UGH - The smell of it. [AC Smell]

[Flybyglass]

I just installed one of these deflectors on my 3. Fit just like they claimed. I am not sure if it's going to make a difference with water getting in the intake but it was worth a shot.

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With hood closed does it restrict air entering the intake?

 

[dduffey]

For me, it comes back every 4 months or so but I'm not that mad about it. It's just a mystery that begs to be solved. The above questionaire came to mind because I'm probably not the typical use case. My car can sit in the garage as long as a week before being driven.

You may be in to something. My 3 is always garaged and only 26k in 4 years (no commute).

My wife's Y immediately got the stink after sitting in the garage for over a month without use (vacation).

That said, none of our other cars had a problem in the last 12 years in the same garage except for one, RAV4 for which there was a TSB and covered under warranty replacement of the AC box for the same issue (stinky AC).

 

[P3dStealth]

With hood closed does it restrict air entering the intake?

No restrictions, there is still openings on the sides and the rest of the hood is not sealed so it can get air.

 

[P3dStealth]

This might work. Thanks! Did it made it harder to close the hood?

Doesn't make it harder to close. I can't even tell it's there. It seems they got the fit perfect. Looks OEM.

I don't think it's going to solve the problem but it's got to help just by deflecting water and debris.

 

[P3dStealth]

I took a couple pics today. I don't think it's the condenser that starts smelling. I think it's more the tunnel. You can actually see where the water comes down and on the bottom it looks like they have baffles to catch water and drain it out. I've got mold in that area.

 

[xallenx1]

I took a couple pics today. I don't think it's the condenser that starts smelling. I think it's more the tunnel. You can actually see where the water comes down and on the bottom it looks like they have baffles to catch water and drain it out. I've got mold in that area.

View attachment 830216

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This is what I see on my car too. It always smells bad after a heavy rain so I think the deflector would help eliminate this issue.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I took a couple pics today. I don't think it's the condenser that starts smelling. I think it's more the tunnel. You can actually see where the water comes down and on the bottom it looks like they have baffles to catch water and drain it out. I've got mold in that area.

View attachment 830216

View attachment 830217

That's exactly what I expected. For people that have a recurring issue that happens quickly even with the cleaner, the rest of the tunnel likely already has mold/mildew. Without killing that off, the smells will happen again quickly.

 

[Rmchrger]

I took a couple pics today. I don't think it's the condenser that starts smelling. I think it's more the tunnel. You can actually see where the water comes down and on the bottom it looks like they have baffles to catch water and drain it out. I've got mold in that area.

View attachment 830216

View attachment 830217

I think it can be both, or more. All due to a bad design.
Both my filter and the lower area was dry, even after a Seattle wet winter. But I did have a smell and some fuzzy mildew/mold on my evaporator or on the backside or the evaporator where we can't see.
Either way the temp fix is the same, cleaner, vacuum debris and new filters. Repeat as necessary, unfortunately more for some.
I hope to find a way to the backside of the evaporator for visual inspection and inject cleaner on that side.

 

[shifteru]

I’ve been following this thread closely, but this is my first comment. I have had the problem many times before with my 3 year old model 3, and like many of you I was getting away with doing the cleaning and filter change once or twice a year. After getting it done for free via goodwill the first time, and then them trying to charge me nearly $200 after that, I have since done it myself.

I most recently did it about a month ago, and like usual it worked and everything was good, except for the smell returned after about a month when it usually lasts at least 4-6. I was fed up and decided to open a service appointment, and someone from Tesla called me and basically gave me all the same steps that have been mentioned here for ways to prevent it, such as turning off recirculation shortly before your destination, and explained it was just one of the quirks of the car, and then canceled my appointment.

I assumed then maybe it was my fault since last month I only used a single can of Kool-it, I figured maybe that was my problem, as I usually use Klima but they were out. So I decided I would just do it again. This time I got the Klima, and brand new special HEPA filters that someone on here recommended. I did the service Friday. I noticed yesterday a slight smell, but figured maybe that was something lingering from my garage because I didn’t notice it every time. Nope, the smell is back full force every drive now. Two days later.

I have opened another service appointment and we’ll see how it goes but this is getting ridiculous. It was one thing when I had to do this evaporator cleaning and filter change a couple times a year, even though I am fully on board with this being a manufacturer defect that Tesla should address. But if I can’t even do that to get the smell to go away, where does that leave me? Sure, maybe I could use two cans of Klima like others suggest, which definitely feels like overkill to me, but then what? Next year three cans? Am I gonna have to start buying cases of the stuff?

I’ll leave updates here, but at best I’m expecting them to offer maybe another free or reduced price cleaning, and that’s it.

EDIT: FWIW I Iive in central Texas. Smell only happens when it’s hot, which is 65%+ of the year. Humidity is usually medium to low.

Update on my service request for this. Tesla scheduled me a mobile visit with a line item of: Model 3/Y HVAC Air Leak Sealing - Engineering Study. This seemed very promising to me. I was thinking they finally found something new to try and are addressing this issue. A couple of days later I got a message saying Mobile Service cannot do what I need and I had to move my appointment to the Service Center. Sounding even better!

Well yesterday I got my estimate and while the Engineering Study thing is still on there, they added evaporator cleaning service and diagnostic fee for a total of about $250. I called and spoke to them because I wasn't prepared to pay for evaporator cleaning/new filters when I've already done two in the past 1.5 months (and I've always done them according to the instructions the Tesla SC originally gave me). Come to find out, the AC Leak Sealing line item is being added by default for all Model 3/Y tickets, has nothing to do with my issue, and isn't even a real service. They don't do anything for it, it's simply to track for engineering. Turns out the only reason they moved me from mobile service to SC was in case they needed to do further diagnostics.

So all they were going to do is the evap. cleaning again (at full price) and I said no thanks and cancelled the appointment. So I'm back to square one. Evaporator cleaning & filter change no longer seems to work for me (although now about a week later since the last one, I can say it's not as bad as usual, it's still there). Also FWIW, I have always made sure to spray some of the evap cleaner into the tube in the frunk to hopefully clean that out as well during the process.

At this point I may try the tip I've seen on here, and also what a friend says has helped with his model 3, of blasting the heat on high for a few hours to see if I can at least get back to the status quo of bi-annual cleaning and filter changes to resolve this issue which is obviously a design flaw that Tesla still refuses to acknowledge.

 

[jacie6056]

I think it can be both, or more. All due to a bad design.
Both my filter and the lower area was dry, even after a Seattle wet winter. But I did have a smell and some fuzzy mildew/mold on my evaporator or on the backside or the evaporator where we can't see.
Either way the temp fix is the same, cleaner, vacuum debris and new filters. Repeat as necessary, unfortunately more for some.
I hope to find a way to the backside of the evaporator for visual inspection and inject cleaner on that side.
View attachment 830308
You can, I cleaned my last time through the ac drain hole instead of normal filter location. It works for a month now... of course I will keep wathcing

You can. I cleaned my last time through the ac drain hole instead of the standard filter location. It has worked for a month now... of course, I will keep watching it.
PS: I used to have the smell back in 3-5 days after cleaning it from the cabin ac filter.

 

[MikeyC]

You can. I cleaned my last time through the ac drain hole instead of the standard filter location. It has worked for a month now... of course, I will keep watching it.
PS: I used to have the smell back in 3-5 days after cleaning it from the cabin ac filter.

How does that work? If you go up through the drain hole, you'd be hitting the bottom side of the condenser and the way it is tilted, the foam won't gravity feed it through the fins. Seems like you'd only get the bottom part of the condenser doing it that way.

Mike

 

[Rmchrger]

If you go up through the drain hole, you'd be hitting the bottom side of the condenser and the way it is tilted, the foam won't gravity feed it through the fins. Seems like you'd only get the bottom part of the condenser doing it that way.

Mike

Good point!! Even tho we can only see the front side, I would hope the drain does go on both sides of the evaporator, (condensor is at the front of the vehicle unless it has heat pump, I believeit has both). Inject enough cleaner up that drain till it covers the front side then it may cover the back side as well. Worth a try if the foam will flow into the fins. Another reason I would like to visually see and inspect the back side. Page 12 has a good pick of a heat pump system. Are the heat pump versions having the issue as well?
Here is a closeup of the drain in the front.

 

[dduffey]

Yes, our 2018 3 (pre heat pump) and 2021 Y (heat pump) both suffer from this recurring problem.

 

[xallenx1]

Yup, our 21 Model 3 has the heat pump and it's got the funk.

 

[Flybyglass]

Here is a new gadget from RPMTesla.com that may help keep water out of the intake of the AC. Humidity will still be a issue but if heavy rains this might help and it looks like it will help keep out leaves as well.

Model 3 & Y Under-Hood Rain Deflector Upgrade

Our new rain deflector fits perfect on all Model 3 & Y hoods. It clips right in to the open holes on all stock hoods. Fits new 2022 hoods with the Tesla 2 piece deflector or older cars made with no deflector. It's a great upgrade for new cars and older one. The purpose of this deflector is to...

www.rpmtesla.com

 

[P3dStealth]

Here is a new gadget from RPMTesla.com that may help keep water out of the intake of the AC. Humidity will still be a issue but if heavy rains this might help and it looks like it will help keep out leaves as well.

Model 3 & Y Under-Hood Rain Deflector Upgrade

Our new rain deflector fits perfect on all Model 3 & Y hoods. It clips right in to the open holes on all stock hoods. Fits new 2022 hoods with the Tesla 2 piece deflector or older cars made with no deflector. It's a great upgrade for new cars and older one. The purpose of this deflector is to...

www.rpmtesla.com

Just fyi, the one I ordered from AliExpress was delivered in two weeks if anyone is looking. It's the same one. There is always a risk associated with ordering from AliExpress though.

So far I've had it installed and no smell but it's only been 10 days and one rain.

Another benefit to this part is going to be snow. In winter this area gets filled with snow for me and the air intake can't get air to defrost the windows. This will block the snow from being in between the hood and intake.. It's a simple solution.

 

[SkepTeach]

Is it possible this smell comes from some kind of VOC being emitted from some of the hardware itself? Since it seems to be such a common occurrence with Model 3s and Ys, and sometimes the "fix" only lasts a short time, to me that almost suggests more of a chemical rather than a biological source. Wondering if the adhesives used in some of the HVAC components might be the culprit.

 

[thatdude902]

Is it possible this smell comes from some kind of VOC being emitted from some of the hardware itself? Since it seems to be such a common occurrence with Model 3s and Ys, and sometimes the "fix" only lasts a short time, to me that almost suggests more of a chemical rather than a biological source. Wondering if the adhesives used in some of the HVAC components might be the culprit.

Mine smells more like circuit boards or new electronics, but much stronger, rather than the mold/mildew or stinky socks smell that people describe.

 

[SkepTeach]

Mine smells more like circuit boards or new electronics, but much stronger, rather than the mold/mildew or stinky socks smell that people describe.

I’ll be receiving my M3P sometime in the next couple of weeks and I’m *really* hoping I luck out with this issue.

I wonder if this is why some companies make scent-infused wooden strips to slip down in the HVAC blade opening?

 

[MikeyC]

Here is a new gadget from RPMTesla.com that may help keep water out of the intake of the AC. Humidity will still be a issue but if heavy rains this might help and it looks like it will help keep out leaves as well.

Model 3 & Y Under-Hood Rain Deflector Upgrade

Our new rain deflector fits perfect on all Model 3 & Y hoods. It clips right in to the open holes on all stock hoods. Fits new 2022 hoods with the Tesla 2 piece deflector or older cars made with no deflector. It's a great upgrade for new cars and older one. The purpose of this deflector is to...

www.rpmtesla.com

Looks like it could be a good gadget but the last time the stink came back for me was in the spring and I hadn't driven the car in the rain the entire 4 months since I replaced the filters and did the coil cleaning prior. It doesn't rain much here in the winter and the car was kept completely dry yet the stench came back after the usual 4 months. I'm pretty sure the smell comes from dampness dripping off the coil onto the filters.

Mike