Neogenic

Hello again,
Anyone got a stil moist water smell in their AC after washing the car. I had this for almost 5 days and its summer here. Where could water leak into the system? No problems like this fir the past 1,5 year. Allways washed at the same place, same personal.

Cheers,

Needsdecaf

Yes, getting the damp moldy smell. Not to do with washing car, has to do with condensation in the system. Going to bring it to dealer, should not be doing this.

Dukeaudio

Agree, more likely an A/C issue. Do you use Recirculated or Outside air?

Neogenic

Sounds very reasonable. Its on auto. Today I shut auto mode and elevated the funs rotation and temp. It helped to evaporate water. Smell was almost gone,

sam430

iTrader: (10)

It's 2014 and they haven't solved this problem yet? Put it on a to do list!

Neogenic

Condensed water could be a grouth medium for multiple health hazards such as moald and bacteria. Such a low quality issue for such car!

SW17LS

You have to understand the biology at work here. If there is moisture in a warm, dark place you WILL have mold. Has nothing to do with the car, its a matter of biology. The very nature of an HVAC system means you will have condensation. If you park the car after a wash and moisture is in the system, it WILL become musty and moldy. Thats true on any car.

To combat that you should:

1. Turn the HVAC system off when the car is being washed. Thats #1.
2. Treat the duct system with an appropriate cleaner/disinfectant, the dealer can do this or you can do it at home with the appropriate product.
3. Run the system on fan mode with the HVAC off for a few seconds to dry it out before you shut the system off periodically, or after a situation like you describe with the carwash.

Neogenic

Nope. I am not buying it! My 3rd gen didnt have it. Every AC has a flow as in and out pipe. Condensed water does not persist in those pipes where ear is flowing. It persists where there is no flow. Thus you use a small tank to gather and seal it off in the main temp exchange unit. Your argument does not even come close to how AC works. Else all our AC units at home would do the same and give us the joy od moist and mold. . Beside its a sign of parts aging issue. Nothing else. As I wrote before.: Pervious summer no such problem. So why now? What happened?

Dukeaudio

Its not a parts aging issue as much as it's a buildup issue... If left untreated it will only get worse. The fins on the cars condenser core are much closer together than those of a home system, thus more prone to retaining moisture and less efficient at expelling it. This is not an issue exclusive to Lexus.

sam430

iTrader: (10)

There is worse issue on this particular lexus. My 2GS doesn't have issues that issue (and it's old), 4ES don't...4GS, well, it had that issue even before the first checkup (under 5k miles).

Neogenic

I have driven 30k miles now, and last summer I drove aboutish 15k with no such issue. Car is washed regulary every 2 weeks through all seasons. AC is on auto allways. I am assuming its a summer issue for you guys?

I am afraid though about one thing. If condensed water is in a flow pathway, that means AC was not designed for this because obviuoslly its an unpleasent sideeffect. Which would means AC might have shorter age due to ware.

Anxious to see next gen RX. Might depart with my GS then. GX is not marketed in Sweden.

SW17LS

If it was a parts aging issue why did my 4GS exhibit this smell brand new and does not do it now that its older? Its a question of moisture building up over time, and mold growing in the duct work creating a musty/moldy smell. Mine sat on the lot for 6 months, now that I use it and don't run it in car washes, etc and dry the system out periodically it doesn't happen.

Your A/C in your home is no different. If you got moisture in your ductwork in your home it would cause the same issue, and does (I'm in the real estate business I see it at home inspections all the time).

A vehicle is more susceptible to it because its out in the elements, your homes air intakes are inside your home (typically, depends on the system), your car draws air from the outside air while its raining, water is forced into the intakes by car washes, etc.

How am I incorrectly describing how A/C works? lol Cooling is provided by a compressor that draws heat out of the air that is blown across the coil. That air is then forced through the ducts and vents into the cabin of the vehicle while at the same time the hot air is evacuated out of the cabin. Thats how A/C works in your car and your home. The moldy smell comes from water getting in the ducts and mold growing.

I've had this issue in multiple cars. Why do you think aftermarket companies sell products for this very purpose? Here's one:

Neogenic

Monday exemple? You are generalising based on your own experiance. Neither my AC at home nor pervious cars exhibit this "axium" by your definition.

Just bacause AC share the same principles as technology does not include the same solutions for handling logistics.

Beside this, my car is still on warrenty. As for your links, neither exemples are luxury based. I havent bought a ****y box on four wheels. You allways should get what you pay for. Lexus only asks to change filter regularly which I have paid for. I am assuming now that my dealer has changed filter when I have been charged for it. Service in Sweden is each 10k with a new filter.

AL13NV8D3R

I have owened about 10 cars in my lifetime of different manufacturers and non of my vehicles have had this problem. This is my solution to this problem that alot of people are getting including my friends amd family.

My solution is to always run A/C on and never shut it off. Always have the climate control blowing air even when cold outside or hot just adjust temperature to your taste. It seems to me that its only whem I shut off the A/C is when I get that moldy smell so now I never shut it off and never have any problems.

Ive owned 89 Toyota Supra, 92 Nissan 300zx, 2001 Chevy Corvette, 2006 Toyota Tundra, 2006 Lexus LS430, 2010 Lexus RX350 and a 2014 GS350. Non of these cars never have this problem. I have lived in Claifornia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida, and Tennessee. So geographical location has nothing to do with it.

When you shut down your A/C or blower while car is running will leave your car to have the right conditions to grow mold and bacteria. If you never turn your climate off and recirculate the air in your car it makes the car humidity very low. I use a hydrometer to measure % of moisture in my car and it is always 25% or lower. Only in florida the humidity will go no lower than 40% but thats good considering outside is 80% or more.

SW17LS

A car is a car whether it's a luxury car or not lol. It's the same AC system. If you want to be pissed off, go ahead. I and others have given you simple steps to solve your problem, if you want to complain instead of solving the issue go for it. You've gotten lucky before, that's all.

Buying a luxury car doesn't mean it can defy physics or biology lol. It's just a car, and a lot more similar to an "ordinary" car than you obviously want to understand. I had the issue too, a good cleaning and some simple preventative steps and it's never happened again.