I would echo several of the earlier posts in this thread. First, turn up the heat as high as it will go and run the system for 5-10 minutes. Second, turn off the AC and let just the fan run for the last 5 minutes or so of your trip. There are also sprays, available at your local Advance Auto, O'Reilly, NAPA, etc. that are designed specifically to help with this problem. Once it starts, I don't know if you can totally get rid of the problem but any or all of the above suggestions will help reduce it.

 

 

Hi,

My statement below is making an assumption since I cannot find a picture of the air flow for the HVAC system:

Spraying Lysol in directly in the fresh air intake (inside engine compartment) will not be completely effective unless you first remove the inside cabin air filter. With filter still in place, it will trap most of the Lysol.

Congo

 

 

Is there a 100% fix for this. It's driving me nuts.

 

Has anyone got instruction to access the condensation tube?

I got to fix this. The smell is killing me. I hate blue cheese and smelly feet and this is all I get when I turn on the AC.

 

 

Did you ever have any luck with this? I have 2018 glc and I've been dealing with this problem for 6 mo out of the 8 mo that I've had it. It's such a shame to be paying a pretty penny for mold exposure! Has anyone ever forgotten any food or drinks in the car? I have 2 kids so this happens often, anything food or drink we forget gets crazy mold insanely fast because of this problem! Its sick.

 

Nope, i've had no luck! I bought Klima Cleaner which is designed specifically for vent cleaning it comes with a long hose. I attached an endoscope to it and sprayed it directly on the evaporator. It barely helped at all and is completely back. Now that its cold where I live and the heat is on I don't smell it. I haven't been back to the dealer because they also wanted to charge me big bucks that's why I tried on my own.
Terrible terrible design INFACT there is a class action lawsuit for it in the states. Google "Mercedes AC Mold Lawsuit" and you'll see a LONG list of vehicles included in the lawsuit. I myself have a lung condition and i imagine this is doing damage to my lungs. I spoke with corporate about it and they said nothing they can do and I should talk to a local dealer. Trading in this piece of junk as soon as practically possible.

 

The "bake-it-out" method works best - full heat on - recirculation mode if you have it - 30 minutes until it bakes/kills.

It usually comes up worst when manually setting Climate continuous low - which frosts up the evaporator - that then when vehcile is turned off frost melts and leaves system sitting damp...

 

First post and I haven't picked up my 2015 C200 yet so not familiar with the exact operation of the climate control so this is more of a general reply. I should have picked up the car this week but the salesperson reversed the car out and into a lamp post so need to wait until they fix the bumper and replace the rear light!

Incoming air normally goes through a filter first and then into the aircon evaporator (the refrigerant evaporates and turns into a gas and cools) and then through the heater. During the winter it is common in a lot of cars (my previous Audi A3 for example) for the aircon to stay on so that incoming air is dehumidified and then after going through the heater you have very dry air which quickly demists windows etc... This also helps to keep the compressor lubricated with the oil which is included in the refrigerant.
The C200 looks to have just an aircon on/off button so you would turn it on in the winter manually I assume. (my A3 has an 'economy' button to turn it off if you wanted)

The smell is caused by mould which loves a warm moist environment. During the summer it is not normally an issue as the unit stays cold while you are driving and if your journeys are long enough it tends to kill the mould as it accumulates.

A few tips and notes :-
* Don't remove the aircon filter without replacing it straight away. It keeps dirt out of the evaporator enclosure which if present becomes a breeding surface for mould.
* If the evaporative enclosure becomes dirty the drain can become blocked which keeps it wet inside and makes the mould issue even worse.
* Sprays and other methods to kill the mould are only a temporary solution in a lot of cases. It it comes back it is likely because of a blocked drain or dirt inside so needs a proper clean.
* Try turning off the aircon for the last few minutes of a drive so the evaporative enclosure dries out.
* During the winter have the aircon turned on for at least a few minutes every month to stop the compressor seal from drying out and potentially leaking.
* It is worth getting an aircon unit regassed every 5 or so years even if it is still working fine. Think of it as an oil change for the aircon system.

 

 

It was the test drive so I hadn't bought it by that point. My A3 had oil pump issues and I wanted to get a new car fairly quickly incase it failed completely. The current insurance only had a couple of weeks to go as well.
I got them to give me a free courtesy car so it probably saved me about £50 in all and saved the worry the car might suddenly stop working.

 

Great news ! Mercedes will fix or reimburse for prior out of warranty repairs.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...rcedes-Benz-AC

 

seems like we’re all waiting for a letter in the mail. Glad it can get fixed without paying out of pocket. Once I get it I’ll bring it in hope it applies to Canadian residents too, I assume it’s US only for now

 

Thanks for the reference. Once available during the claim period, a new thread should be made as this affects millions of mercedes vehicles, not only in this sub forum.

 

I believe for everyone living in USA you are lucky as you might benefit from this Lawsuit claims for your AC issue at this link 🔗
https://www.mercedeshvacsettlement.com/

Check your car VIN if you'll be covered for repair.

 

Anyone try this?

 

I also got one of these for various odd inspection jobs. I might take a look in the vents

 

I have the same problem with my 2017 C300 coupe. There is a class action Lawsuit against MB regarding this issue. They will fix the problem and reimburse MB owners who were charged to replace filters, etc.

 

as part my B service they did an ac treatment (whatever that means) but it has been couple months and smell has not reappeared.

 

Just wait.