Hello guys i have a question:

Everytime i turn the a/c or Heat on it smells so bad like a fish tank that needs a water change lol i cant stand it. I took it to Mb and they said they couldnt find anything, I dont see how my eyes were watering when i got out on account of the smell. My question is what could it be? They said in the heater box water leaks and gets stag, He wants to deoderize my car some kinda 2 hr thing, I just hope that my a/c isant leaking into the carpets like it done on my E320

 

You can move to a drier climate, doesn't happend as quickly on the left coast. If you go to a auto supply store like Pep Boys/Kragen/Autozone they sell a dissinfectant spray for your car's AC that works pretty well. You spray inside the vents while it's off and then spray inside the intake while running it at full blast. The intake vent is where the battery is, the battery cover is the cabin filter (which I would also change if you have smell issues).

 

this can be a DIY. but if the OP is not a DIY kind of person, the dealer will do it under warranty as they did in my case.

 

Warranty is the way to go, didn't realize that this would be covered under warranty.

 

yeah yuck, i hate that smell, it only happens on my C coupe, on the E, S and ML, none of this happens?? and its weird that the C coupe AC takes so much longer to get cold than the other ones

 

To prevent it you could also try running the fan for about 5 minutes so before arriving at your destination or leave the fan running while you are away so that the condensation on the AC evaporates.

 

There is a specific DTB out for this particular issue on the 203. It details the steps needed to deal with mold/ mildew odor.

 

Yea, I posted about this.. same problem

 

Yeh its nasty , Im a realator and when i bring a client to a home in my car im like fabreezing every 2 mins, But i noticed if you do leave it running for a few mins its fine, I cant beleive mb is covering it But they are . Hope everyone else who has the problem can get mb to take care of it. I was worried i was going to get sick or something because of the mold/mildew because its dangerous, But hey im still here lol.. I'll post a reply when i come back from mb Weds

 

I thought I was the only one that had noticed this. I just kinda passed it off because the smell went away eventually.

I'm gonna check again today, since it's raining like crazy in L.A. for some odd reason.

 

I read this thread before I went to work today and I'm glad it was brought to our attention. I've been smelling a stale mildew odor right when the ac kicks in and it's something I should bring up when I go in for service on Wednesday. I don't think any sprays will take care of the problem and you'll just be throwing your money away. This is a direct a.c. air filter replacement and for those of you who are still under warranty, take advantage of the service.

:v

 

Ok guys sorry for the late post but i missed my appointment Wed's due to oversleeping lol, On the other hand Mb Deoderized my car and it seemed to have a taxi cab/Hood rat car odor, Let me explain....It smelled like the christmas tree looking airfresheners but a real nasty one like pina coloda or something, It reminded me of those old nasty cars and when you go by them you can smell there air freshener from like 20 ft away. I was so p.o with mb i could have had my local detailer to have that done do for like 30.00 even though MB didnt charge but its the point, It was a half Azz job just to get me out the shop and on the road, Keep this is mind with the funky air freshener smell the mildew/mold smell is still finding its way to cut through, So i called MB and complained and they said the only thing to do next is replace the heater box and a/c unit and if that doesnt work i should try filing a claim with the 'BBB' For the Lemon law act... Can i do that all for my car smelling mildew or does this guy know just as much as a french hooker entering the states? Post a reply gang im kinda lost ..He said it was take about 1-3 days for the heater box and a/c unit to be replaced depending on part availability. What do you guys think i should do? GuSs

 

A long time ago, a friend told my to leave your fan on "Level 1" (the minimum level) FAN ONLY (no A/C) all the time. I've done this with my 01 Audi S4 and now my 02 CLK 430 and have NEVER had the moldy smell issue!!

Now that you have had your system deodorized, leave the fan on level 1 or even level 2, (this is so that Fresh air is alwyas circulating) and you should be fine.

My guess is that the moldy smell builds up over time when people use the A/C, and then Shut down the car without letting the A/C have time to shut down and flush out the cold air after being used.

 

I think im going to try that, Because my next appointment isant until Tues Oct 25 Maybe by then it will be fixed, Thanks alot!

 

I just took my car in on Wednesday for service and this issue is one of the problems I complained about. My S.A. (cool dude by the way) told me that the first thing they'll do is flush the entire AC system (lines) with a chemical deodorizer. If the problem continues, then they will have to replace the AC filter which is what I would do in the first place. Right?! Can't wait to see what it smells like. I won't know until I get my car back next Tuesday due to an off premise body shop issue (the idiot tow truck driver dented my car on delivery). I"ll keep you guys posted on the AC issue.


:v

 

This is a known problem in these cars and there have been many posts about the issue. If you search you will find procedures and part numbers of what people have had done with very limited success.

After many trips I just had the new "improved" heater box installed, and you know what? Less then 2 months later it stinks even worse then than before.

Now my car is out of warranty. What hassle.

 

It sounds like the quality of service and the knowledge of the service advisor varies a lot from dealership to dealership. I have nothing but praise for the service that I've received at Park Place Mercedes in Bedford Texas.

I was experiencing the same problem with odor coming from the AC system. The odor was present after running the AC for extended periods and then switching the AC off and running fresh air.

When I described the problem to my service advisor, he mentioned the DTB that Mercedes has issued. He said that they would have to inspect the evaporator to determine the extent of the repair/service. In some cases the evaporator is replaced.

In my case, the evaporator did not have to be replaced. They performed an ultrasonic cleaning of the evaporator. The chemical used was WYNN01575 Airco-Clean. They also modified the drain plug and adjusted the timing on the fresh air door. Some of you may have noticed that when you set the AC system on recirculation, that the system will automatically switch to fresh air after a short time. Apparently, my fresh air door was not opening as soon as it should have been.

They had to keep the car over night. But, they provided a loaner. All in all a positive experience. Hopefully the odor won't return.

 

How's that non MB ride? Only us MB owners have to pay $35/day to ride a mercedes as a loaner. They gave me a camry for a loaner. How embarrassing dude? My friend told me whenever he services his IS300, lexus has to give him the same car or a higher model as a loaner. The same is done over at BMW. On top of that us 2005 and over owners got our free service taken away?! I love MB but they have to get their s**t together in the U.S.!

:v

 

The FREE loaner that they provided was a 2005 C240 wagon. I was pleased since I had been wanting to drive one. I'm thinking about getting one for my fiancée to drive once we've started a family.

The dealership has a 100 mile per day policy on the loaner. But, since they had to keep my car overnight, it was waived. I had to make a short business trip and put over 250 miles on the car.

I was pleased with the ride. But preferred the super charged 4 in my C230SS over the V6. Plus, the 4 gets better gas mileage.

Again, I've had no problems with the service at Park Place. They have always provided a loaner. The loaner that they provided last time was a ML.

 

They give me any kind I want. They give E, and Cs for loaners. I never had a non MB-Loaner.

 

I think the fix for it is to have their computer change the time the compressor cycles on and off. There weas a post about that

 

Here's some additional information on the cleaning method used on my C230:

http://www.wynns.ca/data/specs/engli...spec-30208.pdf

 

mine doesnt smell.

 

Since the tranmission in my car is now being replaced at 40k miles, I figured what the heck - might as well ask them to de-stink the new style evaporator that isn't supposed to stink. I brought it in last week and am still waiting for it back.

 

Probably just the air filter over the battery. That large filter needs to be disinfected every service and replaced once in a while.