Mrchntmarine

So a handful of months ago we started to experience a smelly cabin. The car is parked outside. I am good at keeping the car clean and free of leaves, etc in and around the hood/windshield area because it get parked outside. The sunroof gutters/drains are clear and have good drainage. No water stains or smell in the truck area. Interior carpets and trunk carpeting are dry and not smelly. No dead animals - the smell is musty anyhow not like a dead animal. The ac condensate line is draining. We had the car detailed and the ac filter changed at the dealer and it seemed to help a little for a bit. But the smell is back. The ac filter that was removed did not seem to smell or even look too bad.

Any ideas as what to check next?

The dealer wants to deodorize it and I say no, lets find the cause.... We've had many other cars parked outside and never a stinky one. Dealer says it'll dry out and go away when it starts to get cooler out.

Any ideas? Tks in advance

uberwgn

It's probably mildew on the evaporator.

Mrchntmarine

can that be accessed by the passenger footwell? whats the easiest / best way to get a look? tks. im on the hunt

uberwgn

well, people claim that it can be accessed when the pollen filter is removed. I'm not certain that it's quite that e-z.

KevinGary

Mrchntmarine

thanks for the tips. ive checked the new pollen filter just in case. it was replaced about a month ago and looks good. the evaporator on the other hand is impossible to see from the footwell area - at least I didnt see it. I was going to get a wand camera but wasn't sure if it would be flexible enough to see the fins or reach the area. ive talked to the dealer once again and they are suggesting another deep cleaning detail, from their source, similar like the one we've already paid for - with no guarantees of course. they also told us that the ac, if thats where the smell is coming from is not covered by any warranty and that they see this all the time - its quite common. they also said to keep the car outside and the heat will get rid of any smell. when we told them the cars stays outside they then said the weather is causing the smell and that when the weather cools off it'll go away. next they said to run the heat to the footwell area only, on max, for 15 minutes before parking and leaving the car - each time. said its necessary to dry it out before parking.

after running the heat and still had the smell, called back and was told its a normal smell. hummm, I said, why haven't we experienced until now I asked. no answer. next we were told they maybe see it in one out a 1000 cars. weird I said, you told us before you see it all the time. then we decided to do a little looking online - sick car syndrome all over the place - tons of stuff out there with Audi's.


sucks. wife's hacking like a 5 pack a day smoker and the car smells like dirty laundry. anyone else have any tips???

DanfZX14

Have you considered a mold problem?

Mrchntmarine

yep. or at least the visible kind. but the dealer says investigation of the ac system is not a warranty item(ie., if its growing on the coil/evaporator). other than that, there is no evidence of mold in the ductwork we looked at via a wipe or on the carpeting or upholstery. unless its microscopic.

50pascals

I would also check under the carpet.

The backing material for auto carpet is basically plastic and mostly waterproof, but not vapor proof. They glue felt pads to the back of the carpet to limit road noise.

If you have an under body leak, or perhaps a weatherstrip leak somewhere, the padding under the carpet can be soaking wet and you would never feel it on the carpet.

DanfZX14

Also, I'm assuming you've owned it since it was new so no chance its a flood zone car?