RJamesC240

Hey has anyone ever had a moldy smell come through when yo turn the A/C on. Its actually the first and only thing I can complain about, but I'm just curious about how I can stop it. Last time I had an oil change I told the guy and they claimed to have cleaned it, but all that accomplished was a Lysol-like smell coming through rather than the moldy smell. Can't say I care for either. I don't like air fresheners at all, so I just want no smell. Anyone had this experience before?

dswildfire

you mean that a/c sweat kind of smell? i don't think you can do anything about it aside from air freshener because i think the smell comes from the refridgerant. but then again, i could be way off.

Keng1

I had that same problem some time ago. I was told that the mouldy smell is a result of mould collecting in your a/c. What you can do is to run the a/c regularly and avoid parking your car in a damp area. Unfortunately the only way I know how to get rid of the smell is with Lysol. You run the a/c on full blast. Pop the hood and spray the Lysol into the intake vents which are between the windshield and the engine. The Lysol supposedly kills the mould.
The Lysol smell normally goes off after an hour or so.

Mike T.

To avoid mold buildup, do not run the A/C for a minute or two before you park the car for a long period - that is - turn it off while you're still driving.

This will warm up the heat exchanger and avoid condensation from remaining or forming on it after the car is stopped. It is this condensation that allows the mold to grow.

shtatc

Another thing you may want to try is to change the dust filter for the climate control. It is located in the engine compartment just above the battery. It is about a $15 part and you can change it in about 3 minutes. They recommend that you change this every 10000 miles. When I changed mine, the moldy smell seemed to go away.

avlis

Wrong. The intake is above the battery. The filter is inside that black plastic cover which is open on the bottom.

C230K

My S60 Volvo has a cure for that, after the car sits for about 15 min. the blower comes on and dries out the coils. It works great.

RJamesC240

Well I guess since I only drive it on weekends, sitting for so long is letting the mold grow. So there are only temporary fixes, I've seen cars that never have that problem. Is there anything that can be done to eliminate it completely?

W0n6_3d4n

I take my filter off, cause it's bloody hot in OZ during summer and c class A/C seems to be beaten by the sun. After taking the filter off i can notice a huge difference on the airflow

mleskovar

There are chemicals made specifically for taking the smell/mold out of car AC systems...see your auto parts store. I use the auto climate control and never have the smell in my 320. My Dodge isn't driven as much and has the smell.

David N.

I know the smell you're talking about. I thought I was the only one. For me the smell only last for a couple of minutes after I turn the AC on. After that it goes away.

Steve H.

I had this problem on my 95 Jetta. The lysol trick works. The trick is to get the mist directly sucked onto the condensor unit. In the coupe I suspect that you will need to remove the filter first. Then Spray the whole can in the air intake while the AC is on max. I covered my front seats with a towel so that the mist coming through the air vents didn't wreck the seats. It take a couple days and the perfume lingers longer than a few hours but eventually to the musty smell is gone. Good luck

Boo2

It's funny, but this is common of Mercedes. Didn't know they haven't found a solution yet. I was told, that Benzes have a pan underneath the car that collects the condensation instead of dripping water on the ground when parked after a hot day. Could still be true since this was 5 years ago. Alcohol (Denatured Ethyl) is a temporary fix too.

le848dave

I've never had this problem yet in my coupe (knocks on wood) but I can say this happened all the time in the car this replaced, my 2000 Impala. That car had a horrible problem w/ this. The dealer always claimed this was to 'Manufacturers Specifications' or was a side effect of the inner-cabin air filter...but I knew it was mold and it drove me nuts. Everyone used to ask me why my car smelled during the summer...it was awful.

Luckily, this doesn't happen for me any more in my coupe.

dave

hobie

Has anybody had the heater box replaced, as a cure?

DCXdynodog

My coupe is 2 days old and it has the smell, condensation is not draining properly for sure on these cars.

I didn't notice it the first day cause the trans failed. Doh!!

Jerry MB230K

I brought my car in for service ..they drained something ..don't know what ...no more smell !

PoloJCP

Where Can I buy the cabin filter for the c230?
I want to change it, the moldy smell in my car is just not going away after eveything I tried. I took out the filter and the filter is so dirty that my fingers turn black after touching it. And it has some moldy smell on the filter, I think it is best if I just simple chnage in.

Leonardo

Where is the filter so I can check it?

TIA

Leo

Leonardo

Where is the filter so I can check it?

TIA

Leo

Lynn

Remove the battery cover and you will see it.

RenaultFreak

here is a simple solution, at least it helped me: I drive with my a/c on all the time hence the evaporator gets humid and mold grows up so once a month or so just drive with the a/c in the hottest temp and with the fan at full blast ( lower your windows or you will replace mold odour with sock sweat odour :o ) do this for about 15 minutes. Heat will dry mold and blow it off.

I rarely have this problem now.

moomeh

i tried this, didn't work. i guess i will have to go with lysol. there goes my new car smell (yeah, i still have it)

tom incredibie

your dealer should fix this. they fixed my issue, they sprayed something. not sure what it was.