Funky smell from AC vents!
- Thread starter Harman1
- Start date
This month's BMWCCA Roundel Magazine has several letters to the editor about this problem. They describe the problem as moisture build up on the A/C evaporator coil, which then causes mold to grow. They are blaming the Auto recirc mode as the cause of this. The fix they describe is to always turn off the A/C 5 minutes before stopping the car so that warm air dries the moisture.
They also mention something called Frigi-Fresh to kill the mold and clean it up for a year or two.
I Googled Frigi-Fresh and found this:
http://www.storesonline.com/site/598452/product/BG 708?source=google
They also mention something called Frigi-Fresh to kill the mold and clean it up for a year or two.
I Googled Frigi-Fresh and found this:
http://www.storesonline.com/site/598452/product/BG 708?source=google
I'm with BMW of North America, LLC. I've checked with our experts regarding this issue. This is an industry wide problem caused by humid conditions. Moisture that condenses on the evaporator can provide an environment favorable to microorganisms drawn in either from the outside air, or from inside the passenger compartment (particularly from food or pets). This can cause a musty odor, when the air conditioner is first switched ON.
Using a specially designed tool, your BMW center can chemically clean the evaporator and evaporator box with disinfectant. However, while this can solve the odor problem for an extended period, it is not a permanent fix because the microorganisms can grow again due to the humidity in the air.
BMW recommends that you leave the A/C ON continuously (snowflake button on your A/C panel) to help prevent this situation from happening repeatedly.
Our engineers are still testing further options, but nothing new is anticipated for the immediate future. If you have additional questions or would like our assistance, you can reach us at 800-831-1117.
Using a specially designed tool, your BMW center can chemically clean the evaporator and evaporator box with disinfectant. However, while this can solve the odor problem for an extended period, it is not a permanent fix because the microorganisms can grow again due to the humidity in the air.
BMW recommends that you leave the A/C ON continuously (snowflake button on your A/C panel) to help prevent this situation from happening repeatedly.
Our engineers are still testing further options, but nothing new is anticipated for the immediate future. If you have additional questions or would like our assistance, you can reach us at 800-831-1117.
I have had this problem as well. I took my car in to BMW service - they spray that disinfectant into the air vents and run the A/C with the hopes of killing some of the mold. It seemed to work for about 3 days, but I think this was just the time it took to get rid of the "Frigi-Fresh" smell and return to the mold smell. I will need to take it in again to have this repeated and of course ... it's under warranty!
