REALLY Smelly A/C

Turtlekid95 · 09-04-2018, 12:30 AM

**Disclaimer. Long post**

So as the title suggests I have a smelly X1. Before I get into the details I'll give you some background. When this all started I assumed I had a leaky pano roof. During a scheduled oil change I had my dealer quote me a $240 "diagnosis" fee just to see if it really was the sunroof. I politely declined and cleared to sunroof drains myself. Much to my disappointment the awful sour/sweaty/mildewy smell remained.

Knowing that BMW's are known to have smelly A/C systems I turned there. I saw online where people had been having success removing this smell by removing the cabin filter and spraying Lysol into the condenser to kill bacteria that may be growing there. This is where I ran into my problem. As long as the A/C compressor is running on the car, regardless of the recirc setting I have selected, the recirc door under the filter is ALWAYS closed. The only way for fresh air to enter my car through the HVAC system is to turn off the A/C compressor by pressing the button on the dash, then the door outside will open and allow fresh air in. I have tried every combination of settings I can think of to get it to allow fresh air in while the A/C compressor is on. But no matter what combination of settings I have chosen as soon as I press the button to turn the A/C compressor on it closes the recirc door. This, I believe, is the reason for the smell from the A/C. For some reason it's not getting fresh air through the system and is constantly recirculating stagnant air. I drive with the windows down as much as possible because of this.

So before I take it in for it's next oil change and pay a fortune for the dealer to look at it has anybody heard of this? I've had three previous BMW's one of which being an E90 and none of them have had this issue. And I should add that the Lysol treatment did help for about 3 days but with the system being constantly closed it started smelling again. If anyone has experienced this I would love to hear from you.

E46M3E84X1 · 09-05-2018, 11:02 PM

I’ve had the same problem on my e46 m3. Good thing was that you can spray directly to the condenser by removing the final stage resistor. On the X1 with ac on or without it still goes through the condenser if you spray with the vent open. What I did was put it on full blast and with the AC button off sprayed a lot of Lysol maybe 1/4 of a can but a few sprays at a time. Then turn on the ac button and let it run for a min or two. Then turn off the ac button and did another 1/4 can. Then turn on the ac and let it run for a few minutes. Did it again but now i sprayed 1/4 of a can while the heater was on full blast with the ac button off. So far it’s been a week and no smell. Will probably do it again this weekend.

09-04-2018, 12:30 AM	#1
Turtlekid95 Private 13 Rep 58 Posts Drives: 2014 X5 xDrive 35i Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Athens, TN iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW X5 xDrive35i [0.00]	REALLY Smelly A/C Disclaimer. Long post So as the title suggests I have a smelly X1. Before I get into the details I'll give you some background. When this all started I assumed I had a leaky pano roof. During a scheduled oil change I had my dealer quote me a $240 "diagnosis" fee just to see if it really was the sunroof. I politely declined and cleared to sunroof drains myself. Much to my disappointment the awful sour/sweaty/mildewy smell remained. Knowing that BMW's are known to have smelly A/C systems I turned there. I saw online where people had been having success removing this smell by removing the cabin filter and spraying Lysol into the condenser to kill bacteria that may be growing there. This is where I ran into my problem. As long as the A/C compressor is running on the car, regardless of the recirc setting I have selected, the recirc door under the filter is ALWAYS closed. The only way for fresh air to enter my car through the HVAC system is to turn off the A/C compressor by pressing the button on the dash, then the door outside will open and allow fresh air in. I have tried every combination of settings I can think of to get it to allow fresh air in while the A/C compressor is on. But no matter what combination of settings I have chosen as soon as I press the button to turn the A/C compressor on it closes the recirc door. This, I believe, is the reason for the smell from the A/C. For some reason it's not getting fresh air through the system and is constantly recirculating stagnant air. I drive with the windows down as much as possible because of this. So before I take it in for it's next oil change and pay a fortune for the dealer to look at it has anybody heard of this? I've had three previous BMW's one of which being an E90 and none of them have had this issue. And I should add that the Lysol treatment did help for about 3 days but with the system being constantly closed it started smelling again. If anyone has experienced this I would love to hear from you.
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09-05-2018, 11:02 PM	#2
E46M3E84X1 New Member 15 Rep 28 Posts Drives: Xdrive 35i Join Date: May 2018 Location: Vacaville CA iTrader: (0)	I’ve had the same problem on my e46 m3. Good thing was that you can spray directly to the condenser by removing the final stage resistor. On the X1 with ac on or without it still goes through the condenser if you spray with the vent open. What I did was put it on full blast and with the AC button off sprayed a lot of Lysol maybe 1/4 of a can but a few sprays at a time. Then turn on the ac button and let it run for a min or two. Then turn off the ac button and did another 1/4 can. Then turn on the ac and let it run for a few minutes. Did it again but now i sprayed 1/4 of a can while the heater was on full blast with the ac button off. So far it’s been a week and no smell. Will probably do it again this weekend.
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