mshmsh

I have been waiting on not putting a thread before I test my solution for 10 days. So now I tested it and it worked!

I had this bad smell coming from my AC when I start my car after it sits for couple hours for 4 months now. I took it to the dealer 3 times with no luck. However, last time i told my service adviser that I am not going to take it unless you fix it. So they kept my car for 3 days and came up with full E-VAB cleaning as a courtesy from them. After I picked up the car the AC smells fresh and clean but here is my solution so it doesn't come back again:

I found that Toyota in general has the coldest AC systems in their cars ( had Camry and Corolla in the past) so by setting your temperature too low there will be moisture created and the bad smell will come back so I kept my temperature setting on 70F. it is super cold still but the bad smell will never come back! And when you turn your car off make sure you leave it on outside vent and this where it will dry the moisture.

Dont take the dealer's word of turning off your AC a mile before you arrive home. Thats BS because I have had many cars in the past that their ACs never do that. Just know that our new GS has very powerful super cold AC and if you leave the temp on 70F you will not smell that dead animal inside your AC lol.

Do it and post your results here to make sure my solution works! And share your experience.

yardie876

Nice! I find the AC often freezing my face off at anything below 74. I keep my temp at 76 and that it is perfect, even in hell hot south florida lol.

jjbenzo

I believe the real issue with your smelly a/c is the evaporator. I was getting the same bad smell upon start up in the morning with our 2013 Range Rover Sport (with only 1500 miles on it). The dealer told me that one of the main suppliers of a/c evaporators to several auto manufacturers (including Lexus) had issues with the evaporator not draining properly, therefore allowing water to sit and stink up in your vehicle. The initial "fix" for this was to do a full cleaning of the system. Of course, this was just a temporary fix as it was not actually fixing the root cause of the problem. There is now a replacement evaporator for the Sport, I would assume there is for the GS as well.

project328

It's your passengers feet!! Lol jk

puckhead85

that's weird you noticed a smell with the AC on, I noticed a smell when my AC was off.
While going out tonight I was going to a bar and didn't want to take a jacket so i was naturally cold in NY this time of year and I turned off the AC and noticed a smell, once I put the AC back on the smell went away...

jjbenzo

Basically, I would only notice the smell when first turning the car and a/c on in the morning. After the car has sat all night long. After about 5-10 seconds of being on, the bad smell would go away. And for the rest of the day, anytime I would get back in and drive, the a/c would have no odor. I was told that with the water accumulating in the evaporator that it was allowing mold/mildew to grow, therefore causing the odor, but once the a/c was back on again, it would blow/clear out the smell.

sam430

iTrader: (10)

I have the Sport. Where can I find information on the evaporator? My car smells weird too when I turned the heater on (for the first few minutes).

my lexus dealership noted that they didn't smell anything but they replaced the cabin filter out of courtesy. It still smells to me. Don't know what else to say.

sam430

iTrader: (10)

anyone have the TSB on this? I'm taking my car in tomorrow. I've searched on google and didn't find anything.

jjbenzo

What year is your Sport? My understanding is that they changed evaporators some time in the MY2012 Sport...so only the 12 and 13 models are affected. I took my vehicle into our dealership. They replaced with no questions asked as they knew what the issue was. If you are still under warranty then of course it is of no cost to you...as long as your VIN is within the range of vehicles that Land Rover/Lexus (and all the other brands affected) say are needing replacements. You mentioned it smells when you turn your heater on...is your a/c on at the same time? If not, then it may not be the same issue.

Afrosheen

Hate to break it to everyone, but this is mildew on the evap coil and is a problem across many, many vehicles. Just like your shower at home, a warm moist environment is perfect for mildew and it grows really well in a somewhat closed vehicle environment. I had a 2004 G35 that did this from the day I bought it til the day I sold it. The only way to really kill it is to use a special chemical to nuke the mildew at the source and they don't sell it over the counter.

http://www.kbb.com/car-advice/articl...ide-car-vents/

sarmyth

Sewell sells the cleaner to perform this yourself if you're so inclined.

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...2001/4481.html

Sevn86

You know I did what u suggested and the smell is practically gone in my RX350. The AC is just as cold as when I use to leave it on Lo or 65F. Thanks for the tip.

JeanneJC

I had a dead animal smell coming out of my air conditioner for many months too off and on. I asked two different garages to change my air filter and check it out....including the lexus dealership. turns out there is another filter for the cabin of the car inside and in the back of the glove compartment. Finally a mechanic checked that air filter and found that it was totally full of decomposing leaves, etc. including a dead mouse!!!! Check out how to replace the cabin air filter on youtube and be sure yours gets replaced periodically. The mechanic said that he bet that filter hadn't been changed since i owned the car. Note that I had been taking it in for regular maintenance to the Lexus dealer who told me they changed the air filters regularly. The cabin filter is different from the regular air filter.

Knucklebus

No offense but that's not how it works. It doesn't help to turn down the AC to a lower temp. First, running the AC at all will create condensation. If there is water dripping under your car, you are creating condensation. Any moisture at all in your AC system will create the conditions that allow mildew to grow. Second, the cycle of the AC is to compress freon, take the heat out in the condenser, cycle it through the evaporator and mix it with warm air to get the desired temp. You don't actually run the AC less at a higher temp, you just mix in more heater air with it.

Finally, to get rid of the smell, you have to kill the mildew. It isn't as easy as spraying Lysol in the vents. We finally got rid of it on my wife's Honda by using some very strong aerosol chemicals we got at Advance Auto. You spray it into the external vents at the base of the windshield with the AC on high.

I used something like this: Evaporator Cleaner