Intermittent A/C smell on start-up
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 594
Likes: 308
From: South Florida
E63S Wagon
Intermittent A/C smell on start-up
Occasionally, maybe randomly, I get the mildew A/C smell on start up. It goes away in about 5 seconds (oddly quick). Usually it's when my car has been sitting overnight, but not always. I get it once a week.
I remember the dead animal thread, but that's obviously not what is happening here. On my older/simpler cars it was usually just a simple cabin air filter swap as a fix. My car is less than a year old. I'll have those swapped out at my service next month...but I am curious if anyone else has run into this on their sub-5k mile w213?
I remember the dead animal thread, but that's obviously not what is happening here. On my older/simpler cars it was usually just a simple cabin air filter swap as a fix. My car is less than a year old. I'll have those swapped out at my service next month...but I am curious if anyone else has run into this on their sub-5k mile w213?
Member
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 114
Likes: 36
2020 E63S, 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sport S
Occasionally, maybe randomly, I get the mildew A/C smell on start up. It goes away in about 5 seconds (oddly quick). Usually it's when my car has been sitting overnight, but not always. I get it once a week.
I remember the dead animal thread, but that's obviously not what is happening here. On my older/simpler cars it was usually just a simple cabin air filter swap as a fix. My car is less than a year old. I'll have those swapped out at my service next month...but I am curious if anyone else has run into this on their sub-5k mile w213?
I remember the dead animal thread, but that's obviously not what is happening here. On my older/simpler cars it was usually just a simple cabin air filter swap as a fix. My car is less than a year old. I'll have those swapped out at my service next month...but I am curious if anyone else has run into this on their sub-5k mile w213?
Member
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 114
Likes: 36
2020 E63S, 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sport S
When they clean the system, does it leave behind any chemical smells? I don't really like the thought of the car smelling like a can of Lysol.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,830
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From: NY & FL
MB’s of all kinds.
What you have is the infamous AC smell from the mold building up on the evaporator. I had this issue on a 2015 ML. Basically the dealer did nothing. I took the cabin filter out and sprayed Lysol into the exterior vents that house the blower. No issues ever since. That was years ago. Keeping a clean filter helps as well.
Member
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 122
Likes: 26
From: Miami, FL
2020 E63S Wagon, 2021 GLE450
What you have is the infamous AC smell from the mold building up on the evaporator. I had this issue on a 2015 ML. Basically the dealer did nothing. I took the cabin filter out and sprayed Lysol into the exterior vents that house the blower. No issues ever since. That was years ago. Keeping a clean filter helps as well.
Same fix for a BMW 5 series I have about 12 years ago. Never came back. I haven’t had this issue with my E63S.
