[04detroitls]

So we noticed a bad smell coming from the vents on warmer days, usually in thr first 5min or so if running. When we had the car in for an oil change they recommended a cabin filter change, which did not help.

Car went in last week for muffler rattle, ambient lights out on dash and DS front/rear panels and we had them check the smell issue again.

Tech said there is mold that built up on the evap coils (inside car)

Was wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar issue, and if do how to prevent it?

While we are in (humid) FL, it is garage kept (11k on it) and we haven't had this issue with any other vehicle

[lagunablue1]

I've had this in the past with other cars, usually it's from mold in the air intake plenum leading to the cabin air filter.

I would pop the hood and spray some lysol or other disinfectant into the plastic intake grilles at the bottom of the windshield. Spray it, let it sit for a few minutes, and then crank the A/C at full blast for a few minutes. Repeat a few times as needed and you should be able to kill the mold and remove the smell.

Might be worth buying a cheap dehumidifier for the garage moving forward.

[04detroitls]

Originally Posted by lagunablue1

Might be worth buying a cheap dehumidifier for the garage moving forward.

I wonder if i can now justify a mini split lol

I just thought it was odd, this is the first vehicle we have has do this, and after only about 18months...

[Qsilver7]

Your statement that you park in the garage is a dead give-away. The AC funk you smell is probably due to the growth of mold/bacteria. If you are running your AC, then you pull into a garage that is dark and has low air circulation…you have just created a “lovers lane” for the birth of mold & bacteria to grow. It’s no different than if you throw a wet towel in a gym bag, zip it closed and toss it in the closet. If you leave it in the dark for a day or two…when you open the zipper on the gym bag…you’re going to get a whiff of the wonderful aroma of the birth of bacteria and mold.

If your BMW has a (parked car) ventilation feature…you can activate it after pulling into the garage and turning the engine off. This will run the HVAC blower for up to 30 minutes…this will help evaporate any moisture or condensate left on the condenser or in the air ducts.

I’ve programmed the 2nd of the 1-8 programmable buttons to take me directly to this ventilation option when I’m running the AC on hot/humid days…and then have to park in a dark/low air circulation area. I don’t have any AC funk…and I’ve been doing this on my BMWs for decades. My e32/e34/e38/e39/e53/f06, & f15 all have had this ventilation feature.

Here’s a screen shot of my 2013 f06 (CIC iDrive) and my 2014 f15 (NBT/ID4 iDrive):

[cutnsew]

Originally Posted by lagunablue1

Might be worth buying a cheap dehumidifier for the garage moving forward.

Great advice about the lysol.

If you really want to dehumidify the garage you'd probably have to purchase an industrial humidifier; it's FL. It's more common than not for the relative humidity to be 70% or more depending on what part of FL. But i'm not an HVAC expert

[04detroitls]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Your statement that you park in the garage is a dead give-away. The AC funk you smell is probably due to the growth of mold/bacteria. If you are running your AC, then you pull into a garage that is dark and has low air circulation…you have just created a “lovers lane” for the birth of mold & bacteria to grow. It’s no different than if you throw a wet towel in a gym bag, zip it closed and toss it in the closet. If you leave it in the dark for a day or two…when you open the zipper on the gym bag…you’re going to get a whiff of the wonderful aroma of the birth of bacteria and mold.

If your BMW has a (parked car) ventilation feature…you can activate it after pulling into the garage and turning the engine off. This will run the HVAC blower for up to 30 minutes…this will help evaporate any moisture or condensate left on the condenser or in the air ducts.

I’ve programmed the 2nd of the 1-8 programmable buttons to take me directly to this ventilation option when I’m running the AC on hot/humid days…and then have to park in a dark/low air circulation area. I don’t have any AC funk…and I’ve been doing this on my BMWs for decades. My e32/e34/e38/e39/e53/f06, & f15 all have had this ventilation feature.

Here’s a screen shot of my 2013 f06 (CIC iDrive) and my 2014 f15 (NBT/ID4 iDrive):

we do have 2 ceiling fans that run in the garage 24/7, just thought it was strange that that the f97 is the only one w this issue :P
which buttons are programmable on ours? Would be nice if i could just set it in the app to automatically kick in for x min after the vehicle shuts off, I know i can set
time based ones in the app, but getting home at different times every day doesnt really help this...

[Qsilver7]

Hopefully your fellow platform owners can help you here...I don't know which version of iDrive you have. And my BMWs have older versions...so I'm not familiar with the wording, location (in iDrive) or selections you have for this feature.

There should also be instructions in your owners manual...and there's also the owners manual embedded in iDrive which has several search features. You may be able to find it by searching for VENTILATION.

[cardtables]

Originally Posted by lagunablue1

I've had this in the past with other cars, usually it's from mold in the air intake plenum leading to the cabin air filter.

I would pop the hood and spray some lysol or other disinfectant into the plastic intake grilles at the bottom of the windshield. Spray it, let it sit for a few minutes, and then crank the A/C at full blast for a few minutes. Repeat a few times as needed and you should be able to kill the mold and remove the smell.

Might be worth buying a cheap dehumidifier for the garage moving forward.

A word of caution on Lysol - I sprayed a decent amount in my Cadillac SRX a few years ago, and two days later, the sunroof cloth came loose from it’s frame. Lysol might dissolve some adhesives, so I’m not sure it’s the best solution. My X3M has an occasional smell as well. I believe they make products just for this very problem that you can safely spray into the AC intake.

[spta97]

I saw a YT vid of this procedure but have been doing it on my truck for years but check there.

As mentioned in the above post they have products specially for this. In the vid I saw they shot some up the drip tube as well.

Important thing is to let it sit for a while to kill the mold/bacteria. I usually let it sit over night. As also stated running the ventilation feature is a good way to prevent this. Most advice says to run the fan without the ac on when you are about 10 min from home. The ventilation feature will prevent you from driving with no ac.

[corbs09]

Remove cabin filter and spray Lysol in there. There is also a spot under the hood where the car pulls air through the cabin filter, I sprayed lysol in there as well and left the ac on high for a few mins as I sprayed. Then changed the cabin filter once all of the lysol dried. Sounds stupid but it worked.

[cardtables]

Can anyone describe to me where exactly under the hood is the air intake for the hvac? Is it literally the plastic slotted piece at the base of the windshield? That looks more like a drain for water or am I mistaken?

[thestimp]

Originally Posted by cardtables

Can anyone describe to me where exactly under the hood is the air intake for the hvac? Is it literally the plastic slotted piece at the base of the windshield? That looks more like a drain for water or am I mistaken?

Glove box area, inside the car.

[cardtables]

Originally Posted by thestimp

Glove box area, inside the car.

Thanks, but I’m looking for the fresh air intake.