[vivprasad]

My i10 Magna bought in February had this problem from day one. The first time the AC was switched on it would smell of rotten food. And no food had ever been consumed. It would be there for about 3-4 minutes and then vanish. I pointed this out at the first service after which the foul smell went down considerably but was certainly there. But since the time of the second service, its no longer there. But believe me, in the initial stages, that rotten food smell first thing when I would sit in the car to go to the lab, was just plain awful...despite somebody gifting me a bottle of deo, I did not use it. Nothing specific, just a personal feature: Have never liked artificial "smells".

[Exhaust_Note]

Bumping up an old thread since better than starting a new one. In my car, a 6 month old Wagon R, last 2-3 months I get a foul smell like a dead rat or urine stink when I use only the blowers. Once I switch on the compressor, the smell goes off.

I had used deo sprays in the car and sprayed them into the AC vents too! This was not there in the new car, but I "feel" some time after using the spray.

Guys can any one please confirm if that is indeed the reason? and what is the remedy? I am planning a Mumbai-Pune-Goa trip and this is going to cause issues. Also there is no other smell in the car, none at all. Only when the Blower only mode is used.

[Gany]

Hi, I have similar issues on my Toyota Corrolla-Altis. First it started as a foul smell. After the 1st service the smell from AC went off. However a new problem started of outside smell coming in. This is very noticeable when I pass by sewage (like agara lake, Varthur lake etc) and also when I am behind a heavy smoking diesel trucks. Toyota service guys attended this 2 times. They said some rat had gone & bitten the filter. But the problem still continues...planing to give it again but not getting time as they need 2 days of time to remove the dash etc. Anyone else noticed this problem? Or if it is truly rat issue, does anyone know how to keep these rats away! I had kept the ratkill near my parking space! I know another friend of mine had issues with rat cutting some wiring in his CIVIC and Honda guys fitted some mesh to prevent rat entry. Toyota does not have such fitment it seems. This problem of outside smell is really a big bother. I drive with recirculation always, only keep the widow open for few minutes near my home but afterwords the windows are shut. Can't take Bangalore dust!

[FrozeninTime]

There is a peculiar burning plastic smell emanating from my Swift's air conditioner whenever it is kept in recirculating mode.The smell appears every few seconds and then smell disappears only to reappear again after few seconds.When Fresh air mode is selected,there is no smell from air conditioner.
I had recently done Anti rust under-coating in my car,could this be reason for smell from my car's air conditioner?

@moderators-Instead of opening new threads,I posted in this old thread, I hope it is okay, if not please take appropriate action.

[rock18]

Try OWS AC odour eliminator.It will get rid of the bacteria,fungi and bad odor (product description).
Speedworks.in.
I went to a car spa to do some interior cleaning.They suggested me this product as an option.
Even though i don't have any bad odor in my car,i have asked them to do this, as i frequently travel with my 1 year old baby.

[500modder]

Originally Posted by Xtreme Torque

yes xezas, there is a relation. because when the underbody treatment is done, some of the liqid does make its way upto the ac chambers. Hence the smell. Dont worry, it'll go away after sometime. Or you could get the a/c filters and the ac system as a whole flushed. Costs approx. Rs.350.

I have this problem. Got my ac flushed 2 times at the Honda dealer. It hasn't worked. The car has done 4000Km and the smell is still there. How long did it take for the smell in your AC to go? Anything I can do to hasten the process?

[hellsangelzooms]

Even my 2007 swift was giving this problem. Today my dad got the carpet removed and drove around, there was no smell. So we would be getting the carpet cleaned or maybe change the carpet and see if it still exists

[agbenny]

Hi,

I keep getting a strange smell from the AC vent especially in the mornings.

When I reported twice with A.S.S they check the AC filter,cleaned and confirmed that they had fixed - But unfortunately they haven't.

But when I reported again, they said such a small after couple of days of idle state is normal. I couldn't accept as I had even kept he car unused for even weeks before. Now they say the only way is to check the AC completely and need to dismantle the dashboard etc and do a complete overhaul.

I suspect it could be some leakage - But I am unsure about this. I even think of going to some other non A.S.S AC mechanic for a second opinion and fix.

Any expert opinion on this?

[mpksuhas]

It is bit strange that the smell persists even after changing ac filter. My DIY for AC smell is this -
Roll up all windows
Change AC temperature knob to warmest.
Park the car under sun
And run AC in circulation mode for around 15mins

This works for me

[debugged]

I think you're referring to the mildew/mold smell when you switch on A/C, mostly during winter/rainy season, and lingers for a few minutes.

I've learnt to live with it, but that usually means some water is left out and not draining from the A/C condensor coils. People suggest to switch of the A/C compressor and have just the blower run (Not sure about the temperature setting) for last 5-10 minutes so that the water evaporates / gets cleaned from the coils. but I've never followed that. Try that for sometime.

[agbenny]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[rajeev k]

Is it any foul smell and is your AC's cooling effect normal? If yes, then look out for possible entry of rats into the engine bay and intake duct area.

[VW2010]

If you have AIr Cabin filters you can check them first.

Secondly moisture build up is the reason as someone rightly pointed out. Leave the blower to run without the AC for few minutes.

Alternatively you can run the blower with heater fully on for few minutes. There are also foam available to clean the vents

http://solutions.3mindia.co.in/wps/p...-Cleaner+Foam/

Few preliminary checks you can do

- Check the blower below the front glove box. The blower is usually located here and its no rocket science. You can remove the blower, clean any dust, leaves etc,
- Check under the hood near the in take if there are any leaves, dust, water or any disturbances.


I used to have this in my Swift and i ensure i clean up the blower ever two-three weeks. Even the ducts were reachable through below the glove box.

With Jetta, i concentrate more on the pollen filter and hardly have faced a day in the last three years of stale smelling AC vent.

[nitinbose]

Do you park your car in the basement or in a dark place? If so, that's the answer. Fungii remain dormant in various parts of the car and A/C ducts are a lavish place for them. When you park in the dark they multiply giving the odour.

To get rid of them is a gradual process. Take your car out of the dark place and roll down all the windows. With the A/C OFF, set the blower to its maximum and you can set the temperature to 25-28 degrees. Keep it this way for about 15 minutes daily and you can get away with the problem.

This is from my personal experience.

[agbenny]

Originally Posted by agbenny

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.



Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

Sorry for that!
Would you mind sending the content I posted? I can correct and post it again. I don't see that anymore.
I use a spell check - Chrome's spell check plugin. I am not very good in English, studied in native language medium till my higher education. :-)