I am getting a very bad smell, like rotten eggs, when I turn on my air conditioner initially. This odor disappears after say 3 to 5 minutes until I stop and start the air conditioner again. A similar smell also comes, but less so, when the air conditioner is not on but only the fan and disappears similarly. Have taken it to the dealer and they have not been able to fix it. Has anyone else had this problem and any thoughts on how I can get it fixed? Thanks.

 

This happened to a buddys car and he was told that it was his battery. It was something like the battery getting ready to explode or something like that. I will try and get in touch with him to make sure.

 

i had the same problem with my ls400... u can go to pep boys or rite aid and get this air conditioning cleaner i dont remember the name but it worked well. (white can with thin spray nozzle)all you have to do is pop ur hood and where the air vents for the a/c are(back of the engine bay right under your windshield wipers) you just spray the stuff in there wiht the car on and the ac set on highest. do this 2 or 3 times and you should be good. this stuff kills all the bacteria and moisture that may be in the lines and best of all its only a 20$ fix

 

a mildew smell?

 

Is there a cabin filter we can change? My bmw has a microfilter which can be replaced and my car no longer smells.

 

yes these cars do have a cabin filter. right on the glove compartment area.

 

its actually under the glove box area. Their is two wing nuts under the glove box, take them off and then the cover. You will be able to slip the filter in. I've heard people make their own filter, but i bought my filter from Lexus.

 

as far as a mildew smell... check your passenger floors carpet... is it wet?... i had this happen in my ls as well it turned out that the ac compressor overflow was clogged and it was leaking into my passenger side carpet giving off that horrible mildew smell...for the longest time i had no clue what was going on... i went to my lexus dealership and one of the techs gave me a great tip.. under the car where the ac overflow is, u can take an air compressor with a thin needle and shoot it up there. if its clogged u should see debris and a trail of water start leaking out moments after. the tech told me its very common and that sometimes spiders climb in there and lay eggs which clogs the overflow. if your passenger floor is not wet, i would probably agree wioth everyone above and replace your cabin filter. there relatively inexpensive.