A/C foul odor....
 

Alright i noticed this Foul Odor few days back, sprayed air fresher it went away for a day or 2.
Today when i turned on my car, i could smell it right away.

What can possibly cause this?
The Micro air filter?

Car parked outside with 5k miles on the clock.
I tried looking for the Micro air filter, but i couldn't find it.

A/C IS ALWAYS ON, i have it set up for circulation the green light is lit on (A) instead of (M)

At this moment, the best you could do is probably spray and then not use AC for a couple days and just run the vent fans. Then use AC sparingly and make sure you dry it before parking your car.

That's why I don't like the computer controlling my AC, and trying to disable AC automatically turning on by coding. I think I found the coding (IHKA 3003 - AC_ON_WITH_AUTO) but I'll have to test it.

I rarely use AC and if I do, I always make sure to dry it out before I get home. Arriving 5 minutes before destination, I turn off AC and let the outside air vent in. Green light on (A) should do it, so just turn off the AC long before you arrive your destination. If I didn't have enough time, I keep the car doors open in the garage.

If you keep it always on, whenever you park your car, there's going to be mold growing in the heat exchanger / condenser and you will always smell that stink the next time you get in your car. I was hoping more luxurious cars such as MINI/BMW have fixed this problem somehow but I guess it's not an easy fix.

Replacing the cabin filter won't fix anything unless the mold is actually growing on the filter.

The F model has two separate filters instead of one, and retail around 90 for the set....

If parked outside, the odor could be signs of rodent activity ?

Well i don't mind replacing the 2 filters if that take cares of the problem, however i also need to FIX that issue by knowing what causes it.

I have had several cars, never had this problem EVER.

Raven do u know where those filters r located?

I don't think there are rodents... as i don't see anything chewed or droppings

If you need replacing the filter, aren't they covered with the 3 year no-cost maintenance program?

Dealer aint gonna replace it that easy...
I work at a dealership myself and i know that they will be trying whole bunch of stuff before putting in new filters for me

Most manufacturers (including MINI) recommend that you NOT run your A/C on recirculate all the time. Continuously doing so will result in the issue you are experiencing.

Mine had a bit of a weird fish smell about it.

Wooo missouri city TX??
I live right by Sugarland and Stafford!!

Anyways so how do i fix this now.....

If your MINI was brought to my dealership, yes the Cabin Air box would be one of the first places checked.....Sorry no, have not replaced one of these yet just saw the filters on the film and looked up the cost :eek2:

Doubtful at 5K miles there is mold in there but seen stranger things happen. But when it does, this works well.


http://i1.wp.com/www.bgprod.com/file...size=165%2C500


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BG-Frigi-Fresh-A-C-Heater-Fresh-Air-Restore-From-The-Makers-Of-BG44K-BG708-5-5oz/280948515565?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140407115239%26meid%3D61cdf8602d9249b38afbc6a16581ae1b%26pid%3D100204%26prg%3D20140407115239%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D30%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D171546833677

Let me get with my Parts dept about this product tomorrow.
My dealership uses the BG brand as well

Hey Neighbor,


I'm new to MINI and have less than 1,500 miles on my Clubman so I'm still new to these cars myself. My last two vehicles (Dodge Charger Hemi and Jeep Patriot) developed the musty smell you described. I always ran the A/C on recirculate because the air is cooler that way. I have since learned this practice will cause the funky smell over time. I vowed not to do that in the MINI and only switch to recirculate BRIEFLY to prevent unpleasant fumes from entering the cabin.


From my research with the previous two vehicles, the only way to get rid of the smell was to have the evaporator coil cleaned and sanitized. I can't imagine with only 5,000 miles on your car that you would have to do that. I would take it to the dealership since you are under warranty and see what they say.

I probably will try this


And i will take it off recirculate tomorrow when i drive to work.

Anyone know what recirculate (A) and (M) is?

Good luck. What are you driving in case I see you around town?

2014 Volanic orange MIni hardtop

That should be easy to spot.

I had this same issue, took it to the dealer and they replaced my filters. It did not help. Not sure what post I had back a while ago but someone told me to keep it off of (M)-Manual which will keep it circulating all the time in the cabin. When I switched it (A)-automatic the car will pull air from outside and circulate depending on the air outside. That tip helped a lot. It explains this in the manual of the car as well. :nod:

Well the problem is i have always have it on (A)
I NEVER roll down my window... as i am a detailer who is OCD with keeping everything clean and spotless lol.

So my A/C is ON whenever i am driving my car.

I think that will only serve in temporarily masking the interior odor not getting to the source of the odor in the ducts as the BG product will. Most of those "bomb" products use acetone and not something to kill bacteria.

I have the same issue. Mine developed after I took delivery of the car only to find out the A/C condensate drain was not properly connected and was draining into the car itself. Took it to the dealer for warranty repair. I got the car back 5 hours later, was told fixed and on my way. Before I was more than 2 miles from the dealer it was still leaking into the car. Took it back and 2 days later I got it back, leak fixed but the odor of what I can only describe is a "musty/mildew" smell showed up a couple days later. It's present for about 2-5 minutes when the A/C first comes on. When I get time I plan to take it back to the dealer for investigation as I did not have this odor upon delivery -- only showed up after the leak was fixed.

The smelly cabin/AC thing has been reported by at least 3-5 people, and the one person above had a mislocated water drain, but most could correct it by changing their AC setting which dries out the ducts. I don't remember this coming up with the R56 cars so the F56 default settings must be different (and they are I think). The R56 filter is in the cabin on passenger side, and all air goes through it IF the AC is on (even if the temp is set to heat). They swapped out my filter once during my warranty period (I may have asked them to).

Where was it draining to in the car? Were you able to feel a portion of the carpet getting wet? I probably won't notice until at least summer because I almost never use air conditioner.

My wifes F56 has this same problem.I am going to check the ac condensate drain line.

Where is that drain line?

Passenger floor board, and yes it was very noticeable. My wife realized it when she picked up her purse and it was soaking wet. Once we pulled up the floor mat you could see the puddle of water sitting there.