everytime i turn on the a/c it smells really weird... it smells musty.... i had the cabin filters and other filters change and it seems like it is getting worst... any ideas why??

i had to buy several air freshners to mask the smell.... i went to a mb dealership and they said they can do a a/c clean but its gonna cost me $300

 

There have been many posts about this particular subject....not only on Mercedes Benz websites, but on other sites as well. This is very common and I have had this problem with many of my own cars, even my last BMW had it. After reading literally hundreds of posts about this, the so-called fixes, etc., I can tell you that the consensus among those who know
(whoever "they" are) is that this is an "environmental" problem. That's right. You heard it correctly! And this is what the dealerships will tell you as well. It seems that condensation forms on the A/C condensor, which is BURIED in your dash. Mold forms as a result and hence the musty, moldy smell especially when you first start the A/C up. So, it's called an "environmental" problem that is considered "normal" by the dealerships so that they don't feel responsible for fixing it. Does their "treatment" work? Well, maybe. Maybe not. Maybe for a while. Maybe for a long time. It really depends if you're lucky or not. There are dozens of do-it-yourself fixes that are talked about on the internet, since this is so common. Do any of them work? All the ones I tried did not. Spraying with Febreze air freshener, spraying "OZIUM" into the A/C vent, and the list goes on and on. Running the heater for the last few miles of driving before you shut the car off, on and on, blah blah blah. The list is endless. I wish I had a good answer for you. [:@]

 

great answer Mr. Coyote, i have the same problem too and that just sums it up

 

Oh, I almost forgot.....there was one thing that I did that kinda helped, but I'm almost hesitant to say it because I don't know if it
really helped or it was my imagination. Probably my imagination. But.....I'll mention it anyway. You might try this one: Get a small can of OZIUM, which is an air freshener in a white & blue aerosol can you can get at most auto parts stores. Turn on the A/C fan to low and open the hood of your car and spray a few times into the air intake for the A/C and heater. It's usually under the cowl there somewhere. On my C230K, it's under the black plastic piece that goes over the battery. That is also the location for the cabin air filter.
I took that filter out of the plastic tray it's held in, and sprayed the heck out of it with the OZIUM, hoping that the air that came through that filter and into the cabin would somehow smell more like air freshener than a pair of old sneakers. Did it work?
Well, it didn't completely work, but for a while it smelled better when you first started the a/c up.

It's either that, or you can give the stealership $300.00 for their "treatment" of the system.
Or you could just flush $300 bucks down the toilet and get the same result.

 

thanks for the great input...... it started when i got my B service from a so called mercedes mechanic who was a piece of ****... i should have taken it to the dealership...anyway... after that service.. it started to smell.... its so embarassing when i have people in my car and i turn on the a/c.. first thing they say is..."whats that smell"
i have other cars to that range from a honda to a bmw... and they never smell like mine..... so i dont think its the enviroment even though i live in smog world los angeles..... i will try your ozium and hope fully it works..

by the way.. thanks again!!!

 

Sure, anytime. I try to post only on the topics that I have had personal experience with or if I think I can add something valuable. In this case, I really don't feel I added much since my "fix" probably will not work for you. And yes, it's strange that some cars do this and some never do. That's the part that doesn't make sense. Perhaps it's the way the condenser "dries" itself over time, the design of the enclosure that it lives in, who knows. I don't and I got real tired of all the lame things the dealers would come up with. One of them said that I could write a letter to MB if I wasn't happy with it. Right.
I hope this saved you 300 bucks. I know I wouldn't spend it on the assumption that it "might or might not fix it" or last any given time. No way. You can always get the small version of the spray can of Ozium and give the car a blast BEFORE your friends get in it!

 

While there are others who i'm sure are more skilled and knowledgable than myself, I remember a friend who sold Chryslers in the 80's. He told me that Chrysler was having the problem with their A/C systems. Their engineers redesigned their systems so that any time the defroster was on, the A/C would come on. Their idea was that the more you ran the A/C, the less mold andmildew. Hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Will

 

yeah... i usually have my a/c on everytime i drive cuz i get hot easily. So hopefully mildew doesnt grow.. it just sucks cuz i am sooo ughh about it.. makes me wanna buy the new infiniti g37 coupe

 

See if you can Run your Heater for 5-10 minutes for several days at a time.
I run my Heater first AM to Defrost
By Lunchtime the A/C is on High.

The Heater will help to eliminate built up Moisture, Stagnant Water in your
Drain Lines.

I would do that for one full week and see if that helps.
It does for me. I really do hope it helps for you.

 

Hears an answer i don't think anyone has written. There is a treatment called crontrasept (sp?) that is sprayed on the evap core. (Yes it's a pain in the butt which may be why you get the normal answer from the writer. Dosn't pay that well for a kind of pain job if you know what I mean. <--Now that that is out in the open.) This is not known as a permenent fix and may have to be reapplied but seems to work well in 98% of the ones i've done. Never had any return...yet. But i've never done C's yet. If you live in a hot climate you may have more problems than that ofa more mild climate.
It is moisturecollecting on the evap core becasue it isstill cold when you parkyour car. Mold then has a chance to grow. I don't knowwhywhat is diffrient aboutnewer cars from older cars. May be the complicated climate control box holding more moisture? I don't know but it does. The coatingkills the mold andbacteria and puts a coating on the evaporator to prevent it from growing.As far as Iknow it willeventuallyhave to be reapplied esp in hot climates.
One thing you can do to help prevent it and maybeevencure it is to hit the rest button on you climate control panel. This will run the blower on low for ashort time when youleave the car. This will dry out the boxthusshould prevent anything from growing. That is not a known fix but intheroyshould work.Would be a great thing to start with. But I guess you need to kill what is on the box now.