A/C Smell on startup
04-16-2018, 01:12 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
A/C Smell on startup
Recently our low mileage MY17 Macan S A/C started to smell when starting the car. The smell is sort of a deep musty smell with metallic tones - kind of like old milling machines in a metal machining shop, if that helps at all with description. It is present on every startup, but worse if the car has been sitting for an extended period of time (such as overnight). The smell goes away after the first 20-30 seconds of running the HVAC. The car is garaged in a climate controlled space. I'll have the dealership take a look under warrantee if I need to, but I was hoping some of you might have some ideas of things I can quickly check on before I bother doing that.
Thank you in advance!
Thank you in advance!
04-16-2018, 01:56 PM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
Change your cabin filter. They get stinky.
Available from lots of sources.
Don't trust my searching abilities. Double check fitment...
https://www.amazon.com/CF11179-Fresh...n+cabin+filter
Available from lots of sources.
Don't trust my searching abilities. Double check fitment...
https://www.amazon.com/CF11179-Fresh...n+cabin+filter
04-16-2018, 08:10 PM
#4
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Believe it's just humidity that has sat in the system for a while. I correct it by shooting a bit of Lysol spray into the a/c while set on recirculating; corrects it every time.
04-16-2018, 11:59 PM
#5
On my 2015 with exactly your same symptoms it end up being the evaporator. At first it took a couple of months for the a/c to stop working(cooling). By the fourth month every 3 weeks to a month the a/c stopped cooling. After six month and four visit to the dealer (In the first three they could not find the leak even after pouring tones of ink into the system) Porsche aproved replacing the evaporator together with the condensor, dryer, almost the whole a/c system except lines and controls. That finally fixed the problem. Hope your problem is something else but from your description it sound exactly like mine. Wait for the a/c to stop cooling. If it does you will know the fix even if the dealer takes a long time to figure it out.
04-17-2018, 02:17 AM
#6
Pro
Recently our low mileage MY17 Macan S A/C started to smell when starting the car. The smell is sort of a deep musty smell with metallic tones - kind of like old milling machines in a metal machining shop, if that helps at all with description. It is present on every startup, but worse if the car has been sitting for an extended period of time (such as overnight). The smell goes away after the first 20-30 seconds of running the HVAC. The car is garaged in a climate controlled space. I'll have the dealership take a look under warrantee if I need to, but I was hoping some of you might have some ideas of things I can quickly check on before I bother doing that.
Thank you in advance!
Thank you in advance!
04-17-2018, 10:23 AM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
Thank you for the insight on this and for sharing your experience. Sounds hair-ripping frustrating. Hopefully I'm no on the same path.
It might be. I live in Houston, after all. The car is very low mileage and spends most of its time in a climate controlled garage. Hopefully it's not mold.
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04-17-2018, 10:26 AM
#8
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Make sure your AC condensation drain is clear and properly working.
04-17-2018, 10:30 AM
#10
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04-17-2018, 10:41 AM
#11
Racer
Thread Starter
04-17-2018, 11:13 AM
#12
Drifting
04-18-2018, 11:43 PM
#14
I also hope is mold. In my case after 3 years and 35,000 miles of daily driving with the a/c On, 100% of the time, at a very humid and hot climate (>90F) Caribbean island, mold smell was not present.
04-18-2018, 11:59 PM
#15
Burning Brakes
Phil.....this was a very common issue on E9X series BMW's. As stated above, the evaporator was the problem in this case as well. The only fix was to remove the dash and have it replaced. Might try this as a quick remedy until you can get to the dealer.....before you pull into the garage turn the compressor off and let the fan run for couple of minutes. This will dry things out some so the condensation isn't as bad. H-Town humidity will only get worse as you know..........Phil