Started about a month ago, the a/c would smell like mildew / stale water after the car has been parked for some time after the car turns on, then go away in 5 - 10 seconds. This is more detectable after the car's been parked under the sun, but happens even after being parked in an underground garage overnight.

I went to the dealer today to have it checked, suspecting it might be related to the a/c drain TSB. It turned out that the TSB didn't apply to my '09, and the tech said that it's due to condensation that's common to most cars. Supposedly the water condensation for the a/c stays around when the car is turned off, then it starts to smell after a while with whatever bacteria that's in the water, and blows out with the air when the a/c is turned on.

It's also worth noting that this didn't happen until maybe 6 weeks ago, after I've had the car for 6 months, and that coincided with my move from Mountain View, CA to San Jose, CA.

Has anyone experienced this? I'm not convinced that it happens to all cars since my previous car (a Toyota) definitely didn't have this for the 3 years I owned it. Could it be the air in San Jose?

 

Ive experienced it, and found out it is from leaving your a/c on while the car is off. Well thats what my mechanic said, but i got mine all fixed for $30 or so. They put some sort of fog machine type thing in your car and turn on the a/c and let it suck in all the smell. Under the dash the evaporator gets moist as it cools the car and when you turn off the car and park everything heats up and whatever is in the a/c smells. Mild detergent bleach shot into the vents helps but unless you clean the evaporator out the start up a/c smell will be there.It is best have a technician remove the Evaportator coil and high pressure wash and put back in.

 

no. it's common. my 6 year old car and my 10 year old toyota had the same smell.

do you use the a/c a lot?

once it starts, it's very very hard to get rid of.

There are some foam a/c cleaners you can pump into your vents, but I don't know how well they work.

The lysol method never worked for me.

all you can do is run the fan or low heat for a few minutes before turning off the car to dry out the pipes.

 

Thanks for the tips. Did the problem ever come back after you went through the trouble? Seems like there's gotta be some event that causes this that can (maybe) be prevented.

 

I had the same problem and took it to the dealer this week on Monday. They also told me it is common and there is not much that can be done. They did spray some deodrant spray in there but it already wore off and the smell came back. I'm going to try TheDzadz's idea with turning the A/C off everytime I turn the car off. I pretty much have the A/C on all the time.

 

I live in GA where it's very humid in the summer. We cut the A/C off when we get into our neighborhood and ride the last few minutes with the fan on, but A/C off. Not perfect, but helps significantly. Lysol into the vent at the windshield was required every day for a couple of weeks on our SC400 after we bought it used. Been fine ever since.

 

Mine stinks too

 

+1 rapt, my dealer told me the exact same thing, will try the new idea and report back

 

Is there any specific recommendation on the product to spray into the vent? I'm worried about corrosion and such.

 

I have tried the lysol and friggie-fresh sprayed in the air intake and in the vents but it never works.

My dealership offers a new system (MiST) that totally takes care of it.
Here is the website of the product, it has a listing of dealerships that offer it in your area. I have had it done two years in a row and swear by it.

MiST

steviej

 

where is the evaporator?

is it low in the dashboard?

 

Yes, the evaporator is under your dash in your a/c ducting.

 

I am happy to know that in AZ its almost to dry to moisture to sit anywhere. I have seen the humidity at 2% before. Its usually from 6-14% humidity

 

so that means the only easy way to clean this crap is to fill it with foam and lysol through the cowl intakes and inside vents.

i have another car that has horrible mildew smell. i gotta get on this.

 

I had this in my old civic, did the lysol trick that would work for awhile but require spraying again every so often.

The smell started on my GS earlier this year and I brought it to the dealership who recommended an a/c treatment that would get rid of it for ~$200 I think? Got rid of the smell and hasn't returned.