Weird Smell...

Was the heat on before, or was the air conditioner on before it was shut off? It's that time of year where I switch between heat in the morning and air in the afternoon and that always gives funky smells.

probably just a dead rat in the vent.

I get a musty smell after letting the car sit for a bit after using the AC, it clears up after 2 minutes or so.

It's mildew. It comes from shutting your car off when the A/C is still on. The cold condensor and cold air passages collect condensation when the car is turned off, and that moisture causes mildew to grow. Most car dealerships sell / use an HVAC cleaner that they spray into the air intake while the fan is on, and this takes care of it most of the time.

To prevent this from happening, turn off the A/C but leave the fan blowing for the last few minutes of your trip. This will raise the temperature of the condensor and air passages to more closely match the outside temperature so they don't collect condensation.

along those same lines-
my first thought was- perhaps that A/C filter is dirty- but then figured- nah- cuz it would keep smelling funky....
so my question is- does the A/C filter come into play all the time that any of the climate control options are used (heat, AC, fresh air, recirc air)? or does it only filter incoming air if you use the fresh air option?
(i will admit- it might be in the handbook- but figured- i know others have gotta have this question-- and i got no qualms about hearing RTFM!! lol )

tampajoey said:

along those same lines-
my first thought was- perhaps that A/C filter is dirty- but then figured- nah- cuz it would keep smelling funky....
so my question is- does the A/C filter come into play all the time that any of the climate control options are used (heat, AC, fresh air, recirc air)? or does it only filter incoming air if you use the fresh air option?
(i will admit- it might be in the handbook- but figured- i know others have gotta have this question-- and i got no qualms about hearing RTFM!! lol )

Click to expand...

All air goes through the cabin filter.

OP the next time you go in for servicing tell the service manager about your vent smell and ask them to run their cleaner in it.

Yeah I always forget to turn the air off before I get out of the car, so that sounds like the problem. I will try what yall said and turn it off before I get out. When I go to the dealer I will ask them to clean out the system.

Thank you all for the help with this! This was really annoying me..

A shot of Fabreeze throught the vents once in a while would help out too.

[email protected] said:

A shot of Fabreeze throught the vents once in a while would help out too.

Click to expand...

Dunno why, but I lold Hard when I read this.

Hahahahaha that is pretty good. It's like my dirty laundry... just spray it with cologne and it's good as new.

If you run hot air through the vents for a bit you should find that the smell disappears quickly.