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I washed my engine last fall since it had 10 years of dirt on it and now that the temperature is getting hot, when i turn the AC on i've been getting a bad moldy smell, I figure something got wet when I did that.
I only get the smell turning ON the AC not the heat
I figured I have to change the cabin filter or air filter or both ? What do I have to do to get rid of the smell/mold.
Are there any Bosch Parts ?
The cabin air filter can hardly help this problem because the filter is mounted ahead of the dirty A/C coil that loads the air with mildew spores. A/C smell killer
Autozone sells a specific product called "Odor Eliminator". It is highly rated and known to kill the swamp bacterias responsible for the unpleasant smell.
Dealer may be able to help with an investigation and service charge.
the best way to prevent that is to let your A/C coil dry before reaching the destination. Last avoid parking on a sloped driveway... wich they all are. It will prevent all the condensation from reaching the A/C drain pipe 😃
You will have to pay for repairs and then see the chart for how Mercedes will reimburse you. When we noticed a little smell from our 2016, we installed a Mann Frecious Plus cabin filter and that took care of it, no smells since.
Hey fellow e350 owner.. I've noticed the same thing In my car this past week.. mine smells like old paint. Modern mercedes are known for this type of issue and I believe they were also taken to court? Anyway it's mostly like caused by the evaporator coil box that has water in it. Time to change the cabin air filter and when you do so you will need to spray a strong agent where the cabin air filter stays.
Once all of that is done for future a/c usage, make sure you run the the heater 5 min after your done with the a/c to dry up the water
Just my 02. Cents
I live in Canada, Am i eligible to get the settlement & repair done ? Would the dealership just do it for a free repair ?
Thank you for the info.
I've had my blind spot fixed under a 10 year warranty that i never knew about and it was to the cost of almost 4k at the dealership (MB Paid). Is there any other hidden repairs/warranties that I can do ?
I've had my car since new in September 2011.
Is this the spray that I have to remove the cabin filter and spray into the coils ? I've watched a video about it, I've never done any car work before so I am worried about ruining something, is there something maybe i can spray through ?
The suggestion that you need to run the heater every single time you use the AC is absurd. I live in a hot and very humid climate and my AC has been fine since the install of the Frecious Plus filter.
@luay I don't know about Canada, actually. The lawsuit was filed there but I am not sure it is settled. I can't answer for warranty concerns or eligibility, but I do suggest if it is bad that you do get it cleaned and then use the filter I recommended, which is Mann part number FP29005 and can be found here (US LINK) -
Is this the spray that I have to remove the cabin filter and spray into the coils ? I've watched a video about it, I've never done any car work before so I am worried about ruining something, is there something maybe i can spray through ?
Thanks for the info !
The take home here is: there is no one-time fix, only a bandaid. You just need to prevent the A/C coil from brewing condensates. All vehicles have a varing degree of this A/C problem.
You have to get under the car to use that spray treatment. It reportedly has all the proper chems in it to kill what's in there.
The one thing you don't really want is a cover up spray perfum that won't zap the bacterias and spores.
Fixing that problem will relieve nasal congestion I am sure you noticed after using A/C ✌️
Hi @Dr.MercE350
Were you able to do the work yourself ? I was thinking i have to change all filters,
Thanks,
Yes its easy to change took about 15-20 min (I'm mechanically inclined) very similar to the ones on YouTube just get to the passenger side and underneath the glove box is where you remove the cabin filter
Also in Canada with the same problem in the summer when turning on the AC. It lasts for about 30 seconds, then after that it's fine. I called the dealer and they said they spray lysol into the filters or whatever. Forgot what they said I'll call them again when it actually gets hot.
Most cars do this at some point. Our new GLS (2020) is doing it now as well. It’s just the way of the world I guess. Every car I’ve ever owned has had stinky ac sometimes. It’s a dark and damp box, perfect for mold. Only real fox is for a UV light is installed in the coil box itself and left on. But that’ll never happen. So Koolit is the next best thing. And you should expect to do it a couple of times a year.
It’s designed to be inserted up the drain tube from under the car which feeds into the coil box. But if a pain to get to - then pull the cabin filter from under the glove box, feed the Koolit tube into the chamber that leads to the center console, and when fully inserted, empty the can of Koolit. It’ll foam up the evap coil and box, and drain out through the cars drain tube on to the ground. It’ll be black and gross. And it’ll fix the issue for a few months.
I did my 212 last fall. Damp winter and didn’t drive it much. Was getting ready for a 2,500 mile road trip to FL a couple of weeks ago. Car was stinking. Emptied a can of Koolit into the evap coil via the procedure above - and fresh minty air ever since.
I usually buy about of 10 of these cans at a time and just use them when needed.
Just turned my AC on for the first time since probably August of last year, and 0 smell at all. I guess in all that time the mold or whatever must have died.
Check with a MB Service Advisor........I was in getting a service history printout on my 13 E550 Coupe and he ran it for open recalls etc. He did mention there was an issue with the AC that MB would take care of.