[TAGGAR]

I have a 2001 325i...which has performed great and without problems. Yesterday my wife drove it has turned on the A/C, which had not been used in a few weeks. Since then the car has a smell, much like smelly socks. I have tired to blow it out by turning the vent on high with and without the A/C. Even had the heat on for a while. WHAT THE HELL COULD IT BE. I'm am worried it may have some kind of mold or something.

 

[Az330im]

dude....that happens to me everytime i turn on my A/C too! WTF! ne body know the problem??? but the smell doesn't stay in my car, and also it only comes out for a few seconds and then it goes away...

 

[Bmwfreak84]

take it to your dealer and tell them to do a stat check on ur ac. let them know that everytime you turn it on a smell comes through and that it has nothing to do with anything placed into the car. bmws are made with materials that are smell resistent(i think up to a certain point) so it really can't be any fabric/leather etc etc. so it much be the air

 

[E28Fiend]

my buddy is a tech at a BM dealership in L.I. NY, he says that when cars come in with smelly problems, it is usually due to moisture in the HVAC system....he said that they just put a dehumidihier in the cars overnight, and that by morning, the smell is gone.....

I never tried it, but sounds like it might work...if anyone does this...let us know whats up....

 

[Az330im]

^^^ will that dehumidifer help in removing the smell from the A/C or just the car?

 

[niL]

I've heard about fungus forming inside the vent's from left over moisture after using the A/C. Maybe your micro-filter need's changing? :dunno:

 

[niL]

Here are some threads to help you:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113091&highlight=air*

My buddy that works at the dealership gave me a bottle of stuff that they spray on the microfilter to eliminate odors.
It smells because of the bacteria that forms in the filter..... I guess this stuff kills it.
I'll check later when I get home to see what it's called.

It's called Micro Magic
Here's a pic

<img src=http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/4502micro_magic-med.jpg>

The unpleasant odour that you get when first switching on the a/c is caused by fungal growth in the air ducts inside the car, where the stuff grows on the condensation left behind in the ducts when you switch off and lock up the car. Changing the microfilter - which is BEFORE the a/c cools the air - won't help.

Have a look at www.autoint.com/odor_removal_from_air_conditioni.htm

I got a bottle of their 'odor terminator' ( great name ) and followed the instructions...worked for me..and it wasn't expensive; I don't know what it would cost in the US.

Prduct description is on
www.autoint.com/odor_terminator.htm

Some of the above may be true, but I'm pretty sure changing the filter will eliminate it. I just had the filter on the M changed and all of the odor went away. The filter traps most of the bacteria and such, so that's where it grows.
I often work in cleanrooms and deal with hepa filters. These often have the same problem when the airflow gets shut off. That's when the bacteria and fungi multiply...... so when you turn it back on you get a blast of terrible odor. We usually spray Lysol on the surface of the filters before we start them up again and within a few minutes it's gone. This is where the Micro Magic I posted before comes in. If you apply it once a month or so, it will help the filter last longer by killing the bacteria and fungi that form in it.

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