MASTER THREAD: Funny smell inside car

[Occar]

you need to clean the evaporator every two months?

Not in general, no. Some people either have their car in an environment or have practices that promote issues.

 

[08micev]

Not in general, no. Some people either have their car in an environment or have practices that promote issues.

I originally used one can of kool- it only lasted around 50 days. In the video I posted above, I used two cans to completely cover the coils and also replaced the filters even though they didnt smell. I'm not promoting issues, I'm an avid tesla fan, just trying to help people resolve this smell issue without paying tesla 100-200 dollars to do the same thing I'm doing.

 

[NmbrsNvrLie]

So I noticed a musty smell a few times this summer (live in Dallas), but it was raining last few days and when I’ve been getting in the car, it has an incredibly musty smell in the interior. Not sure if there is some AC setting which might help or if I need service or that’s just how it’s going to be, but any advice would be appreciated.

 

[RSL2020]

Get HVAC filters replaced then I recommend leaving cabin overheat protection on fan only (or off). Always use fresh air setting (re-circulation off - check this every time you drive as it resets to recirc sometimes).

Its a fairly well known issue -
Telsa -- Are you going to address torturing AC smell | Tesla

 

[azred]

Recirc off in Dallas where OP seems to live or here in Phoenix is a bad option on extreme heat Summer days, but Scottsdale Service Center suggested turning it off the rest of the year. I have had it off for the past month and that seemed to solve the problem for me. Next Summer I am going to try turning off recirc for a day or two each week.

 

[Rockster]

I've found that using the HVAC and turning the AC off (and leaving the fan on) for the last minute or so of my drive really helps. For example, as I turn into the street where my driveway is, I turn the AC off and then drive the rest of the way up the driveway and into the garage. The little bit of time with just the fan running seems to be helping prevent the small.

 

[Rojer Lockless]

lol Welcome to the forum. The search button is your friend when looking for musty smells.

 

[Eno Deb]

As mentioned above there are multiple threads covering this. Short version:

- Clean the evaporator with a can of Klima-Cleaner and use the opportunity to also change the filters; you can do it yourself with some moderate effort, or ask the service center. This should get rid of existing mold.
- The smell should be gone and (hopefully) not come back quickly since Tesla has implemented a software mitigation that automatically drys the evaporator using the fans after using the A/C.

 

[Need]

Trying turning off Cabin overheat protection or set it to fan only. It helped in my case.

 

[ecarfan]

lol Welcome to the forum. The search button is your friend when looking for musty smells.

So true. A simple search for the word “smell” shows multiple threads on essentially the same topic.

Moderator note: this thread now consists of four different merged threads, all about smells inside the car. Enjoy the smells...

 

[pitabun]

Have mobile service scheduled for $140. I wonder if this is a yearly thing?

 

[Zapper]

I also have a smell. To me is smells like bad milk. The smell is strongest when the AC first starts. Then seems to go away. Maybe its not as strong after a while or I get used to it.

Never had this with any of the many cars I have owned.

Will monitor to see if this persists or is because we just started using the AC.

Vin

I had this problem too. Changing the cabin filter fixed the problem. I bought the replacement filter on Amazon and replaced it myself. There are several YouTube videos that show how to do it. Although, I have to say, the car wasn't designed for easy filter replacement. Two panels need to be removed in order to get the filter. It probably took me about an 2 hours in total.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TZ5B9TQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[insaneoctane]

Nextzett Klima cleaner appears to be completely out of stock EVERYWHERE. So this is either indicative of how many Model 3s have this problem, how many others are having this problem, the time of year, or??

I don't want to go to the trouble of tearing into the filters and using a cleaning product that isn't proven to work. I have been waiting to see if Tesla solves this problem but the family is threatening to boycott the Tesla with the current odor.

Suggestions?

 

[mbdionio]

took me an hour to finish this. that damn torx screw

 

[Garlan Garner]

22 degrees here in Chicago.

Smell seems to be gone.

 

[UKNOWINVU2]

So true. A simple search for the word “smell” shows multiple threads on essentially the same topic.

Moderator note: this thread now consists of four different merged threads, all about smells inside the car. Enjoy the smells...

Moderator: I am not sure why you merged my thread with this one. This thread is complaining about a bad milk, vinegar, smelly feet, musty smell. My thread is about a rotten egg smell. Bad milk, vinegar etc smell has been solved, change cabin filters clean AC condenser. Rotten egg smell has NOT been solved. I kindly request you recreate my thread and call it rotten egg smell. I think this is important because IF, and i mean IF, the egg smell is coming from the batteries (12v or main) we should log comments and see what people are saying.

I changed my cabin filter and the smell did not go away.

 

[insaneoctane]

i finally broke down and did this last weekend. Picked up 2 filters from my Tesla SC. Kool it and Klima Clean appear to be out of stock EVERYWHERE I looked on the West coast (that many Teslas?), so I used the stuff from Home Depot. It was a really big can (19 oz) and filled the evaporator full of foam twice over. Things appear to back to normal for me. My original 17 month old filters were pretty dirty, but I'm hoping I'm not doing this every 18 months since it was kind of a pain in the a$$ with the trim removal and the difficult to get to air box. Hope Tesla has fixes in place that make these filters last longer....