AC odor removal and cleaning

[BOBEDIGITL]

Had a service appointment today at the Buena Park SC for an unrelated issue. Told them about the smell coming from the vents when using the AC and the SA said it was a known problem that would be fixed via a firmware update. He said that when too much moisture is getting trapped, odors can happen. So the update is apparently going to make the fan work a little more to make that moisture go away before automatically shutting down....his explanation Didn't say anything about changing the filter or anything like that. Who knows.

 

[Reid_S]

Still a little bitter, so I'm getting these instead of giving Tesla money for the OEM filters:
Model 3 HEPA Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Hopefully the activated charcoal keeps them from smelling funky. We'll see...

 

[Atari2600]

Oh, that is interesting. My car smelled like vinegar. Wonder if it was from the filter itself.

Do the filters touch the evaporator and get wet? Come to think of it I've never owned a car where the filters were this close. Just brainstorming...

 

[plasmo]

Still a little bitter, so I'm getting these instead of giving Tesla money for the OEM filters:
Model 3 HEPA Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Hopefully the activated charcoal keeps them from smelling funky. We'll see...

Nice, I didn't see these filters before... however almost 2x the price... plus the order page is miseleading (doesn't actually include a can of Foam Cleaner), however Tesla Raj says it's better...

 

[vickh]

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I finally got my filters today after they overnighted them to me yesterday.

It’s strange because one filter smells like nothing, but the other one had a faint smell of the vinegar-y smell to it (the box was sitting in the sun at my front door) when I opened it.
An hour later after the filters cooled down to room temperature, I don’t smell the vinegar anymore.

I’m sure the filters are new, but it was interesting that the smell was there and I think it is more apparent when the filters are hot.


Now to finally foam up and swap my filters...
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interesting that new filters would have that smell @ high temparature. I wonder if the problem is with the filter. Let us know if the problem goes away after swap

 

[Az_Rael]

Do the filters touch the evaporator and get wet? Come to think of it I've never owned a car where the filters were this close. Just brainstorming...

I dont recall seeing anything in the filter box that would prevent them from leaning up against the coils unless the foam surrounding the coils does. Either way they are only separated by less than an inch.

They are raised above the drain channels at the bottom by some plastic diverters, but would be in contact with the foam down there. If the foam is open cell and gets wet, then the bottom filter will be getting wet too.

 

[vickh]

are any of the after market filters better quality then Tesla. Maybe "biohazard" Model S quality

 

[derotam]

Still a little bitter, so I'm getting these instead of giving Tesla money for the OEM filters:
Model 3 HEPA Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Hopefully the activated charcoal keeps them from smelling funky. We'll see...

Just know what you are buying there...those do not adhere to the HEPA standard by a long shot.... And the Tesla filters have activated charcoal I them also, maybe not as much but it is still there.

 

[Reid_S]

Just know what you are buying there...those do not adhere to the HEPA standard by a long shot.... And the Tesla filters have activated charcoal I them also, maybe not as much but it is still there.

Might be complete trash, but I refuse to give Tesla a dime for something that should be covered under warranty.

 

[Eno Deb]

Nice, I didn't see these filters before... however almost 2x the price... plus the order page is miseleading (doesn't actually include a can of Foam Cleaner), however Tesla Raj says it's better...

It's actually almost 3x the price (the Tesla filters cost $34/pair).

 

[brkaus]

Just know what you are buying there...those do not adhere to the HEPA standard by a long shot.... And the Tesla filters have activated charcoal I them also, maybe not as much but it is still there.

Say more? Why? (Not doubting, just want to learn)

My concern with them was about airflow. Would they be too restrictive?

 

[PoitNarf]

3 weeks after cleaning the evaporator and replacing the filters I’ve had absolutely no foul odors. I’m confident I’ve resolved the issue with my 3.

 

[mmccking]

3 weeks after running my heat on high with the AC on and windows down for 20 minutes, twice within the same day...no more bad smell. Burned a few percent of battery (4% if I recall correctly), but at least it got rid of the sour smell.

The other "trick" I've been doing now is to NOT manually turn off the AC before leaving the car. Instead, let the car run its own course.

BTW, this is even with the original filters after 23k miles. I bought new ones, but since the smell is gone, I've gone lazy.

 

[plasmo]

Same here - FINALLY - for the first time, no more vinegar vomit smell anymore, even after leaving the car outside in 87 degree heat which previously triggered the terrible smell.

After cleaning the evaporator + replacing filters = no more smell !!!

 

[mobilesuit818]

I searched but didnt find anything on where we can order Tesla filters, except thru Tesla.

Tesla performed the cleaning/filter replacement about 6 months ago on wifey's car and even with leaving the circ off, smell has come back with such fierceness.

We do park in garage with LA dry weather.

Made a service appt and will see if I can order the filters myself.

Also ordered the cleaner and Ozone machine.,

The other HEPA filters for $99 for a set is a ripoff in my opinion but if there supply and demand laws will still apply here

 

[Common_Loon]

Still a little bitter, so I'm getting these instead of giving Tesla money for the OEM filters:
Model 3 HEPA Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Hopefully the activated charcoal keeps them from smelling funky. We'll see...

Beware that this will likely drastically reduce airflow through your system and increase strain on the fan motors.

 

[08micev]

I made a video on this for those who do not want to pay tesla service.

 

[XLR82XS]

Beware that this will likely drastically reduce airflow through your system and increase strain on the fan motors.

 

[Common_Loon]

FYI: I had the funk in my AC, but didn't have the time to order filters (Austin service dept is out of them - of course) or clean the evaporator prior to a road trip. My solution was to run the heater on high (I plugged in to my charger and opened the garage door to ventilate the heat some) for about one hour (use the app to turn it on!). This seems to have dried it out and killed the spores, because I've got no odors for now.
Last month I'd done a 30 minute purge in this manner which didn't seem to have helped very much. The 1 hour was a game changer. The electricity cost would have been minimal compared to new filters, etc. I'm still going to do the full swap and clean eventually, but this will buy me time with no odors.

 

[Common_Loon]

Don't roll your eyes at me. I know filtration systems and their effects on airflow because it's a large part of my job in regulating industrial air pollution. If this is doing what is claimed, it's like putting a hyper-efficient (i.e. higher filtration) filter on your home HVAC system. That will lead to much higher electrical bills, and increased wear and tear on your HVAC.