Kdash106

i don't think the 14 has it... i can't disable mine either.

gzorn

Can't see it either. Complained to tech and showed him manual. He is going to bump it to corporate.

looknow12

My tech asked corporate engineer. The engineer stated they all voted the feature our this year and they forgot to update the manual.

I find this to be untrue. I told the tech, that was unacceptable and requested to talk to him/her directly at dealership.

There was another issue I reported and the same corporate engineer said this was normal..posted here https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...not-level.html which I also believe was a poor cop out.

I encourage everyone to call Lexus about this issue. I believe it is merely a software bug, but the factory's position is they'd rather not lift a finger. Not good customer service imo.

2506ackley

Guys I bought a 2013 GX 460 in late December for my wife. The car had 30,000 miles on it. When we 1st got it the car had a musty smell that I thought a good inside detail and somer fresh air would solve. The smell went away for a few days but came back after the 1st of Jan. It is so bad now it is literally making my wife sick. It just got back from a 3 day visit to the local Lexus dealership and they could find nothing wrong with the car. The car smells so bad it hits you as soon as you get in it.

I am convinced it is coming from the HVAC system. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. I am either going to have to figure out how to fix the issue or I am going to have to buy my wife a new car. It is that bad.

Thanks

Barry2522

Could be a water leak somewhere keeping the carpet wet . sometimes leaking behind trim panels and going under carpet .
I have seen detail shops that dealers use to clean up used cars really get carpet wet when cleaning . That can linger for a long time .

MX5NES350

Could be a mold/mildew in the A/C system. There was a discussion about this in the first gen LX forum a while ago HERE as well as a Toyota solution HERE

tecman

Did the dealer attempt the solution posted above? I am sure the Toyota foam is fine and if its a Warranty thing let them do it. If not this has high ratings on Amazon.


Have you tried a car odor bomb if it is not the evaporator?

mx5mike

Has the Cabin Filter been changed recently? They are often forgot about and can lead to musty and un-welcome odors from the HVAC system. Relatively cheap and easy to replace in the GX, so its worth a shot to change it.

chiph9

Can you find the location in the car where it's strongest? Spilled milk in the carpet is truly horrible.

Chip H.

2506ackley

Thanks for the ideas. Cabin filter has been changed 4 times. Each time I put a carbon filter in. I am taking it to 1 more shop to try the spray up the drain tube and then it is getting sold. I have never seen or smelled a car so rank.

there is no water or moisture on the carpets inside.

my wife is lucky because she is about to get a 2015 to replace the stinky 2013.

Statman

Just being a smart @@s, but are you listing the smell as an option when you sell it?

So without knowing where the smell emanates from, using sprays and odor eaters is just covering up the cause. Where are you located, what is the relative humidity? If it truly is mold, this could be quite harmful...

2012GX460

Had the same issue, however the carpet was soaked under the floor mats on the passenger side, front and back!
Apparently mice had eaten through the a/c lines, and mice are NOT covered under warranty....lol

Coulter

Toyota makes a kit to address moldy smelling AC systems, you basically spray like a fungicide cleaner that kills mildew "up" the drain tubes where the evaporator is located. It also has some other steps.

I think it's well worth the price and takes care of it for a while.

People also say you can just use something generic like rubbing alcohol or Lysol and get the same effect, but the kit has all the adapters that make sit easy.

2506ackley

I got the dealer to perform the service and it fixed the smell.

it kind of irritates me that they won't acknowledge a problem but they have the fix real handy if you need it.

BradTank

It's a pretty widespread issue among a lot of manufacturers, I've had it happen to quite a few cars over the years.

I have found that if you can just turn the "AC" off a few miles before you get to your destination (but just let the fans keep running) it really helps dry it out so it doesn't sit and get moldy. Otherwise, it's something I have to address on just about every car.

Also, sometimes if you really turn the heat up and leave it on during the AC season (easier if you're not in the car) it can also help dry it out. The mildew/mold needs a damp environment, when you take that away it helps.