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A/C Air Conditioner Odor

16K views 39 replies 17 participants last post by  TacticalKarma 
#1 ·
Is anyone experiencing odor from A/C? I’m getting a mildew smell? Any suggestions?
 
#3 ·
take it off recirculation mode and make sure that fan runs all the time car is on. You also can spray lysol into the cabin air intakes (these are usually located at the base of the front windshield, to get to open the hood, system fan on high and spray copious amounts in. We had the issue with our 500x but finally went away.
 
#5 ·
I am enjoying the manual ventilation setting flexibility - try to limit it's use (mainly when the hot flasher is along for the ride she controls any aspect of climate or sound) and ventilate as much as possible when you can. You may want to verify no issue with the condenser drain (blockage) below.

Guaranteed the issue is no worse than any other vehicle during humid season so same applies to all vehicles.

The recirc options deserve some intention too- M is recirculate and is used only in extreme humidity to limit introduction of moist air and improve dehumidification.
 
#7 ·
Hello ArturoPo10,

Just to chime in, we're available via direct message if you decide you'd like to get this odor checked out by the dealer. Very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

Jasmine
Alfa Romeo Social Care Specialist
 
#9 ·
I have observed the Auto CC defaults to ambient temperature, so if you are wanting dehumidification it may delay conditioning if the inside temp is within the preset range. Simply override by turning 'colder' or manual adjustment.


I have also noticed a very slight odor when it cycles from A to M and manually switching to M (manual known as 'RECIRCULATE' mode) in high humidity helps. The controls give lots of flexibility which can be useful. As a practice from all of my vehicles in high humidity weather, I do try to circulate with AC off (to dry the condenser coils and prevent mildew growth/stale air due to optimum conditions for it).


Hope this helps and definitely want to make sure the drain is not blocked which would trap condensed moisture in the chamber... observe a puddle or 'drip' of condensed moisture when you park. In a previous car (GM product) I did experience moisture in the carpet under the CC due to this and it trapped overflow inside the vehicle.
 
#11 ·
I had the recall work done recently and asked them to look at this issue. They indicated that they could not re-create the problem and that no one else had reported issues…they said it was draining properly. I continue to get the intermittent odor with recirculation
 
#12 ·
awful smell daily from ac



Stelvio Ti purchased in Jun-2018 and the air conditioner stinks. Send it to for service and the entire Alfa Romeo dealership assumes plausible deniability. The air conditioning smell is horrible to stand when it intermittently starts to foul up.
 
#16 ·
Stelvio Ti purchased in Jun-2018 and the air conditioner stinks. Send it to for service and the entire Alfa Romeo dealership assumes plausible deniability. The air conditioning smell is horrible to stand when it intermittently starts to foul up.
Hi setash,
We would like to hear more about your experience. Please send our team a private with additional details of your dealer visit.
Julie
Alfa Romeo Social Care Specialist
 
#14 ·
In my Stelvio....it smells like "Play Doh" and I LOVE IT !!!
 
#15 · (Edited)
I used to have lots of musty odor from my old Accord's AC. Then a service advisor told me to turn the AC off and the fan up to high for several minutes before parking/shutting off the engine. I do this now religiously including with Giulia and have zero smells. I also almost always drive with the re-circulation off. The fan working while the AC is stopped for those last few minutes will dry out the evaporator and its surroundings. This means mildew and other damp-dark-places-loving bacteria won’t thrive there and you’ll be spared from foul smells and possible respiratory system issues.

Seems to work great for me. :smile!
 
#17 ·
I purchased my Stelvio TI about three months ago and already brought it in three times for the odor mildew smell from the AC. It starts when the automatic engine stop turns off and on which now I disable each time I enter the vehicle. It also does it intermittently all the time. I do have the circulation on manual and have done what is required. There is also and Odor that comes out when I drive on the highway on high speeds from the engine. This is definitely an issue, and Alfa Romeo cannot simply say its nothing. There is an issue and fixing must be done!!!
 
#19 ·
DId anyone find permanent solution to this. I Live in CT and got my car 2 months ago. we just had some warmer weather where i needed to turn my ac on and i got mildew like smell, similar to you guys. It really annoying to change the re circulation settings all the time(if even that will cure the issue or not). Any permanent solution?
 
#22 ·
I'm just saying make sure to ventilate the condenser box with fresh air when you can to evacuate condensate and try to prevent it from getting trapped in there where it gets warm and stale and can produce mildew or funky odors.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Sounds like you might have some bacteria (mildew maybe)in the system. It can happen with any car but ones that sit for long time in humid climates tend to get it more (probably while it was at the dealership).


The best way to clean it out is to

1) Remove the cabin air filter (this isn't required but it will work better)

2) Start the car, roll down the windows and put the A/C on high, Rec = off.

3) Take some Lysol or other anti-bacterial cleanser (I use a mixture of simple green and oxyclean with some lemon and lime essential oils in an atomizer-type spray bottle - my Vet told me oxyclean kills more type of bacteria than bleach, lemon is naturally anti-viral.) and spray it in the air intake at the base of the windshield so it gets sucked into the system. Spray a good amount, 1/4 bottle or so depending...you want to smell it inside the car. Spray slowly, don't just dump a ton of liquid down the air intake, a little at a time does it.

4) Stop spraying but continue to run the system for 10-20 minutes or until you don't smell anything any more.

5) Put the cabin air filter back in if you took it out.


Works in any car. Give about an hour/hour and a half for the project, do not rush spraying into the vents.


….IF you try the simple green/oxyclean combo, make sure you fully dissolve the oxyclean - I like to mix it in HOT water and then run it through a coffee filter to get any left over bits - you ONLY want a fine mist of liquid going into the vent. Too much water and you cause problems like mold and mildew, chunks of anything will just clog the system and attract dirt later.
 
#27 ·
Thanks for the quick reply.
I got the car at long island dealership. if anything car might have some snow on it when stored over there.
I will try this thing with lysol and see how it works.
Is it as easy like hondas or toyotas to remove the air cabin filter for our alfa(I doubt it)?
I saw one video online that looked kind of hard.

Any advise on that?
 
#28 · (Edited)
Not sure if that is where it is on the Stelvio, I'll try to check today but can't promise. Might be tomorrow.


Regardless I would call that easy. Would much rather work in the interior than under the hood. Far cleaner.....far, far cleaner. (Getting dirty was and is by far my least favorite thing about car repair) Grab a pad for the ground so your knees don't get sore (knee pads work too) and get it done with no reaching over an engine, ducking my head and shoulders under the hood or worrying about scratching the paint, or making my fingernails black...I like it. Would say that is a better design than Honda or Toyota...BMW....Porsche....

Not to mention by being inside all those plastic clips will be more pliable and move easier with less chance of breakage (heat from the engine wear the plastics under the hood and makes them brittle...and everybody is using as many stupid plastic clips as possible these days. Cannot describe how many times I have cut my fingers on stupid brittle plastic clips trying to get them unstuck changing a stupid filter. Then dirt gets in the cut...grrrrr…..)
 
#32 ·
Finally I Took my car to the dealer here in CT. Miller motors of Stamford. Of course being cloudy on that day, I could not reproduce the moldy smell. But they were nice enough to check out the car and check alfa logbook for any suggested service procedure. They found one so, I made an appointment to leave my car for one full day next week and they will do the suggested procedure. I also texted alfa care right here on the forum, and they were nice enough to create a specific case for me. They called me today and told me that they will talk to the dealer and try to be on top of the things, also they will reimburse me for the rental as the dealer is 40 min away from my home. So that was really nice on their part. I just wanted to log all the detail on the alfa side as well as the dealer side for future smooth transactions if needed. I will try to get the information on what procedure they perform so that anyone else is having the same issue can go to the dealer to get that done.
 
#33 ·
Yay! That is the best option even if a hassle.

Sorry I didnt see the earlier post. Probably wouldn't have a lasting effect, but it would have smelled like lysol or whatever for a week or two maybe.

In general.with new cars, its way better to have the dealer take care of issues under warrenty. Helps create a record for the manufacturer to use and discover problem areas, helping other owners and future vhicle development, especially minor revisions to specifications for reliability. Could be a one-off problem or you could be the leading edge of a recall or service bulletin. Coordination through Alfacare helps this too probably.

Dealers can suck but they serve a valuable purpose in the delicate automotive ecosystem. (Picture a bunch of car sales people walking around a lot smoking cigarettes as the sun sets in the background. Narrated by Morgan Freeman)
 
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