I have a 06 TL and from the beginning I drove this car, I found there's a strange odor from the AC system, especially I used the AC for a while and then turned off the AC, the odor became very strong. But if I keep fan running for a while, it's getting better. I have sent this car back to dealer for several times, every time they said there's might be some mold inside the AC system, and they even tried keeping running AC at high temp for 3 hours (burning out the mold), but not much improvement. Any of you have similar problem? Any leak or any residual in the AC system? Thanks a lot.

 

filter???

 

Not sure about this car, but in the past I head the filter could be the culprit...

 

Thanks. but this problem started when the car was new, and I replaced filters about 2 months ago, no improvement.

 

the filter for the AC is the cabin filter, correct?

 

yes. that's right. I read a thread somewhere about the same thing. The amount of mold that builds up depends on how you use the recirculation function. It's recommended to keep the AC in recirc only when you start up the car and want to quickly cooldown the cabin. but afterwards, you should turn off recirc to allow fresh air to enter the vents and prevent condensation/mold build up (I believe the AUTO AC function does all this for you). Also, I heard it's a good idea to turn off the AC (leave just the fan running) prior to arriving at your destination, to dry out any moisture build up. yeah, I know it's a pain in the ass to remember, keeping an eye on that recirc function is the most important thing.

My AC would smell rancid from time to time, but I starting dissabling the recirc more ofter and the smell is rarely there anymore. There is some AC odor removing stuff that you can spray into the outside vents, that might help. you can find it at any auto store. Another thing I've always done to my cars is pull out the cabin filters and wedge some air freshener material inside the filter ridges (intake side of the filter of course). You can cut open those car freshener pouches or slice up a pine air freshener tag or something. Now, everytime you throw on the AC.....sweet smell of victory....or a scent of moldy lavender?....hope this helps.

 

Thanks a lot, mrlunecy. What you suggested is very similar with what the dealer told me. I will try to follow these for a while and see any improvement.

 

is that ac procedure from the gen3 book???- becasue its backwards of what I have always known
You want back windows down and ac on full `outside air` when you get in and start driving
The low pressure outside sucks the higher pressure cold air in thru the ac ports, and most importantly, sucks hot air right out the back windows.
Close the sunroof and back windows when cold air is everywhere.
THEN go to recirc and use the cold air over and over until you need a freshening and moist air again

To dry the vent tubes: turn AC off and run the fan on high- vent. That blows drying air thru the system for a few minutes- especially after a long hot run cycle on the ac

There is a product that gets installed inside the evaporator core/box-
that usually kills any mold inside- otherwise, get out the Ozium or lysol and saturate the vent intake and outlets- doesnt matter if you just changed the filter- check it for grunge
Get a bosch anti micro bacterial fighting cabin filter

 

it can possibly be a result from running the a/c on a hot day for long periods and the build up of condensation not dissipaiting therefore, leaving a musty smell behind for the next time the a/c is on. if i use my a/c i have gotten in the habit of turning of my a/c off a few minutes prior to arriving at my final destination, allowing the a/c lines a few extra minutes to dissipate the condensation, eliminating the possible odor. that may not make any sense if not, i apologize....

 

http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-...freshener.html

I've used it - it works.

 

move to cali. and you wont have to worry about the moldy smell.

 

Wow what a helpful answer! Moving to CA will not solve a smelly AC problem. The 1z Klima Cleaner is a great product and so is BG-Clean and BG Frigi-Fresh. I've used both with really good results. Follow the instructions for the 1z Cleaner to avoid drilling a hole in your evap box. Also you should be able to find the BG products at your local dealerships parts dept. I know my Honda dealer and Nissan dealer carry them. Expensive but worth it!
Link below:
http://www.bgprod.com/products/climatecontrol.html