Smelly aircon - how to resolve?

[Condi]

donkmeister said:

I tried the BH bomb to get rid of fag smell in my car. It worked to an extent (not 100%, but did improve things) and I can vouch that it left my windscreen coated in a residue that took a few goes with IPA to get rid of.

Dont use beer to clean your windscreen then!


The bio-bomb things are great, the one linked below is my go-to and has always given good results. Euro car parts have a sale on now (when dont they?) but it does make it about £5 or something. I would change your pollen filter while you're there as well.

https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories...

If you have smells in the car, other than the air con (ie ones which are there all the time, like fags, animals etc, then this stuff is supposed to be pretty good although Ive never used it.

https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories...

[parabolica]

Thanks everyone; just away to inspect the pollen filter although the seller did say it was changed as part of a recent service (service book confirms this) but better to check and be sure. A mate had a spare bio-bomb so I have that for nowt now incase nothing else works.

ETA Pollen filter looks brand new so probably not the issue; will take a look into the vents as soon as I have access to my workshop.

Edited by parabolica on Thursday 24th May 14:28

[chriscoates]

Calza said:

I have the opposite problem, no smell with AC but a bit of a smell when it's off.

Filter is new and I've tried a bomb.

I have the same issue - a stale smell when the air con has been on and is then turned off, can anyone help with this? (not to hijack the OP's thread)

[Hoofy]

chriscoates said:

Calza said:

I have the opposite problem, no smell with AC but a bit of a smell when it's off.

Filter is new and I've tried a bomb.

I have the same issue - a stale smell when the air con has been on and is then turned off, can anyone help with this? (not to hijack the OP's thread)

Crank the heat up to max for a good few minutes until the smell clears.

[jon_273]

chriscoates said:

I have the same issue - a stale smell when the air con has been on and is then turned off, can anyone help with this? (not to hijack the OP's thread)

Air con bomb as mentioned.

I have found that the trick with all of these 'bombs' is to make sure they point right into the air intake in the passenger footwell when you set them off. In my RS4 I removed the glovebox to do this, in the MINI I opened the cover for the pollen filter and took the pollen filter out. If you can see the inside of the interior fan then you are in the right place.

I have been having much success with the €6.99 ones from Carrefour like this!

[SpeedySpeedBoy]

jon_273 said:

Air con bomb as mentioned.

I have found that the trick with all of these 'bombs' is to make sure they point right into the air intake in the passenger footwell when you set them off. In my RS4 I removed the glovebox to do this, in the MINI I opened the cover for the pollen filter and took the pollen filter out. If you can see the inside of the interior fan then you are in the right place.

By interior fan do you mean you need to expose the blower motor? If it getting sprayed into the air on recirc wont it get to those parts anyway?

Don't these things just mask the odour?

[Rich Boy Spanner]

Been using bio-bombs for about 15 years, never had a problem with residue. If you use one it's worth replacing the pollen/cabin filter first.

[Howard-]

Use an air con "bomb" spray thing, then just leave the AC on all the time. It won't happen again if you do. There's no need to ever turn it off.

[Condi]

SpeedySpeedBoy said:

Don't these things just mask the odour?

No, or at least not if you get the good ones. They kill the bacteria which build up inside the air con system, which in turn make the smell. If you have climate control it is best to leave the aircon setting on as this keeps the air in the system moving and prevents the bacteria building up.

[TeresaMiller]

Bio bombs can help in the case of easy-to-remove odors. Of these odors, I can only name the faint smell of food when you sometimes go and eat hamburgers with your family or buy hot dogs. They also easily remove the smell of spilled alcohol and red wine. However, the smell of cigarettes is much harder to get out of your car. Especially if the air conditioner is blowing that smell at you, you most likely should call a master air conditioning repair st petersburg fl. It'll clean your air conditioner, and the smell in the car will again give you freshness every day. I don't see any other way out in this situation. A complete air conditioner cleaning and repair sounds long lasting, unlike bio bombs.

Edited by TeresaMiller on Monday 27th December 09:11

[wyson]

Sounds like it could be the previous seller deoderised the aircon system with an aircon bomb if it smells like chemicals. I usually have to drive with the windows cracked open for a week after deodorising my AC system. The interior smells die down after that but air coming out of the vents can smell like the chemicals for upto 3 weeks.

Then the system is odorless for about 18 months, at which point, it starts to smell musty stale again so I replace the pollen filter and aircon bomb it again.

I find activated charcoal pollen filters help with smells. They noticeably take off the edge.

Maybe do nothing for a few weeks, see if the smell subsides.

Edited by wyson on Saturday 25th December 00:02

[ninepoint2]

facavob said:

TeresaMiller said:

Bio bombs can help in the case of easy-to-remove odors. Of these odors, I can only name the faint smell of food when you sometimes go and eat hamburgers with your family or buy hot dogs. They also easily remove the smell of spilled alcohol and red wine. However, the smell of cigarettes is much harder to get out of your car. Especially if the air conditioner is blowing that smell at you, you most likely should call a master air conditioning repair Maxim Air AC Company. It'll clean your air conditioner, and the smell in the car will again give you freshness every day. I don't see any other way out in this situation. A complete air conditioner cleaning and repair sounds long lasting, unlike bio bombs.

Edited by TeresaMiller on Monday 27th December 09:11

Yes, a system refresh, which involves cleaning the AC system with a special solution, can help remove the noxious chemical smell from your car's AC. Additionally, cleaning the ducting and replacing the cabin air filter can also contribute to eliminating the odor. If the smell persists after these efforts, further inspection by a professional may be necessary to address any underlying issues.

Decent lurking there;)