It can be shutdown during parking and wait 1-2 mins each day. I found that works for us.

 

Has anyone tried There was at least one reviewer who owned a 2017 Lexus that said it worked.
Another similar product requires removing the blower fan and spraying the product directly on the evap coil, like one would do on a home's a/c coil.
Has anyone tried this method? Here's showing how to remove the blower fan.

 

I've tried this product and the included tube is too small for the evap hose under the car so the foam would just spray out instead of going inside the evap. I ended up purchasing the toyota brand one and it worked perfectly.

 

I had a Chrysler Pacifica with bad smell it turns out to be clogged Catalytic Converter . Wonder if applies in this situation ...

 

I have the exact same problem. We have tried everything. Cleaned carpets, seats, headliner, replaced filters. It goes away after a few minutes of driving but nobody can find the issue. It is really irritating. Please let me know what you find. I'll do the same.

 

Usually if you have lots of debris on the cabin air filter it might be an indication that rodents got in.

In your case it might have passed away somewhere there (if you are lucky).

Check all passages for air from outside to cabin and the ducts.

 

You could try or . The second option is a simple one. I used the first option for a smelly A/C, but that may not be your issue. Might have to do a process of elimination.
Also a car "bomb" odor eliminator.

 

In my experience, odors can come from spots that aren't obvious or easy to reach. Look under the seats, in the seat crevices, under the floor mats, and in the trunk. Also, check any places where the interior trim might be hiding organic material.

 

Hey, have you figured out what's causing the smell!

For me it looks like coming from the trunk bed where that gray rubber like insulation is, I smell the oder right after entering the vehicle so I'm not sure if the A/C system

I sprayed the trunk with lausol,and left all windows and trunk open for 3 days inside a garage but I still smell weird /unknown smell..


​​​​​​Any one figured a resolution for their car smell?

 

I once had a job getting rid of odors from a smoker's car. Repeatedly shampooing the seats, carpet and washing the interior windows helped somewhat. However, the cigarette smell would eventually return since access to the heating/cooling vents was difficult. What greatly helped was an ozone generator device which can be purchased on Amazon. You place this device in the car while it is running with the A/C and recirculation on, windows shut. Run car for one hour. Repeating this process may be necessary. See video:

 

We had purchased a Lexus Certified ES350 with a nice fresh scent smell and didn't think much about it. Well, around the 3rd day, we start smelling smoke. We called the dealer and tried to return the vehicle but the dealer refused to take it back. So that dealer nice scent was a mask to hide the smoke smell. We purchased a number of Ozone generators (cheap and expensive one) and tried over months. I can tell you it was a waste of time and money. The smell kept coming back.

We even called a professional auto detailer, and he said in our case was that the vehicle was heavily smoked in (for driver and passenger) and there really wasn't much he could do to address it.

We ended up selling the vehicle to Carmax for loss after 2.5 years. Buying an used vehicle is so sneaky and tricky even with a Lexus franchise dealer. Never tell the dealer you are coming over to look at a particular vehicle. They spray that freshen smell and threw off wife and family.

 

I was reading this post in the hopes of finding a resolution to this EXACT issue I am having. We have a 2021 Lexus rx350L which we bought new. The car ran fine for the past 4 years. About a month ago, this very odd smell just kicked in out of nowhere in the car. Best way to explain is it a smell like old rotting leaves or mildew/mold. I feel it's more of the old leaves but my wife swears its a smell that comes from water sitting somewhere.

The car has no problem with the water draining out of the tube. However, the air did smell bad when only the fan is turned on. This smell I'm talking about though just lingers in the car. It is present even before the car is turned on. We notice it as soon as we open the door and get inside. The smell gradually subsides as we drive and dont notice it much. However, as soon as we park the car for even half an hour, we can smell it again.

I did a ton of research to figure out how to resolve this issue
1) the evap coil cleaning solution using the genuine toyota/lexus foam cleaner that gets connected via the drain hose under the car. After this treatment was done, along with the spray that goes into the intake (front windshield area), the fan blowing now had no foul smell even if the AC/heat were not turned on. However, the odd smell still came back after a few days. Also changed out the in cabin filter (even the engine filter just in case)
2) We also did the lysol into the intake area a few times. The ac vents blow out lysol smells for a while, but eventually the foul smell comes back
3) I also tried the ozone treatment. After the treatment, we didnt notice the foul smell because the ozone machine created it's own "unique" medicine/chemical smell. That wasn't too terrible and that ozone smell eventually left after a few days. UNFORTUNATELY! the fould smell is still back. Now regarding the ozone treatment, I only left it running while the car was not on at all. I'm wondering from a previous post, I should keep the car in recirculation while the ozone is working. I will probably try this.

We didn't take it to the dealer or anything as it wouldn't be covered under warranty and as many have stated, dealer will probably not do anything to resolve this issue. This smell is driving us crazy. We've tried everything to no avail. I think this tread is quite old, but wondering if anyone else found a solution to this.

 

Seems like you've tried everything. I have some suggestions regarding the ozone generator. When using it, do the following for best results. 1) Run the car with the a/c and the recirculation on. 2) All windows must be closed. 3) Run for at least 1 hour. Stubborn odors may require a second treatment. Good luck.