The inside of my car has a mildew smell and I think it could be from the A/C. How can I get rid of the smell?
tzw5kf from Shreveport, LA
There are filters in your car's air conditioning system that need to be replaced every now and then. This is not the same as the engine air filter. People with allergies should do this more often.
The mildew probably got started by running only the "max" A/C. That recirculates the cabin air, which is moist. Using the regular A/C dries out the air. If you run only the max A/C, it leaves moisture in the unit and mildew grows. I'm not sure how to get rid of the smell now, but be sure when you run your A/C to at least finish the last few minutes on regular A/C to dry it out.
We too had this odor in our car. Where did it come from no one knows. We put a cut apple under the hood near the dash.
Smell in the car emanating from A/c duct can be due to Bacteria or Fungi, which cannot be removed by cleaning the interiors of the car. You need to use heat fumigation process with special solution which will kill the bacteria, fungi and even removes cigarette smells. "Airtune" products available in market are an excellent solution.
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I have a four year old car that runs great, a dream to drive and gets reasonable gas mileage. One problem however, it has a peculiar odor when the air conditioning is running.