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AC odor removal and cleaning
- Thread starter Lanzer
- Start date
In my neck of the woods (Long Island, NY) , my SC is about 15 miles away and whenever I book an appointment they automatically fill it as a mobile appointment. In my 1+ year of owning the M3 I've never actually had to bring it in to the SC.
Mod Y Guy
Supporting Member
Chalk up another Tesla 3 owner with the "foot odor" air conditioning smell. I noticed it probably 7 to 8 months in. It would come and go but now that it's summer, in Southern CA, it's been more noticeable. I wasn't about to pay over $200 at my local service center for something I could do myself for fifty bucks! I just did it yesterday, by using the Nextzett Klima Cleaner that was $16 (https://www.amazon.com/nextzett-961...klima+cleaner&qid=1564078456&s=gateway&sr=8-3) and I purchased two new cabin air filters from a local Tesla Service Center for $34. It all took about an hour total and it was a fairly easy process. After the foaming it immediately smelled better and looked extremely fresh and clean (see pic). I'm crossing my fingers that it will work!
asus389
Member
Are you guys spraying the foam with the blower off or are you running it to help push the foam through the evaporator?
Mod Y Guy
Supporting Member
Blower off, then after 20 minutes run the fan/AC for five minutes on low to flush the system. Fingers crossed.
Fusion
Member
Has anyone tried an ozone generator with the HVAC on recirc? I don't (yet) have the issue, but have done this on other cars with long lasting results. Ozone will oxidize the organic contaminants in the car such as mold that could be causing odors.
If you decide to do this there are a few safety considerations, I'd recommend to use the ozone generator while the car is parked outside of a garage and only for an hour or two. Let the car air out with windows down for at least 30 minutes after turning off ozone to allow it to dissipate, as it's harmful to breathe but quickly converts back to more stable compounds like oxygen.
These ozone generators are available on Amazon for under $150 and can also be used in basements, campers, and other things that get musty odors.
You'd still need to replace the cabin air filters when needed, but it would eliminate the need for the foam cleaners.
If you decide to do this there are a few safety considerations, I'd recommend to use the ozone generator while the car is parked outside of a garage and only for an hour or two. Let the car air out with windows down for at least 30 minutes after turning off ozone to allow it to dissipate, as it's harmful to breathe but quickly converts back to more stable compounds like oxygen.
These ozone generators are available on Amazon for under $150 and can also be used in basements, campers, and other things that get musty odors.
You'd still need to replace the cabin air filters when needed, but it would eliminate the need for the foam cleaners.
Yeah I looked at a lot of different cleaners since the Klima cleaner was out of stock. Most other cleaners don't seem to mention anything about mold/mildew removal, and are designed to work in an open environment so I don't know if it's safe for indoor/car use. At the end I opted to spend 10 more bucks on Klima. Too bad they're not regulated and we can't see the "active ingredients" on these cleaners.
Eno Deb
Active Member
I have a small ozone generator (cost under $50) and have successfully used it against persistent smells in kitchen cabinets and the like. But if you're going to change the filters anyway, foaming the evaporator while doing that is easier. Ozone might be helpful if if you have mold in the vents, but given the potential safety issues I would only use it if the foam doesn't work.
BTW, it's now been almost 4 weeks since I changed the filters and used the foam and the smell still hasn't returned.
asus389
Member
I tried Klima Cleaner on one of my other cars (a VW GTI) and it didn’t work very well. Basically, I sprayed it on the evaporator via the blower duct, my car went from smelling musty and causing allergies to smelling like a lemon chemical and then a few weeks later back to smelling musty. To be fair, I have allergies to some scented cleaners so I wasn’t all that surprised. So after I used it I was never able to figure out if I was still reacting to the mold or the cleaner or both.
The only unscented foam product that I found was DWD2. Anyone used this one?
The only unscented foam product that I found was DWD2. Anyone used this one?
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Eno Deb
Active Member
Are you sure you used this product (and not their "odor bomb"):
Klima Cleaner Air Conditioner Cleaner
That's what I used and it isn't really scented (and certainly not lemon). It has a slightly "chemical" smell that completely dissipated after an hour or so.
I am considering this option, since a total of three bottles of Klima haven’t worked on my car, and I can’t get a replacement cabin air filter easily since they are on backorder. it will be nice when 3rd party filters are available.
MacGreiner
5YJ
Yeah - I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else has done this. Interested in how/if it reacted with any internal vehicle materials too.
I wouldn't have any concerns with ozone harming interior materials as long as you don't leave it on for extended periods - days to weeks. Any problems I've heard of are when an undersized unit is used for way too long. Any ozone generator using single or multiple ceramic plates at least 4.5" x 4.5" should be enough to "shock" a car in my experience. The very cheap ozone generators use much smaller plates. Hope this helps.
Fusion
Member
You could order what most service centers use to do the clean. It's called a AC refresher kit. Find either a Subaru or Toyota parts and ask for the following:
Subaru part #: SOA868V9315
or
Toyota part #: 00053-00008 or 00289ACRKT
Subaru part #: SOA868V9315
or
Toyota part #: 00053-00008 or 00289ACRKT
Good info. FYI for those sensitive to odors, what the service center uses is VERY smelly. It was pretty overpowering on my drive home after my last treatment.
I'm the opposite - if the ozone concentration was high enough to kill mold/mildew, I would be concerned about its affect on other organic material in the car (seats/dash/etc.), as well as my lungs if I happened to be in the car while running it.
This is very much not recommended for an ozone "shock" treatment. It would be harmful at the levels those machines can put out.
Can you or someone who has done this post a step by step video? I would like to do this but have no idea how. I've seen videos on how to get to the air filter, but not where to put this stuff?
Thank you!!
Thank you!!
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