I have had my car for just over a year now. I have just started to notice that the air smells rather stale and like "wet dog" when I get in the car. After running the AC for a while it gets better. Seems like maybe the AC filter needs changing but it seems a little early days for that (14000 miles). Is it to be expected to change the filter so early? Any other things to look for?
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MASTER THREAD: Funny smell inside car
- Thread starter 14vision
- Start date
rxlawdude
Active Member
I'm not buying that. I have a VERY early M3 (VIN 138x) and have the vinegar stink. Interestingly, it took over a year and three months before it started (A/C runs a lot in SoCal).
In our case, there is no drainage at all of A/C condensate. Other M3 owners report there are pools of water under their M3s after running AC in warm and/or humid weather.
My theory is lack of drainage ->water accumulation->fungus->stink. I've got an appointment tomorrow, so we'll see what's what.
Just following up on this method- has it been a lasting fix?
My car stinks literally like vomit during the first 5 minutes of starting a drive only when the outdoor temperature gets to around 90degress.
I already had the Tesla SC do a "fix" on this, but the smell came back a few days later. thanks
Unfortunately no it isn’t gone but it has been milder for me and not as harsh. At this point I just deal with it for a minute and it goes away after driving.
Has this been working well for you since you tried this? My car stinks everytime it gets hot outside over 90degrees.
Once question with your instructions: You mention above to keep a can of Lysol nearby and easily accessible. Does this mean you spray only when it starts smelling, or did you spray prophylactically before the smell occurs? Also how often have you found yourself needing to do this so far? thanks
edit: Sorry I just saw that you already replied to me about how it's working out
I had this exact same problem with my 2016 Hyundai Genesis that I traded for my M3. The Lysol treatment and cabin air filter replacement did the trick in that car. I’ve only had the smell once in my M3. I notice the blower motor sometimes runs for 15 or 20 minutes after I park it in the garage after running AC. I think I will take a proactive stance and go ahead and do the Lysol treatment before the smell shows up again.
I went to the service center today and asked about the smell, I was told that an update will be coming to run the AC longer, I’m assuming she meant the running the fan longer. I then asked if they were doing anything other than spraying in the stuff that I’ve read doesn’t last long and she mentioned that they clean the condenser and offered to have mine cleaned for free. Her offering this for free goes against what others were saying on here and I wonder if it depends on where you live, Tampa here. She added it to my work order I already have for a rattle under my dash on the driver side. My appointment isn’t until the 30th and I’ll update when I get my car back.
Quick question:
In your Air intake vent, if you look in the very bottom of the vent, do people have a small round hole (about a inch or so) at the bottom of the plastic? (may need a flashlight to see this, as I saw Lysol dripping down into this hole when I did the spray).... Just want to make sure that the hole is normal. thanks
Rojer Lockless
Member
this is the millionth thread about this and it's absurd it's not covered under the factory warranty.
I've had this smell since the car was 6 months old, and it is commented on by everyone everytime the AC is turned on. I live in southern AZ and the humidity is typically very low, except for a month or so. The smell arose during a very dry periods, or I too would have suspected mold/mildew. We don't have mold/mildew issues here. I suspect it is something else. I tried the Lysol trick, and it worked for a day.
YauKwan
Member
Replace cabin air filter fixes this.
Just did it, the cabin air filter was gross. Problem youre going to run into is they are out of stock of the filters every. Gluck!
Just did it, the cabin air filter was gross. Problem youre going to run into is they are out of stock of the filters every. Gluck!
I didn’t look at the bottom, I have smal camera I can stick in there and record what I find, can’t five you timeline as you know how much time is needed to get in there.
I just put an order in for 2 air filters... we shall see.
I'm glad replacing your filters worked for you. Did you change the filters yourself?
What concerns me though is in reading through the threads, many people who had their filters replaced said that the smell issue still came back.
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