Leeladisky

Help!!! I have had the vehicle ot service 3 times and they now say it's something in the programming of the AC that causes the vinegar smell in the ventilation... anyone else have a stinky air conditioning? They state they are going to reprogram the ECU, however, I cannot imagine them doing this just for me.... anyone???

Lee

dmanbluesf

I've smelt that problem in the '04 GS3, and they put some chemical in the a/c chamber thing... it didn't do anything, so when summer/spring rolls around, we will have to have them fix it...

nardeezy

Vinegar, not sure if that's the decription for me. I do have a smell from the ventilation when i turn off the A/C and it's blowing fresh/recycled air. However, i noticed that smell in other cars too. Nothing out of the ordinary but it does smell odd, kinda stinks.

foofighter

mine was doing that as well...was pretty foul at times.

INHOCJP

Had the same problem in my last GS. The dealership would put spray some foam chemical to remedy the smell. Unfortunately my current GS is starting to develop the same smell.

Leeladisky

According to my dealer today, Lexus is aware of the problem and it is somehow related to the a/c ECU systems. I don't know when/if they will be able to fix it. I have TWO kids with Asthma (I have it too) and smells like this can trigger attacks. I opened a complaint with National - I'm not going to pay $50k+ and risk my kids health - they can take the car back if they can't fix it... It's in the shop for the 3rd time now for the same problem....

L

john37

mine smells like that when the vent is opened. when its set to recirculate then the smell goes away. i think moisture builds up when outside air comes in and a mildew smell forms. Kind of like when you leave you clothes in the washer too long before drying it.

chuckb

every time before you turn off your car/ac, turn off the compressor and let the fan blow on high at fresh air(not recirc) for at least 30seconds before you shut it off.

mine gets stinky too if I don't do this. since I have been doing this, it is fine.


also, spray crisp linen lysol in the intake vents in front of windshield with fan on full speed/ fresh air once in a while.

merclexus

yup. smells like wet dirty towel. not right for $50k+ car with less than $5k miles on them. I'll have to ask the dealer when i go in for my 5K service.

chuckb

mildew does not care how much your car cost. my GS cost $50k when new too, and like I said, it will get stinky if you don't take those precautions. Since I've been doing that, I have no odor.

do a search and you'll see.

Leeladisky

Folks - I appreciate it, however, the recommended solutions aren't applicable - mildew isn't building up in California right now because the weather is too cold. In fact, the compressor isn't even running enough to create moisture on the ground under the vehicle! My LS-430 '01 never had these problems and I don't run my AC any differently in this vehicle than my prior LS. It's a vehicle specific issue and the smell is OVERWHELMING and INTERMITTANT. If it was mildew, it would be consistant and the dealer has confirmed that, at least, it's not mildew.

I have opened up a case with corporate on this and have given them 7 days to fix the problem or I will bring the car in for service AGAIN, and I will not return the loaner car until it's resolved 100%. At that point, it will meet lemon law criteria - the dealer is being wonderful, but Lexus has admitted there is an issue and now needs to fix the ECU they claim is the culprit ASAP. The last time I heard this from Lexus they never fixed the problem and 12 mos later I had to give the vehicle back to the dealer at a substantial loss because of the Lexus cellphone fiasco... As you can probably tell I'm bitter and won't allow the same thing to happen again.

Lee

e-man

I've got the same issue. I'm not saying that it's acceptable for a $50k+ car to do this, but I think a lot of people have the problem. For me, it's pretty much every morning for the first 30 seconds or so. It goes away pretty quickly once the fan kicks in past the first hash mark.

Chuck, I'll have to try your solution. It makes sense. What you do when you shut off your car is pretty much the same thing I do when I start it, and that is to let the fan blow the smell out of the system.

Lee -- I know this doesn't help your situation, particularly in light of your kids. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

e-man

Leeladisky

Will do - thanks for the support and understanding!

lexuslover

we experience the same thing every now and then and it is certainly embarrassing if you have passengers. it has something to do with switching between outside/recirculated air, and i agree it is intermittent and cannot be duplicated on cue. we've definitely smelled it at least twice a month, but i figure it i cannot duplicate it for the dealer so i never brought it up.

it is not great, and definitely annoying given how much we paid, but i'm too lazy to get it looked at. i've had too many "cannot duplicate" from the local San Diego dealers between the SC, RX, and GS. the GS is by far my most reliable and always has been (this is my 3rd one). the RX is next, and the SC is the worst of the bunch. kinda hard to believe considering what praise it gets, but maybe my early production RX and GS (both acquired at launch) are "lucky". i've noticed a lot of variation in people's experiences.

anyway, i agree w/ you Lee. given the health of your children, it is not safe and definitely worth the fight. for me i just open the window and let it go away. but yes, it is annoying and makes me wonder if MB and BMW are "that bad", especially since i typically lease and how bad could a 36-mo lease be under warranty w/ MB and BMW??

sorry to go O/T - good luck with the dealer, and let us know how it goes. if there is a fix available, i'd certainly like to get it done!

Leeladisky

I will keep you all apprised of the situation and vent....er...um..report frequently.