Smell from air-con

J

justin_case

Guest
Hi, I have a 02 Audi A4 and Sunday nite just after starting the car, there was an unbelieveably bad smell coming from the air conditioning/air vents in the car. So bad now that I had to drive with the windows open and could still smell it after turning off the air. Monday am, same smell, but it seems to be getting a bit better the past 2 days. Not sure if its that, or me getting slightly more immune to it.
Has anyone come across anything like this before? Iv heard of Gas in air-con running low or something, but does that cause a smell?

Any thoughts/solutions appreciaited (ie is main dealer best place to go, or is there specialists for this kinda thing)
 
I had a similar experience with a Ford Mondeo, i cant recall what the cause was but Ford Dealer diagnosed the cause and repaired it.
 
Did it smell like rotten eggs ? Then it could be from the exhaust of the car in front with a dodgy Catalytic converter.
Smells can stick to the pollen filter too so even though the source of the original smell is long gone, the filter can pass on the smell into the cabin for quite some time.
 
I occasionally have the same trouble with my A3. Because the AC generates condensation, you can get damp areas or spots with sitting water which then will facilitate bacterial/fungal growth and hence the smell. You can get antibacterial sprays that you leave in your car with the AC on full whack until the can is fully discharged. Aldi do them occasionally and they've worked for me, I presume you can get them in Halfords and the like as well.
 
cheers for the replies. will suss out the anti-bac sprays.
pique, it was more like dead animal than rotten eggs! was almost get out of the car unbearable!
if i find the exact cause il keep ye posted.
thanks again.
 
Uh oh. I hate to say it, but it 'could' be a dead animal. Cats have a habit of jumping up into parked cars engine bays when they're nice and warm. You can imagine what happens when the engine starts and pulleys, belts etc start moving.

Pop the bonnet and have a look. :eek:
 
I had the same issue with my aircon, also in an A4. In the end, i bought an air-con cleansing product from halfords for €20...can't remember the name of it....you basically put it on the back seat of the car, turn on your air-con and set it to recirculate the air inside the car, activate the spray and exit the car. Wait for 15 minutes. The smell you are getting may be originating in bacteria inside your air-con unit.

It worked.
 
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