PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

one other thing u could do is that after driving it all day with the AC on, do this.

once ur about 3-5 mins away from final destination roll down ALL the windows and put the heater on FULL blast. let it do that for ~5mins or longer depending on how bad it reeks and it should kill the smell. the smell comes from mildew.mold which starts to grow when u drive around in the heat with the AC on and then just turn the car off, leaving tons of water in the system. by heating it, you are effectively ridding the car of the water and any place for the mold/mildew to grow. if the smell is already really bad it may just take leaving it on for up to 20 mins.

worked for me

-Annant

HarrierAWD

I used Lysol on my last car's AC with good result. The Lysol smell (fresh scent) was quite pleasant and went away in 2 days. The problem was that the mildew smell came back a month later, so I had to respray Lysol. My last car didn't have a cabin air filter.

Prevention is better than treatment in this case. Check your cabin air filter and replace when necessary. Don't let wet leaves stay in the cowl area. Don't use recirc mode unless absolutely necessary. No smell in my RX300 so far. Hope I can keep it that way. The dry and clean Colorado air may have helped, too.

Some older model GM cars can be retrofited with a 5-minute fan blower relay. It turns the fan on for 5 minutes after you shut off the car and key out of ignition. It dries out the AC evaporator. Quite convenient, but somehow GM stopped making those. Supposely the new ES has some kind of coating that prevents mildew growth. Not sure why Lexus doesn't do it to all models.

golffnutt

Thanks guys for all the advice and replies, I really apppreciate it. Have a great day.

chicagoblknazn

I haven't seen this thread in a while....

I tried the lysol trick last year and it never worked as long as I wanted it too. Within a few days the smell came back and I hate the smell of lysol.

Has anyone got their hands on that foam stuff from Toyota?

HarrierAWD

You must remove the cabin air filter first, or Lysol is just gonna soak the filter and not get to the evaporator. My last car didn't have a filter. Turn on the A/C and fan full blast, then spray Lysol into the air intake in the cowl area for about one minute. Don't use recirc mode of course. Let it sit overnight, then run the fan full blast next morning to clear most of the smell.

Use the fresh scent Lysol (light blue can.) I once used the potpourri scent and it gave me a big headache. In my case, Lysol worked for about a month, then the smell came back so I had to repeat the process.

chicagoblknazn

I used that Lysol too....I thought I was going to die.

golffnutt

OK guys I tried the Lyson trick, worked fine for 2 days, then the bad smell came right back. I have NOT been able to locate the cabin filter in my '96 ES300, it is NOT next to the gas pedal in my model as some have claimed, I promise you it is not there nor is there an empty slot for it. Any other ideas on where it may be even if there is one???????? Also any other suggestions of how to remove the smell? I would really appreciate some replies as the smell is very repulsive and I need to eliminate it. Thanks again.

HarrierAWD

I am not familiar with the ES. My RX300's cabin filter is located behind the glove box. Have you checked that location? In the RX300, it is hidden behind a plastic cover. I have to remove it to expose yet another plastic cover. The filter is attached to the second plastic cover. Very hard to find unless you already knew it's there.

Also check the A/C drain hole to make sure it's not clogged. An easy way is to check under the car for dripping water after a long drive with A/C on. And make sure you are using outside air (recirc = off.)

Yes, the mildew smell can get really nasty. It almost smelled like urine in my last car. So I am with you and hope you get this resolved soon.

Hameed

I have tried the method that purdrifter (see below) recommended and all I have to say is that it is just BRILLIANT!!!!.

I set my heater on the highest temp at full blast for 30 mins last week and the smell is completely and totally gone!!!!! I tried it also on my wifes car and the nasty smell is completely gone from her car as well. I did this with the windows down and driving home on a nice day.

golffnutt - just give that a try and you will be pleasantly surprised!!!! No need for any chemicals or other stuff.

golffnutt

Thanks guys, Hameed when I turn the heat on do I set it on outside recir. or use the inside cir. button. Do I turn on the AC button and turn heat setting all the way to high or do I not turn on AC button and turn on hear setting to high? Thanks again for your help guys.

Hameed

I set the air to come in from outside and had the AC itself off. In other words I just cranked up the temp to the highest setting (and highest fan speed) and made sure the AC itself was off. I did that for about 20 mins, then I turned the AC on (left other settings the same - high temp and fast fan speed) and did that for another 15 mins.

golffnutt

Got it, thanks a lot, I will give it a try tonight.

Hameed

Let us know how it goes!

Just for extra measure, I did the same thing the following morning for another 20 mins when I was taking my kids to school. Absolutely no bad smell at all coming from my 5 1/2 year old GS400 and my wifes 7 year old Maxima now!

golffnutt

Will do, probably on Thur.

HarrierAWD

That's good to know. I'll share that with my friends who have the smell problem with their A/Cs.