In some cars we've had, if you run the air conditioning and then turn off the car for some time, when you drive the car again without the air on the vents have a musty smell. The work-around we found was to turn off the air before arriving at our destination to air out the vents with fresh air before shutting off the car. Can anyone who has taken delivery tell me whether the Model S has this kind of problem? It's not something we can know from a short test drive.
Thus far I haven't noticed any smell from the HVAC at all. I'll pay closer attention over the next few days to be sure ...
This generally only happens if the drain is plugged or you don't change the filter regularly (what regularly is depends on the car). It's a sign that the condensation on the coils or in the drain pan doesn't completely dry or takes a long time to dry. There are some mold killing products that can help.
We haven't needed the A/C much, but we did use it some and have noticed no smells. I know what you mean; we've had that musty smell in other cars.
What's the recommended drill for drivers not likely to ever really need A/C but desirous of keeping the seals fresh and the system working? Do we need to manually turn it on for 5 min or so every month or can leaving it in the AUTO position accomplish the same thing, i.e. does it put itself thru this kind of a maintenance routine? Since the A/C pump has its own motor we *could* have an indicator light showing when it is actually ON, but we don't (that would be too AeroBus) and thus we are left to deduce this by sound (??) or feeling the vents, messing with TEMP settings to provoke A/C operation, all the while trying to avoid running off the road. What do daily users of A/C recommend? --
Yep, pulls out right over where the battery is. You do have to remove the back plastic cover to get to it.
Just for those who haven't figured it out, it's in the frunk under the cover closest to the windshield. Don't go disassembling your glovebox.