trojan.525i

i get this funny smell everytime i turn on the air conditioner. it comes out initially for about 5 seconds and then goes away. and by everytime, i mean everytime after the car has been idle for about 6-8 hours.

any ideas on how to fix this??

thanks,

sam

nickolas_g

it is from the AC and the crap growing/collected.

Turn your heat on full blast for about 10 minutes and this will take care of it. Works every time.

Heelsonwheels

"crap growing"....thats a nice thought....
blast the heat... never thought of that.. thanks

stevej2001

Just in case that doesn't work...

Recently I had a peculiar smell when starting up my Lexus. It reminded me of the smell of natural gas (not gasoline). After a week or so of that, just lasting a few seconds, it became longer lasting and more intense.

I took it to the dealer and $325 later they had removed the dead rat from my ventilation system. Fortunately, with shampooing the entire interior, they banished the smell.

Rudy

This is a fairly common problem. Search the forums using the word "odor" and again using the word "odour" and you should find a bunch of topics about this...

jeepstertim

You can get anti fungal sprays (for the aircon!) then whip off the charcoal filter and spray liberally onto the matrix you will be able to see.

job done.

Tex735

There is some stuff called FrigiFresh or MOC A/C Odor Treatment that you can pick up at pretty much any dealer parts dept (I got mine at a local Ford dealership). You spray it into the air conditioner intake with the air conditioner on high and it kills fungus in the system. It is not as good as getting the dealer to do a true climate system cleaning, but it will take care of the "moss" and stuff that grows in there for 3 to 6 months (depending on the level of humidity where you live). Down here in South Texas, where the humidity is ALWAYS around 90% it is a very common problem. It is caused by airborn fungus and mold collecting in there and growing due to the huge amount of condensation that collects and stays after you turn off the car. Costs about $12 per can and one can is good for about 3 or 4 treatments. I have used it for the past 2 years with really good results.

jes0331

If you run the A/C frequently, and live in higher humidity areas, you should have the drain line(s) that carry runoff condensation from the evaporator periodically checked for blockage. If the drain line gets blocked, not only can more mildew grow in there, but leaks can develop that dampen the carpets and lead to other unsavory odors that are hard to eliminate.

MRV99

I still cannot understand why BMW cannot get this issue resolved. 70K cars should not smell like piss because of the Mildew that BMW cannot seem to prevent. Anyway BMW techs which do not BS me told me the best way to prevent this is to shut off the AC about 2-4 min before you get to your destination and just run the fan. This will help dry out the water that collects on the AC coils and helps prevent this from happening. I do know that BMW has a Spray that the techs can spray in the vents to help kill the mildew which is causing the smell but it is only a temporary fix.

bmwfan05

I get a smell too, but mine is the new leather :-)! hahaha