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My wife's E400 Stinks...

Old Jul 6, 2016 | 02:49 AM
  #1  
NickTH's Avatar
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From: Houston TX
2015 E400
My wife's E400 Stinks...

The worst part of driving my wife's 2015 E400 is the first 20 seconds upon starting the car. There's a strong musty stink smell coming out of the AC vents.
Why does this happen & how do you fix it...?

Thanks,
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 07:47 AM
  #2  
Diesel #2's Avatar
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From: California
2016 E 250 Bluetec
You are getting that bad odor because you are not allowing the AC condenser and lines to dry out after running it for a while. Thankfully, it is a new vehicle and i highly doubt you have mold build up so it is an easy solution. After using the AC, set it so only fresh unconditioned air comes in for about 5-10 minutes. You do not have to do this every single time you run the AC, however if you do it a few times a week, you should never have any smell.

Last edited by Diesel #2; Jul 6, 2016 at 07:51 AM.
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 07:50 AM
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M-B addressed this complaint many years ago by operating the blower fan at low speed while the car is idle (off). It helps to dry the evaporator coil and thus stopping the mold and musty smell before it gets started. If you put your ear to the bottom of the windshield area after it has been shut down for awhile you can hear the fan running. Perhaps you have an issue and this feature is not working. Maybe have the dealer run a diagnostic if that is the case.
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 11:09 AM
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Skyline45's Avatar
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2016 GLE450 AMG Coupe
Mine is having this issue too.. I thought it might be the Air Filter just needs to be changed though. Is the stink a sign of a larger issue?
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 11:41 AM
  #5  
AllenOU's Avatar
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From: Houston
2014 E350 sport
Mine does this as well. It only lasts closer to 5-7 seconds, but the AC is ICE COLD at least. I am dropping the car off tomorrow for warranty work (aux battery, AC smell, and cosmetic stuff )


I will keep you all updated!
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 02:09 PM
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I just now received an email from M-B titled "A new car smell all over again". How appropriate! They have an odorless specifically designed foam to quickly clean the HVAC system and restore it to new. So they say....
Maybe have the dealer give this a shot if you guys have smell issues. My car does not suffer from this and I have never cleaned it with anything.
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Old Jul 6, 2016 | 02:53 PM
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2011 E550 P2 4M Sedan
Plenty of threads on ways to try and address this. MB makes a spray in the vents odorizer. Some use Lysol.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...questions.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...p-correct.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...nditioner.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...in-filter.html

I tried the Lysol among other things after I bought mine used. Ending up getting filter replaced and it was fine after that. But last time filter was changed was 1.5 years ago and now the smell just came back. It was fine last summer. Since it is so humid in my area, I don't think these filters can make it 2 years for me.
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