Militia

I purchased my car a few months ago, but the odor has now become unbearable. It smells like feet (and not clean, pretty ones either). I figured the problem was inside, but I noticed the odor only exists for an initial few minutes when the A/C is on.

I was thinking of replacing the Air Filter, and using the Klima Cleaner.

Any corrections/suggestions?

Nasty50-Five

I have the same smell too, I noticed I can only smell it after I've had the ac on, usually the next day, or the next time I turn the vents on. It smells like feet or sometimes even worse like ****. I was also thinking of replacing the cabin air filter. Let me know if it works for you.

JulianH

Definitely try the air filter first. I had to have some damage repaired after someone hit me and they never replaced the cabin filter... it absorbed the paint smell and you could smell it when the AC was on so I asked to have the filter replaced and it went away. Hope it works for you.

Corsa9000

I have had a mildew smell coming from the AC unit before, sprayed a whole can of Lysol disinfectant into the outside vents while running the AC on maximum and it cured it. As to feet or urine smell, not sure if this solution will work for you but it only cost $2.50 so you might as well try it.

TOGWT

Air Conditioner Air cleaning

Legionnaire’s disease is rare but it kills people and it's an extremely unpleasant disease. It does not spread from person to person but is present in water environments and is breathed in when it gets into the air in fine particles or mist. This is a bug which lives in the environment and will take advantage of any static warm water systems that are not cleaned out.

[Every time you use your air conditioner, you are providing an opportunity for odour causing mould, mildew and bacteria to grow within your air conditioning system. To explain how this happens we must understand how the air conditioner system works. Here’s a basic explanation. When the air conditioner is on, it pulls moisture out of your car’s interior through a unit called the evaporator core, which is located underneath your car’s dashboard.

When the humidity (moisture) levels drop, the air temperature also drops. The moisture that is pulled from the air condenses and is drained outside the car. Ever notice a pool of water under your parked car on a hot summer day? That’s the water that was drained from the system. This also happens to be the way home air conditioners and refrigerators work.

Even though most of the moisture is drained from the car, moisture still remains on the evaporator core system. As the air circulates around the evaporator core, dust and pollen in the air stick to the moisture on the metal fins of the evaporator. Soon thereafter mildew and bacteria begin to grow on the surface of the evaporator. This collection of grime and odour causing agents begin to release odour and is the cause of the smell coming out of your vents.

One way to help prevent or at least reduce this issue is to keep the air conditioner on the fresh air setting. This keeps fresh air circulating around the evaporator which helps keep it and the surrounding area dry thereby reducing the chance of any mould, mildew and bacteria from growing. However, there are two disadvantages to this method. First, it’s also not always convenient to switch to the fresh air setting in order to draw in hotter air to dry out the system. It just might be too hot or cold to be worth this extra effort.

It’s also not economical. Second, allowing fresh air to flow in increases the accumulation of dust, pollen and brake dust build up. Of course if you have a cabin air filter you don’t have to worry about that since it will trap the pollutants before it reaches the evaporator area.

Another possible solution is to spray a disinfectant like Lysol® into the ventilation system or have your car treated with ozone or other similar system. However, this process does not affect any dust, pollen and other contaminants that have accumulated on the evaporator. While it may disinfect any mould, mildew and bacteria, the results are usually short term.] Clearing the Air, by Michael Mankarious

Always check the following; a/c condensate pan and drain pipe smells and odours, for ac odours use 1z Klima-Cleaner Air Conditioning Cleaner, an effective means for removing odour-causing bacteria, smoke fumes, fungi and other germs. It effectively disinfects mould, mildew and bacteria on the evaporator core. It also applies a thin layer of protectant that has been proven in laboratory tests which makes the growth of contaminants more difficult so the results are long lasting. The effective foam solution emulsifies the debris build up on the evaporator core so it’s cleaner and will run more efficiently.

Another significant benefit is the result of cleaner interior air. This is especially important for allergy sufferers who are sensitive to airborne contaminants. For those who are highly sensitive to chemicals, rest assured that Klima-Cleaner is a water- and salt-based cleaner so chances of any skin reaction is extremely minimal.

For fabrics and/ or carpets if nothing else has worked. Try a solution of one gallon of warm water, one half cup of ammonia, one quarter cup of vinegar, and one quarter cup of washing soda.

mehajaz

I had the same issue in my 2006 clk350. LMAO reading the descriptions of the odors, but y'all are dead on!! Changing the cabin filter found on top of the battery under the hood helped some. There is a lot of differing opinions as to whether my MY car has the charcoal filter under the dash on the passenger side. i will take it apart some time to see if there actually is one. What so far has worked the best, but probably only a temporary fix is driving the last 1/2 mile or so of each trip with the AC off but the fan still on. There is enough cool air so I/m not suffering, but it seems to decrease the reek on start up the nest time. Also these past two weeks, its been like 100+ degrees here in Memphis, and i've driven on the highway with the windows down and the fan going full blast and AC off, to really cook them germs, it really seems to have completely removed the odor for now. Thanks for the previous very informative post, I will try to find someone to "flush" the climate control system. I remember the legionnaires outbreak in Philly many years ago.

Militia

I apologize for not checking in sooner. I had ordered the Klima, and I tried a can of Lysol while I was waiting for it to arrive. The smell went away for a few startups (or maybe it was just over powered by the bottle scent), only to return again. The same thing happened with the Klima!

I just got back from the dealership a few minutes ago -- had gone there to purchase an air filter, but they recommended some sort of foam treatment as an alternative. I'll give it a shot since it's covered under warranty, and just replace the air filter anyway. Going in on Tuesday, will post the results afterwards.

TOGWT, thank you for such a nice write-up.. your post was very informative!

Sathinas

Maybe you have a family of.. umm.. undocumented alien midgets living under your dashboard?

Militia

I don't know how the hell they got in there!

..just picked up the car and the odor is completely gone (without having to replace the air filter). i appreciate all the feedback