why does my air con smell like old sweaty socks? could it be a filter os sumthing? i have 60 days waranty left with arnold clarke would or should it be covered?
smelly air con
- Thread starter chris rushton
- Start date
Its due to bacteria building up. When you turn off the aircon it stays damp inside and when the car warms up again its an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
If you go into Halfords you can get some spray which you let off inside of the car with the aircon on recirculate mode and it kills the bacteria. It doesnt always work though as if the system is dirty it just comes back again. In these cases the only thing to do is have the system washed out.
Making short journeys with the aircon on is the worst thing to do. Longer journeys keeps the air inside colder for longer and helps kill the bacteria. Also turning off the aircon for the last 5-10 minutes of the journey allows it to dry inside which also helps.
If you go into Halfords you can get some spray which you let off inside of the car with the aircon on recirculate mode and it kills the bacteria. It doesnt always work though as if the system is dirty it just comes back again. In these cases the only thing to do is have the system washed out.
Making short journeys with the aircon on is the worst thing to do. Longer journeys keeps the air inside colder for longer and helps kill the bacteria. Also turning off the aircon for the last 5-10 minutes of the journey allows it to dry inside which also helps.
Its a good idea to fit a new pollen filter too - amazing how much garbage they collect.
John
John
Both good advice Chris, but as John says, the pollen filter can and does harbour all sorts of crap/bacteria, changed mine and noticed a difference. The aerosol or "Bomb" as we used to call them at BMW will also do a good job in removing the smell which as the prvious poster pointed out is bacteria.
thank you all. it only seems to smell when i resurculate so once i locate the filter i will replace it and do the bomb thingy too.
