a/c on all the time, and I has terrible dampness problems - which took about 6 weeks to cure by having the heating on full blast - even now when I use the a/c the car gets damp very quickly ...:(

JOHNNY-BOY · July 2, 2002

That's strange as air con usually takes moisture out of the atmosphere not adds to it. :?:

tonb · July 2, 2002

My point exactly!!!!!!

The girl that had it before me was a bit dim as far as cars were concerned tho', so not sure what she had done (if I tell you that she had also reversed it into a pillar, gouged the alloys, and scraped the front air dam - do you get my picture! :flaming:) ..... and all that in 5 months!!!!!

Luckily, that damage has all been fixed - but the a/c still doesn't seem right :!:

Rodders_UK · July 2, 2002

That certainly doesn't sound right - as JB said, aircon should remove all moisture from the care really quickly. You might want to get it checked out - maybe it needs recharging.

tonb · July 2, 2002

It is going in for it's 20k service next week anyway, so I'll get it looked at.

I'll let you know if they find anything

Rob · July 2, 2002

guys, guys, guys - you are worrying over nothing - the smell is caused and created in the AC condensor, it is the matrix where the air is cooled and as a result water is condensed out of the air ( noticed the puddle on the floor before?)

As the condensor matrix is normally always wet it promotes the growth of fungi/ mold etc, it is this which causes the smell.

you have 2 ways to stop this - get the smoke bomb type of cleaner, you put the AC on recirc, close all the windows etc and then activate the canister it is drawn thru the matrix and kills the fungi and leaves ur car with a nice smell.

other option is to place a tube up the AC condensor outlet ( under the car) and spray in a special foam that also kills the fungi.

Its Steves lucky day as i happen to "have" a can or 2 at my disposal so when im back in the Uk next week ill post it to you - i Have tried to use it on my IS but the Ac outlet pipe took a few 90 degree turns so i couldnt get the pipe in all the way.:(

cheers rob.