I know this could prolly be in the general MINI forum, but I figgured I would ask my fellow CM owners first...

My A/C stinks sometimes when I first fire up the car.

First off- 2013 CMS All4 with auto climate control. I keep it really clean inside and out and don't eat in the car or leave any clutter or any other items in there that would cause the funk.

I never run the A/C with the windows down or the sunroof open. I run the A/C during the day at 62, keeping the vents on the lower and the mid - not the windshield.

If it cools off at night, I either open the windows and sunroof, or I just turn off the A/C button and use the fan. Like when it's raining and I want to keep the windows up.

Sometime's when the weather is in the 50's or 60's I will occasionally shut off the A/C button if it gets to cold inside and just run the fans, and then turn it back on later when and if it gets to hot on the inside. I know I should prolly just use the auto A/C as intended and set the temp and forget it, but I was trying to maximize my gas mileage and this was something I did in previous cars to try to increase mileage and avoid the 10-15% power drain it seems to take from the car.

So, what am I doing wrong that makes the A/C smell funky when I start the car?

Any thoughts?

 

Have you checked your cabin air filter?

 

I haven't, but It's only 9 months old... Is it possible that it's full and dirty in that short amount of time? It's always garaged and I haven't even had it off road yet.

 

Usually when your AC starts to stink it's because of water from the evaporator. It should drain outside on the ground but it may not be fulling draining. Usually the dealer has some sort of cleaner, or run the heater all the way up to try and dry it out...

 

This is very common complaint across the BMW forums about the auto climate control. Filter changes don't really solve the issue. Supposedly its the condensation within the AC vents when the AC is off causing moisture which in turn causes bacteria to grow and hence the smell. Try turning the heating to full and the fans to full and let the car blow the hot air out for about 5 mins...obviously when you don't have to sit in it. This helps kill the bacteria and dry out the vents.

 

Or, take out the cabin filter, set the fan on high and spray some Lysol into the fan intake - that will distribute the Lysol thru out the system and kill the mold that's causing the smell.

I did this successfully on my clubby, which also smelled like an old sneaker when I'd turn it on. Usually the mold is either on the evaporator coil itself, or on the condensate drain tray under it.

BTW, I notice little to no difference in either the performance or the mileage on my Clubby with the A/C on or off.

 

people on autogeek love this stuff.