slk55er

I have been plagued by the musty "athletic shoe" smell from the A/C on my '10 GLK350 as discussed in a separate thread. But I've completely cured the problem by spraying a 50/50 mix of bleach and water into the HVAC blower. One can buy commercial products to spray such as BG's Frigi-Fresh, but the bleach/water mix works well.

See photos: snap open the 3 clips, remove the air box, turn on the squirrel cage blower and spray 6-8 times into the blower.

I had a slight bleach smell for a day or so, but it has been a week or so with no recurrence of the nasty odor. I'll do this again if it reoccurs. If that does not work, I'll remove, clean or replace the cabin filters.

Tate

Good DIY. I'll try that if my AC start to smell

MBRedux

Chlorine bleach rots metal on contact, even when diluted. If it is improving the odor situation, it may ruin your HVAC motor and/or other heater components.

Try finding the path where the rotten smell originates and clean it.

Another idea to mask or cover-up the smell is to line the cabin filter (in side) with a half sheet of “Bounce” fabric softener…. It really does the trick.

misterkomp

I use the same method in my c class but I spray lysol in there.

RedRover

Absolutely do not use chlorine around aluminum. And if you do, make sure it is washed completely off.
Lysol will not hurt anything.But won't solve the problem.
However it is an inexpensive temporary fix.

Some of what you smell may be mold. If so, it is VERY unhealthy.
Mold is a living, growing organism. A fungus.
If you don't kill the mold, you are only covering up the smell.
Maybe a good thing to do if you are going to trade the car...........
But not very effective if you are going to keep the car.

I suggest everyone read up on how to operate your AC in a the best manner.
(The cliff notes version is: Don't run the AC on MAX and don't use Recirc. And if you do, don't turn it off in that position)
I also suggest you take your car in to the dealer and ask for help.
They problem is very likely a design issue.
The evaporator coils need to be cleaned and sprayed with a (relatively) long lasting
coating to prevent mold.
The dealer may buy the good stuff if it is a common problem in your area.


This company is probably the most famous (This is not at all just a Mercedes problem)

http://www.airsept.com/index.php?loadmod=ac

shrednu

My 2009 C350 smells like mold when I turn on the AC. Anyone else have this issue and if so what did the dealership do for you???? I got told it is a law of physics. They did nothing! It is terrible in a new car that you are embarrassed to turn on your air conditioner with people in the car and also it is wrong. Any suggestions????

mr.mbenz

best advice...before reaching your destination...turn off the a/c and run the cool air only to burn off the "evaporation" and do not use "re-circulaton mode" either Since this is what is causing the 'mould' smell and effect, you're actually 'drying' off the excess refrigerant off the blowers.

Here's some notes (take note of the last paragraph <----)

If you have an A/C system in your vehicle and it smells musty and generally stinky you need to read this.

I have been getting a lot of customers coming in recently complaining about their vehicles air conditioning systems. Not that they aren't working properly, but that they stink, smell, stench and reek. Kind of like that certain smell your car get gets after making a pancake out of a skunk. This never used to be a problem, well, not a big one anyway, but in the last few years it has become much more common.

The Problem...
The smell is being cause by fungus, bacteria and other microbes growing in the evaporator case of the air conditioner. The moist environment in the evaporator is conducive to the growth of these little stinkers. This is not anything new, it's been happening ever since Fred Flintstone put air conditioning in his Rockecdes Benz. But the Automakers efforts to reduce weight, thus saving fuel, have made the problem worse. They have made evaporator cores smaller and added more fins to keep them efficient but in doing so they made it harder for them to dry out between uses. Thus more moisture, more growth and more smell.

Want to see what it looks like? Put a moist piece of bread in a jar and put it under the kitchen sink. Take it out two days later and you will see what's growing in you're A/C.

The Automakers are very aware of this problem and are making efforts to do something about it.

Some Killer Chemical Solutions...
There are any numbers of products that will get rid of the smell, some for the short term and others for the long term. One of the short-term solutions is using Lysol. Lysol is a disinfectant spray that will kill most of what grows inside the evaporator case. All you need to do to apply it is to put the HVAC into the Recirculation mode, turn the A/C off, put the blower on MEDIUM speed and spray up under the dash behind the glove box area. The fan will carry the Lysol through the evaporator and the ductwork. First spray just a bit on an unseen portion of the dash to see if it will discolor it first. If it does then you won't be able to use it.

Another is called "Frigi-Fresh" made by BG Products and is available at most new car dealer parts departments. It is applied the same way as the Lysol. Both "Frigi-Fresh" and Lysol will need to be used once a week or so.

General Motors offers a product that may control or eliminate odors in the interior and luggage compartment areas of GM vehicles. GM Vehicle Care Odor Eliminator is a non-toxic, biodegradable odor remover. This odorless product has been shown to greatly reduce or remove objectionable smells of mold and mildew resulting from vehicle water leaks (as well as customer created odors, i.e. smoke). You may use GM Vehicle Care Odor Eliminator on fabrics, vinyl, leather, carpet and sound deadening materials. It may also be induced into HVAC modules and instrument panel ducts (for the control of non-bacterial related odors).

Some Coating Chemical Solutions...
There are some products that will apply a coating to the evaporator fins and coils. They incorporate an anti-bacterial in the coating that will keep growth from occurring. Two of the more effective such products are "Clean 'N Coat" and "Cooling Coil Coating". Both are a two-part product. "Cooling Coil Coating" requires special equipment to apply while "Clean 'N Coat" can be sprayed on the evaporator. Both generally lasts about three years.

Chrysler has a coating system their technicians can apply to the evaporator fins and coils.

Some Mechanical Solutions...
Ford has a device called a Purge Module. Basically what it does is to cycle the blower motor on and off to dry out the evaporator and case so there is no moisture to accelerate the growth of mold and mildew. It is part number F8ZX-19980-AA and is available at any Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer. It does require an adapter harness depending on the vehicle it is going in.

General Motors has a similar system. It is called Electronic Evaporator Dryer (EED). Where the Ford system runs the blower motor continusly, the GM version runs the blower motor in ten second bursts. It includes a temperature sensor that shuts the system off when ambient temperature drops below what is conducive for the growth of odor causing bacterias. GM says It's EDD device saves battery and is much more effective in that it pushes out two to three times more moisture. The EED can be used on any GM vehicle without modification or need of adapters.

One More Method...
There is one solution that will work to a certain degree that doesn't cost anything at all. That is to shut the A/C off and leave the blower on high a mile or two before arriving at your destination. This will help dry out the evaporator and keep the little fuzzies from growing in the dark.

Benzo 003

My dealer sells the "Fridgi-Fresh".....love it. Leaves a fresh smell inside for a day or two then neutral. Great product. Love the Yankee Candle "leather" car jar too....

HKPSPORT

Ok, I have the same problem with my GLK 350. I've tried the lysol and the Frigi Fresh from BG products. I've sprayed it all over in the HVAC by the battery, on the cabin filter element, and in the recirc vents under the glove compartment. Nothing has worked only still smelled like a combo of lysol/mold or frigi fresh/mold; and eventually the Mold comes back all together. I'm thinking my next option is to change the cabin filter but its only 10 months old so that doesn't seam like it should have been the problem. Need Help any other suggestions, maybe I'm spraying in the wrong place? I've had service issues with my local dealer so I try to avoid them like the plague.

420tee

Another example of engineers not being able to leave well enough alone. I've driven air conditioned cars since the late 1950's with no odor or mold problems. Now they have "improved" the system and introduced problems.

Papillon1108

AS MBRedux had mentioned. I have been using Bounce Fabric softeners for all our vehicles. It works better than any air freshners out there and it lasts for more than 3-4 months. my 2 cents.

venchka

Amen! This Forum should be required reading BEFORE purchase of a M-B.

HKPSPORT

Ok, so far this has fixed the problem, park your car on a incline with the engine facing downward, aka back in to your garage. The issue is all the water in the ac may not be draining out out causing the mildew smell. If your smell is really intense go ahead and change the cabin air filter as well also spray some Lysol in there. That was my original temp fix which last about 3 months. But the smell shouldn't come back if your consistently parking on a engine downward incline.

rmfnla

I've used Lysol with good results in other cars with this problem.

Have not yet needed it in my GLK... keep those fingers crossed!

Chlorine bleach sounds like a great way to really f--k up your car...

Jlazer

Good information,,, Will have to save this info just in case I need it. anyone have any pics on that spraying Lysol steps?

People normally recommend to use the recerculating a/c in the car. This is easier on the compressor because it uses the inside cabin air rather than hot outside air when it's on normal a/c.

3.5L

I don't remember exactly where I picked up the information regarding how to prevent nasty-smelling AC systems, but I think it was a major automotive magazine, quite a few years ago.

Anyway, it seems prevention is the best solution. Simply shut off the AC when you're about a mile from your destination. This technique gives the AC system a chance to dry out. I've been using this practice for years and all I can say is, it works. My 8 year old Mazda RX-8 has no odor, nor does my 7 month old GLK 350.

3.5L

iewoals

I'm curious if anyone has tried Einszett Klima Cleaner for this? And if so how did it turn out? I bought some and am going to try it. I was wondering if anyone has done it and can suggest if going down the center vents is the proper procedure for the spray.

MB-JIM

Has anyone tried OZIUM? It solved my musty problem some years ago.

davatk

I usually just change my socks and the smell goes away....

fabbrisd1

Einszett is awesome..... use half can there - then if you choose you can go in thru the blower fan like the original OP posted...

Gt. Dane

As a prevention measure you could turn off your A/C (but leave the fan running) a few blocks before shutting down your car to allow it to warm and dry rather than sit in your driveway wet.

iewoals

If you go through the blower don't you end up spraying the cabin filter then?

fabbrisd1

No worries about that - this is not open heart surgery....

JohnMichael

Seems I read where Mercedes finally solved this problem in GLKs starting with 2012 production by having the blower run for a specific amout of time after you turn off the ignition if the AC has been on.

lee16

All you need to do is replace your cabin filter. No more smell