My car (literally) smells like dog #$@!

[bcsteeve]

I certainly never had a problem in my S ever, and not my 3 until this trip for service. The only thing I can think of (if it is the A/C) is that I drove from a very dry location (Canada's only desert) to Vancouver, which was really quite hot that weekend (close to 40c/104F) and very humid.

I keep my A/C on auto year round, set to 20C all the time and I never gave it a thought until this happened.

 

[XLR82XS]

I keep my A/C on auto year round, set to 20C all the time and I never gave it a thought until this happened.

RECIRC activated?

 

[SomeJoe7777]

FWIW: 3 Teslas, hot/humid climate, thousands of miles travelled, ZERO A/C smell.
I never use RECIRC mode.

I certainly never had a problem in my S ever, and not my 3 until this trip for service. The only thing I can think of (if it is the A/C) is that I drove from a very dry location (Canada's only desert) to Vancouver, which was really quite hot that weekend (close to 40c/104F) and very humid.

I keep my A/C on auto year round, set to 20C all the time and I never gave it a thought until this happened.

RECIRC activated?

Recirc mode, humid environment, and Auto mode (which runs recirc almost all the time) are all known to contribute to moisture build-up in the evaporator plenum, which in turn increases the mold growth and the bad smell.

In the summer, I've been using manual mode most of the time, and I use fresh air (recirc off) unless I really need maximum cooling. I always turn recirc off 5 minutes before I get to my destination to help dry the plenum. The trade-off for using fresh air mode is higher energy usage -- it can add 20-40 Wh/mi over recirc mode if outside temperatures are high.

 

[bcsteeve]

I'm not a photographer. My camera has an auto mode. I keep it on there, and I reasonably expect it to do a good job. I understand that a photographer would want more control, and that's fine.

I'm not an automotive HVAC technician. My car has an auto mode for climate control. It is REASONABLE for an owner to leave it on auto and not expect the car to stink.

I've never had any car ever smell bad from a/c mildew or whatever, and I don't really even know what recirculation is for and I shouldn't have to.

Then again, this is the car I chose. Tesla doesn't know how to paint a car, and I guess you're telling me they don't know how to build a reasonable climate control. So I suppose I have to learn.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[cybergates]

i've had to get the tesla filter service about once a year or every 2 years to clear up funky A/C smells. Nothing short of a filter change will get rid of the stench once it's there. I tried all the tricks of running the heat on High for 30 minutes etc. Mention to them the musty / funky smell in the service ticket and they will spray a cleaner into it. Seems to be a bigger problem on the 3 than the S but I've had to change the filter 2-3x on the S at 55K miles and 4 years.

If it's a new car < 3-6 months old, they might goodwill it. They did for me one time I think at 4 months and 5K miles when it happened. Luckily that did the trick and didn't have it again till 1.5 yr later.

 

[valaeyron]

I'm not a photographer. My camera has an auto mode. I keep it on there, and I reasonably expect it to do a good job. I understand that a photographer would want more control, and that's fine.

I'm not an automotive HVAC technician. My car has an auto mode for climate control. It is REASONABLE for an owner to leave it on auto and not expect the car to stink.

I've never had any car ever smell bad from a/c mildew or whatever, and I don't really even know what recirculation is for and I shouldn't have to.

Then again, this is the car I chose. Tesla doesn't know how to paint a car, and I guess you're telling me they don't know how to build a reasonable climate control. So I suppose I have to learn.

Thanks for the tips.

Sorry bud, it sucks that it stinks. Auto modes...they automatically optimize for that one thing, to the detriment of others. That's kinda why they're "automatic"...and they're not "AI" smart. There's no "stink sensor"...unfortunately. My wife does the same thing though. I'm always going back into the garage to run the fan in her car for a min or two secretly after she gets home because she leaves it in A/C mode all the time...I do this to avoid the mildew smell later.

 

[bcsteeve]

That's the problem with us Tesla fans... we'll accept anything. Tesla can do no wrong. Meh, for me that honeymoon is wearing off, and it'd be nice to expect some of these simple things for Tesla to either get right or hire "normal" car guys once in awhile.

It's a freakin Tesla... it should operate the fan in whatever way is necessary to avoid stuff like this.

 

[brkaus]

It does try to optimize the fan. Even runs after you turn off the car.

I think it collects too much moisture, but not sure. Our leaf does the same thing and I’ve read similar about other modern cars.

trying to pack too much in a small area? Poor plenum and gasket design? Combo deal? I’m not sure. But it certainly stinks.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I'm not a photographer. My camera has an auto mode. I keep it on there, and I reasonably expect it to do a good job. I understand that a photographer would want more control, and that's fine.

I'm not an automotive HVAC technician. My car has an auto mode for climate control. It is REASONABLE for an owner to leave it on auto and not expect the car to stink.

I've never had any car ever smell bad from a/c mildew or whatever, and I don't really even know what recirculation is for and I shouldn't have to.

Then again, this is the car I chose. Tesla doesn't know how to paint a car, and I guess you're telling me they don't know how to build a reasonable climate control. So I suppose I have to learn.

Thanks for the tips.

You're correct. The car is not perfect, and this is a design flaw, plain and simple. Tesla will not admit it and do not have a fix for it other than repeated cleanings.

All I can do is post what I'm doing to minimize the impact, because I like more about that car than I dislike, and therefore want to keep it.

 

[Candleflame]

i live in the tropics with humidty plus. You can watch the mould grow.
No issues with the tesla.

 

[centralparker]

@bccsteve you're not alone, we have the same smell in ours. I was hoping this was a known issue, sounds like it might be!
Did the mobile techs come out, and did that take care of the issue for you?

 

[bcsteeve]

Hey @centralparker. I should have come back with an update. Yes, they came out and replaced the filters. Labor was covered under warranty, but the filter was not of course (consumable). The smell was 100% eliminated and has not returned. I don't know if it will help, but I now keep a large (500g) reusable dessicant bag in the car.

 

[EpiKAC]

FWIW: 3 Teslas, hot/humid climate, thousands of miles travelled, ZERO A/C smell.
I never use RECIRC mode.

Yea, that’s not worth much!

 

[centralparker]

Hey @centralparker. I should have come back with an update. Yes, they came out and replaced the filters. Labor was covered under warranty, but the filter was not of course (consumable). The smell was 100% eliminated and has not returned. I don't know if it will help, but I now keep a large (500g) reusable dessicant bag in the car.

Great to hear, thanks for the quick reply!

 

[LindaTes]

Does anyone else, sitting in your car smell the same smell, cause maybe it is mildew in the AC.

We have exactly the same situation. Did you ever get this resolved?

 

[bcsteeve]

Yes, it was resolved as posted above:

"Yes, they came out and replaced the filters. Labor was covered under warranty, but the filter was not of course (consumable). The smell was 100% eliminated and has not returned. I don't know if it will help, but I now keep a large (500g) reusable dessicant bag in the car."

 

[Jgdsss]

Ugh. Same problem. Live in Florida. Humid and rains all the time. Model Y. Horrific smell in garage. I took out the trash last night, looked everywhere. I told me husband I was sure something died in the garage. The smell is awful. He just searched all four tires, figuring maybe I rolled over dog poop. Perhaps this is it; but would it make my garage smell; the smell emanating OUTSIDE of the car? It’s toxic for sure. Gonna take it to the car wash here shortly to be safe and try to get the tires cleaned well.

 

[bcsteeve]

Ugh. Same problem. Live in Florida. Humid and rains all the time. Model Y. Horrific smell in garage. I took out the trash last night, looked everywhere. I told me husband I was sure something died in the garage. The smell is awful. He just searched all four tires, figuring maybe I rolled over dog poop. Perhaps this is it; but would it make my garage smell; the smell emanating OUTSIDE of the car? It’s toxic for sure. Gonna take it to the car wash here shortly to be safe and try to get the tires cleaned well.

Well that's different. No... I can't say I could smell anything outside the car. Good luck!

 

[Stacy]

TL;DR version: Car serviced to add HW3 computer; after picking up, car smells like poop for first 30-60 seconds from the vents

This is driving me nuts. About a month ago I drove 4 hours to Tesla Vancouver to have my computer swapped out. They took the car in and it sat over night and they performed the task the next morning and I went on my merry way.

The very first ride (from their covered parking to an appointment I had downtown) I did not notice anything amiss. For this reason, I absolutely accept that there may be no causal relationship between the service and the smell (but I'm not ruling it out).

When I came back from my appointment and got in the car and the A/C kicked in, I immediately smell a strong odor of dog poop. I figure I stepped in something and the vents are kicking up the scent. I get out and inspect my shoes. Nothing. I look at the floor mats and pedals. Nothing. I suddenly notice that my rearview mirror is askew (likely I just bumped it when trying to figure out where the smell was coming from) and thought maybe some stinky guy snuck into my car. No coins missing, etc, but I review all the Sentry video... nothing. Totally confused, I drive home. The smell is gone after a minute anyway, so no big deal.

But since then, everytime my car sits for any period of time at all (overnight, for example), the first time I start to drive... doggie doo again!

I cleaned the car as best I can and there's nothing obvious. I paid to have it detailed, but that didn't help. What could POSSIBLY be the cause of this... umm... mess?

Did you ever resolve this issue? I have a 2020 MY and every 3 to 7 days I get an overwhelming smell of dog poop when I get in the car. Each time I assume I may have tracked it on on my shoe...but never has been the case. Then after driving for a while, it goes away.

 

[bcsteeve]

Yep, sure did. Read above