Smelly stinky socks / mold in Model 3 AC

[Eugene Ash]

2 cans of Klima and new filters. Follow directions and do 2 full treatments raining each can. I do this every 6 months. Also run with recirculate off unless really needed. The fan runs for 15-20 minutes when parked so leaving recirculate off when parking also helps. Lastly, try one of these:

Cabin Air Filter Clip (Bad Smell Preventer) for Tesla Model 3 and Y

A moisture barrier clip on the bottom of the cabin air filter can keep moisture from saturating the filter and causing a bad vinegar/moldy/cheesy/feet smell in Tesla Model 3 and Y.

everyamp.com

I did a thorough Koolit clean, and installed this clip. The clip definitely helps, as the car does not stink, and we're still in pacific northwest rain season... I highly recommend that clip and also started to include that in with my evaporator cleaner tool for Koolit. Adam did a great job diagnosing the root cause and testing the solution...

 

[Ti317]

Yes, tried a Lysol product. Helped for a while, but nothing ever makes it go away.

You may still want to try a fogger like this though. The Lysol products I’ve seen are either surface contact sprays or air sanitizer. I am not aware of a product they make designed to be released as a fog.

This one is released in the interior and the air run for several minutes on recycle or car wash mode to treat all the vents and ducts. It has to be cheaper and less intrusive than ozone.
Ozone can damage the upholstery and any rubber or plastic interior trim. Not saying it will but I would be reluctant to use it in a Tesla.
I would remove the filters, use the fogger with the car in car wash mode then leave it in the sun with the windows down for an hour.
That’s an $8, 3 hour exercise that won’t damage your car.

FWIW if the smell is worse when you start up but improves quickly after you run the climate control I think that still points to the filters being wet or organic matter being trapped in the intake side of the system.

 

[walla2]

I used microban spray in my car a few years ago. Sprayed, vented, sprayed, vented x 3. Changed filters. Odor went away and has never returned.

Of note, I noticed the odor devlop after adding an intake filter. Remove that if you are using one of those.

 

[holmgang]

My car's issue was fixed with a filter swap. (It was overdue for a change anyway).

There are a million of general odor-eliminator products out there, and specifically made for car purposes like from Autoglym:

Air-Con Sanitiser

Purge your air-con system with our Air-Con Sanitiser – an aerosol that’s proven to kill 99.999% of bacteria while leaving behind a fresh citrusy scent.

www.autoglym.com

Odour Eliminator

Eradicate smoke, pets and food smells with Odour Eliminator. A fast-working spray that freshens up car interiors, leaving behind long-lasting freshness.

www.autoglym.com

I can attest to 1 I personally used that was a miracle. Revivex Odor Eliminator

I had a waxed cotton jacket that somehow/somewhere/sometime picked up a strong old-cellar musk. I tried absolutely everything and the funk came back just as strong. I soaked the whole thing in vinegar water to kill bacteria. I aired it out in the sun. I sat it in the freezer. I stripped the wax, washed, dried, and rewaxed it. This odor seemed like it magically baked into each thread of the fabric or something.

Then I got that revivix odor eliminator, mixed 10ML of it to 20ML of water (basically a shot glass) in a spray bottle, sprayed it around the jacket.. damn smell disappeared. Amazing stuff. Supposedly it is based on active enzymes or something, but its not supposed to be damaging towards fabric or rubber and by itself has no smell. I would just spray it through the vent system and pray for magic.

 

[vickh]

I used microban spray in my car a few years ago. Sprayed, vented, sprayed, vented x 3. Changed filters. Odor went away and has never returned.

how did you use microban spray? into vents?

 

[BeeGood]

I did. I see this was useless as everyone assumes that today is my first day and I've not read through this post. I ask about ozone generators and everyone wants to re-diagnose because it couldn't be even remotely possible that I have a damn clue what I'm doing. Thanks anyway.

You seem pretty angry at people who are trying to help you and have no obligation to do so.

I say just sell the car. Life’s too short to be like this my friend.

 

[Flybyglass]

I did a thorough Koolit clean, and installed this clip. The clip definitely helps, as the car does not stink, and we're still in pacific northwest rain season... I highly recommend that clip and also started to include that in with my evaporator cleaner tool for Koolit. Adam did a great job diagnosing the root cause and testing the solution...

Any issue with the clip coming off when removing the filter?

 

[Ti317]

You seem pretty angry at people who are trying to help you and have no obligation to do so.

I say just sell the car. Life’s too short to be like this my friend.

Sometimes when people ask for opinions they only want to hear those that validate their preconceptions.
I raised the issue of potential damage to the interior from ozone and it was ignored.
Marsh, people here are just trying to share their experiences to see if somehow you can gain from them.
Nobody is trying to criticize you or imply that you do not know what you’re doing but clearly you haven’t been able to solve the issue heretofore. We are just trying to help each other.

 

[Eugene Ash]

Any issue with the clip coming off when removing the filter?

I wiggled the filter up and down, during the installation. It is snuggly attached. I have not changed the filter since then yet. I print mine in ABS so it is very unlikely that it would deform.

 

[BeeGood]

One alternative to the clip (if you don’t have access to a 3D printer) is to line the bottom of the first filter with duct tape. I did this in January and so far it’s been working great.

 

[Flybyglass]

I wiggled the filter up and down, during the installation. It is snuggly attached. I have not changed the filter since then yet. I print mine in ABS so it is very unlikely that it would deform.

I have a 3 and a Y. On the 3 I'm trying VION HEPA filters. They claim 90% better flow (offsetting the smaller frontal area of the filter) but most important the foam on edge is only a thin strip on the leading (intake) edge of the filter. I surmise that design leaves the drain channel clear where the wind foam border filters compress foam into the drain channel (so do similar designs to VION that put the foam on the trailing edge of the filter making drainage questionable). Condensation is defiantly draining freely as humidity increases. On my Y, I will use factory filters with the clip method. I suspect both will have the same result but I will know better in 6 months.

 

[walla2]

how did you use microban spray? into vents?

Into the air intake in the frunk.

Turned my fan to max. I opened the frunk and find the air intake to the back left. Microban comes out in a fine mist. Very short bursts of microban every 20 seconds or so trying to keep the microban from getting to thick, runny, drippy internal and letter air move it through the system. I let it sit until microban sprayed on a papertowel outside the car was also dry, and then changed my filters. No smell sense I did that years back. YMMV.

 

[n2fooz]

I did a thorough Koolit clean, and installed this clip. The clip definitely helps, as the car does not stink, and we're still in pacific northwest rain season... I highly recommend that clip and also started to include that in with my evaporator cleaner tool for Koolit. Adam did a great job diagnosing the root cause and testing the solution...

I printed and installed the clip from his second video also. Worked great for me, no odor since!

 

[bobbyjae]

The trick to keeping smells at bay is to flush out the A/C with fan only after each drive. After 3 years of ownership, my cabin air filters still look brand new.

 

[MikeyC]

I've been dealing with this for 3 years and I'll share what I've learned. First, don't spray anything in there that won't evaporate: like don't use Lysol or Ozium that can leave a greasy residue. Spraying a 50% water, 25% alcohol, 25% hydrogen peroxide mix into the frunk air inlet with the fan on max and not in recirc mode... will help for a few weeks but is temporary. At least that doesn't leave any residue as it contains ingregients that will chemically evaporate leaving nothing behind.

Similar to the clips and plastic barriers, you can just get the Abstract Ocean filters which have a plastic surround around all 4 sides. For me, those filters last a year here in humid FL. Every other filter lasts 3-4 months. I have no affiliation with that company: I simply tried their filters due to the plastic surround and I use them after cleaning with the Kool It coil cleaner once a year.

 

[vickh]

I printed and installed the clip from his second video also. Worked great for me, no odor since!

any place to buy it?

 

[Flybyglass]

any place to buy it?

Tesla Cabin Filter Clip for 2017-2023 Model 3 and Model Y | eBay

You can see LOTS more information including how to install it in the following video.

www.ebay.com

 

[Jejunjm]

I printed and installed the clip from his second video also. Worked great for me, no odor since!

Installed the clip, new filters, microban and klima. Smell back in 1 week. Fml.

 

[Flybyglass]

Installed the clip, new filters, microban and klima. Smell back in 1 week. Fml.

I had a similar situation a couple years ago. After about a month oder returned. I cleaned again but used 2 cans KLIMA (if foam overflowed I let it run down then finished the can) and followed the full procedure on the can (wait 20 minutes then fan open high for 2 minutes open all vents and on fresh). Also check the intake screen in the frunk. Remove the cover that has about 12 snaps, look down the intake to where the screen is. If debris, remove the intake (it is square or rectangle based on year) to better get to screen by the firewall. Sometimes leaves will stick to intake and as they break down cause odor. When I repeated I put in 2 new filters even though the filters were only a month old. Since then no problem. Right now I am running one car with the VION filters. They have a narrow down edge on the leading side of the filter allowing water to drain, on the other car I will try the clip method in about a week from now. Remember the clip goes 4.25 inches centered from the tab side of filter.

 

[MikeyC]

I concur that one can of cleaner may not be enough. IF you can get even spread with one can, it is enough but that's hard to do when you can't really see in there while applying it without something like a borescope. I've done one can and 2 new (regular) filters and had the smell return in a week. I just did it again with the Abstract Ocean filters that have the plastic surround and used one can carefully, making sure to evenly spread the foam and wait like 30 minutes. Did that about 2 months ago and so far, no smell at all.