mildew smell from a/c at startup
08-08-11, 05:56 PM
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mildew smell from a/c at startup
just wanted to let everyone know that the mildew smell i had in my '10 ISF was resolved with a simple spray into the a/c intake vents at the bottom of the windshield. changing the cabin filter and lysol didnt do squat. its called "a/c treatment spray" available at Lexus or at the auto stores. Justin at Sterling McCall in Houston helped me out. Great guy!
08-08-11, 09:25 PM
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It was done under warranty, I don't know how much the Lexus spray cost but I saw a similar spray at advanced autoparts for $7. The Lexus spray said "a/c system treatment". Just follow the directions, took 2 min.
08-09-11, 09:48 PM
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09-14-11, 04:39 PM
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Eh? Why not just turn on the fan without AC and blast it for a couple of minutes? Gets rid of the smell every time. If you don't want the smell in your face, then just switch the vent to footwell+defrost. After that, try to turn off the AC but keep the fan on for a few minutes before you stop the car.
09-14-11, 09:30 PM
#12
Most of the time the problem is caused by mildew growing in the evaporator. To prevent this from happening, turn off your AC (but leave the fan on) a few minutes before you get to your destination. That way the condensation in the evaporator has a chance to evaporate. If you don't do this and you turn off your AC when you turn off your car, you're going to get that funky smell. Mildew loves to grow in damped areas 
10-01-14, 03:31 PM
#15
Took my CT200 to Lexus for this problem. They detailed the interior, installed a carbon filter and ran the AC for three hours. Smelled better for a while, now it's back.
This is a design problem, pure and simple. I'm being advised to run the system with fresh air for a few minutes before stopping. And to use a $70 carbon filter every 10k miles. This is something I've NEVER had to do before.
I'm 58 years old and have owned probably 50 cars with AC. I've NEVER had this problem with ANY of them and I had a lot of cars in Florida and Houston where mold and mildew run rampant.
Just bought an Avalon Limited Hybrid with the Tech Package because I think it's built better than the ES300h. Doors were heavier, car was quieter. Car & Driver agrees with me and states the Avalon is the better car. Plus to get all the bells and whistles on the Avalon on the the ES would require the Ultra Luxury Package at a cost of over 9k.
With this smelly car Lexus is causing me to lose faith in them!
This is a design problem, pure and simple. I'm being advised to run the system with fresh air for a few minutes before stopping. And to use a $70 carbon filter every 10k miles. This is something I've NEVER had to do before.
I'm 58 years old and have owned probably 50 cars with AC. I've NEVER had this problem with ANY of them and I had a lot of cars in Florida and Houston where mold and mildew run rampant.
Just bought an Avalon Limited Hybrid with the Tech Package because I think it's built better than the ES300h. Doors were heavier, car was quieter. Car & Driver agrees with me and states the Avalon is the better car. Plus to get all the bells and whistles on the Avalon on the the ES would require the Ultra Luxury Package at a cost of over 9k.
With this smelly car Lexus is causing me to lose faith in them!