Carista

I agree, and sorry about that. We keep trying to improve the descriptions in each version as we find out more about how exactly each setting affects the behavior of the car.

Carista has a setting called "Auto-turn on recirculate mode when A/C is on", but it doesn't seem to be supported by at least some US-model 2013 GS350s that we got data from.

But what I can say is: it's safe to play with the settings and see what exactly they do to your car (although if you don't notice a change in behavior, return the setting to its old value). And if you have a better description to suggest, PLEASE let me know. We're trying to make the setting names as clear and precise as possible, while at the same time keeping them short and quick to read.

Afrosheen

I have a loaner CT200h right now that smells like a moldy old shower the second the AC comes on. 16k on the odo. I really hope my GS doesn't do this in 6k miles.

SW17LS

16k on a loaner is a lot LOL. I wouldn't use the loaner as an example of what your GS will be like at 16k.

I just got out of an IS loaner with 5k and it felt way older all around than my GS at 25k.

Afrosheen

IS loaner, that must be a treat compared to this CT. It feels heavy, sluggish, and stiff, and likes to buck front to back over imperfect pavement. Not gonna be sad to get my GS back tomorrow.

trf

I wish I would have read this stream (and others like it I am finding) prior to purchasing my 2014 300H. The mold/bacteria/fungi are fully entrenched in my ventilation system and it causes me sneezing and watery eyes when I drive my car. Woe to those who have allergies to mold (etc) and might not want a blast of it when they drive. It is important to remember, this is not simply an "odor" issue as the service rep insists on calling it. It is also highly embarrassing when I have to apologize to guests in the car about the problem.

It is amazing that with a design flaw such as this no one even cautioned me when I purchased the car (or maybe it is not amazing, but what can be expected). The solution from the dealer seems to be "go read the manual about turning on the outside air vent" when i turn off the car. Unfortunately, once you have high condensation and any degradable foreign matter in the lines, mold spores from the outside will germinate in the system and opening the outside vent is only to minimize the smell, it does not solve the problem. The problem can only get worse.

This is my 7th vehicle-always Volvo prior to this; never before have I had this problem. In the last month I have gone back to driving the old V70.

If I would have known about this flaw in the system I would have never purchased the car. I will be sure to caution those I think are looking to buy the 300H to think twice. Hopefully Lexus will solve this problem quickly.

Gordy35

This is weird, we have a 91 LS400, 07 LS460, 08 IS350 and 13 GS350 and none of our cars have a smell from the A/C. We never have the A/C on fresh air, they are always on recirculate mode, we live in south Florida where it is very humid and we have never had that mold smell and the LS 460 sometimes sits in a garage for a month without being driven, the GS 350 sometimes sits in a garage for a few days without being driven.

SW17LS

Trf- just have the system cleaned. You can buy a can to clean it yourself or have the dealer to do it. It's not a big deal.

rjm

This is not just a Lexus problem. It is a complaint found on several different car forums. I drove BMW's for 14 years and it was a frequent complaint on those forums. I have always kept my AC systems on Recirc 100% of the time in both BMW's and 3 models of Lexus, and have never had the problem. Many who have had the problem fixed it by using the suggestion in the post above:

SW17LS

Lots of products you can use:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/s...U7d2dijMHw_wcB

http://www.autogeek.net/cleanair.htm...6GLT_4BU_w_wcB

Realize that if this werent a common issue...you wouldn't have all these products available.

The dealer uses an actual power flush type machine and its much more complete. If you have a significant issue, I would have them do it the first time and then use one of these products once per year. I usually do it at the end of the summer season when I'm done really using the A/C.

Afrosheen

Trust me, the mildew funk is a problem with lots of cars. My '04 G35 did this every summer, and since I smoke when I drive (windows down of course) I almost always have fresh air pumped into the cabin, never use recirculate. I will "air out the cabin" just about daily also prior to parking. That's why my car still smells like it's new instead of a crusty old cigar bar.

Anyway, I think this has something to do with the condenser design and how it is integrated into the dash vents. Don't quote me on this, I could be wrong, but I know that on my G35, it was exposed to the interior air and during AC use (which is year round here) it gets wet. So, you have a warm, wet spot inside a car that never fully dries out, add fresh air and people, and you get mildew.

Like I said earlier, the loaner I had with 16k stunk, but so far my '13 GS with 10k on the dial hasn't started this yet. It also hasn't spent a solid summer baking in Texas yet, so we'll see how it is by August.

mryeh17

I had the initial smell both during turning on of ventilation (without AC), and again with turning on of AC.

Tried the Lysol through the air intakes method a week ago, BO smell now replaced with mild Lysol aroma, much less wrinkling of noses.

$4 for Lysol, 5 min to spray, great fix!

rjm

Which air intakes did you use?

mryeh17

I used the intakes right below the wipers, accessed by opening the hood.

The passenger side wiper got in the way a bit, and I had to occasionally shake the can of Lysol and adjust the angle to try to hit as much of the intake surface area as possible.

AL13NV8D3R

It is not a lexus flaw. I have my 14' GS and it has 14,000mi and it does not have this problem. My cousin has the same car but his is a 13' GS with 46,000mi and his car does not have the moldy sour smell. I rented some cars from enterprise on business tripa and most of them have this moldy smell. The root of the problem is people turn on and off the A/C pump and thats what causes this smelly problem. If you always have A/C on and never turn it off then you will never develope this problem.

Heck I owned previously a 2006 LS430 which I bought brand new and had put 245,000 miles on it and the A/C never had this moldy smell. Every car since I bought new, I have left the A/C on and never turn it off and left the car in recirculation mode and never used the fresh air option. If I am hot I just adjust the fan speed or temp settings and when I am cold I just increase the temp. Never ever turn off the A/C pump even when you use the heater. If you follow these rules before you even have this problem then you will never ever get this problem.

Ive owned many cars in my life time and I have had this problem in previos cars too but every since I left the A/C on 24/7 I never ever have this problem ever again. I hope this helps other members in this forum.

williakz

It is INDEED a Lexus flaw.

In order to gain "credits" against the coming CAFE fuel efficiency/emission standards, Lexus has reprogrammed its AC systems. Where they used to be biased toward fresh air intake, they are now biased toward recirculated air. This change allows Lexus to put off (for a short while) the really tough engineering compromises required for compliance with the truly gruesome post-2016 CAFE standards. And, best of all, it only comes at the expense of the comfort and wallets of loyal Lexus customers! What could be better?