Check the front passenger side carpet (Sniff test). AC evaporator water was soaking the carpet in mine. Caught it early before it mildewed. Dealer replaced the evaporator drain on mine since mine had the new evaporator installed at the factory. They pulled the carpet to let it dry out before letting the car go.

 

Just took my October 2014 build F55 into the dealer for the second time for this issue. Having the campaign number above helped greatly. Thanks!

Now just to wait until the end of the week until the car is fixed.

 

Last time out our car had a Vinegar smell when we started it and the AC kicked on. Went away after a bit, Hope it was a one time deal.

 

2015 Justa...I also have the Vinegar smell.... have not had it back to dealer. I notified them, but am waiting for the 10,000 mi. service, with 2500 more to go. The smell is strong, but disappates after a short while. Doubt you had a "one time deal".

 

I was glad (I guess that's the right thought...) to hear this wasn't just me & my 2015 4dr... After reading these posts, I called my dealer and explained the situation. The service advisor indicated that there is a bulletin (I didn't get the # yet, as I got the info second hand), and that I'll need to leave the car for a couple of days (2 or 3) for the fix. They referenced the 'lower a/c box'...whatever that is....I will get details when I take it in. Upcoming vacation says that won't be until 2 weeks from now, but I'll update here when I have details. :(

 

Hope that vinegar smell is not what you'd get from condensate water beginning to soak reconstituted vinegar in the floor matting (as though an earlier fix ain't fixed).

 

Dealer supposedly pulled the front carpet out and let it dry in the sun for a couple of days before replacing. Carpet passes the "sniff" test so smell is not originating there.

The smell seems to be coming from the AC vents when the car is first started. Maybe it needs a new cabin filter (can't know if that's something that go wet with the Evap leak).

We get a whiff of that vinegar smell every time now. Just the first gust and then it dissipates quickly. Finding the cause may be more trouble than what its worth.

 

So thanks to all of you, i was able to present the dealer with the problem and have it fixed. Here is the bulletin and the repairs they did.

 

Thanks for the update and list. Looks like cabin filter - active carbon

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/64119321875/

&

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/64119297744/ES2787340/


http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...38#64119297744


and recharged the checked with dye.

 

Since campaign / software update the AC does not come on with start up

Was the change related to the AC campaign or the unrelated software update ??

Happy with the result

Ed

 

On start my AC doesn't blow initially. Maybe a count of 3 and I start getting some air flow until it reaches the "auto" setting. Still get the vinegar whiff on first "blow" from the AC every time on first start up. After we stop and restart (shopping or whatever) no smell. Seems like the overnight sitting accumulates that smell in the vents.

Soooooooooooooo i was thinking:

I'm wondering if may be coming from the Meguiers liquid car wash/wax I use on the car. On a rinse, you get that soapy residue accumulating on the area where the windshield wipers are ( and then it drains through). That is the area where most cars vent in outside air for the ventilation and AC. If there is residue that has an odor in that area, it would/could transfer into the cabin on initial start up.

I rarely use recirculate when running the AC here in Florida (maybe on initial cool down if car is overly hot inside), but generally have it set to recirculate or Auto. There is a mold problem that can arise due to the extremely humid weather we have when running a closed system.

So, I will try setting the car to recirculate on next shut-down for the night and see if I get the vinegar smell on start up the next time out. If I do not, that tells me there is a residue and I'll wash the car with a sweet smelling detergent and rinse the heck out of the windshield area and see if that clears it up.

Nobody wants to drive a stinky MINI

 

This is a known issue on all F56 & F55 built before April this year. MINI redesigned the evaporator to address the condensation buildup and the resulting mold and mildew. Seems to be a bigger issue if you live in a more humid area. The smell is worse if the car has been sitting for a couple of days.

It will not go away on it's own, but just get worse with time. This is not due to your detailing regimen.

It's an involved repair, but should address the stank.

Since it's been unusually humid in my neck of the woods lately, this issue has been poking it's head through more and more. When returning my loaner, I was told that the dealer's loaner fleet is starting to have the smell when they shuttle the cars around Monday mornings.

 

Hmmm, when we brought our car in for the evaporator leak into the passenger side foot-well, I was told that our car was build after the change to the evaporator and that our leak problem was due to an improperly attached drain line.

Now I'm starting to have my doubts on that claim. With cars build during the month of April one could assume that cars build during the month of April and before may have this problem, although, "before" April" should mean all cars built in April and thereafter have the correct evaporator.

We ordered our car on 4/17/2015, so I would think it should have the updated evaporator installed (as the Service manager said). While tracking the build, it appeared that the car didn't go into production until the EOM April or first part of May (dunno but 10 May seems to stick in my mind when I first saw action on our car being picked up for production).

Car still has a whiff of that Vinegar smell, initially, but dissipates within a second or two of the AC starting to blow. Still troublesome, and may just need a new filter if somehow the original got wet (and is developing a mildew issues) with the evaporator leak we encountered.

I'll ask when I bring the car in for an oil and filter change at 5K miles. (not a believer in a 10K oil change interval suggested by BMW, I'll pay for the 5K change myself). I always adhered to the adage that an oil change is the cheapest maintenance you can do to prolong a engine's life.

I'll let everyone know what I hear from the dealer when I bring the car in.

Still loving this little "bugger".

 

Before April means "through 3/31". Sounds like you should have the new evap. May indeed be another issue, then. Ugh.

You can check your exact build date at bmwarchive: http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

 

5/11/2015 so my car should have the new evaporator

 

This is the service performed on my 2015 4dr yesterday to correct the foul odor from the a/c vents. Seems to have done the trick - time will tell!

 

My has been in the shop for 2 weeks for the foul smell and now they just ordered the parts.

 

Decided to shut off the outside vents before shutting off the car (set vents to recirculate rather that grab outside air). Started the car and no vinegar smell. Ran a full day and shut it off for the night again, next morning no smell.

Tonight I set vent control to manual recirculate (not the automatic mode where it had been set when I was getting the vinegar smell). I'll check tomorrow and see if smell returned. If it doesn't then the smell has to be coming from the filter used in the auto mode. If the vinegar smell returns, then I know the smell is either that outside filter mentioned above or something in the venting from the outside that has a residual vinegar smell.

Washed the car with Meguairs Wash and Wax soap/wax and plenty got rinsed through the wiper drains. Maybe that will rinse whatever stinks out.

 

To anyone who is having issues with the foul/sour odors from the vents, it's a known issue with a known solution - the blower motor needs to be replaced due to a manufacturing/engineering defect.

Essentially, clearances aren't up to spec, and excess moisture collects on the evaporator coils, leading to the growth of some unsavory bacteria and mold.

 

Can we get an accurate VIN range or production date range for the defective blower motors?

Also, it seems to me that evaporator housings have been mentioned as the source of the smell problem. Are there two solutions or two different problems, or what?

 

The bulletin I saw mentioned the evaporator fin gap as the culprit. Haven't heard of the blower motors being an issue. That said, there have apparently been a number of revision to the bulletin over the last 6+ months as MINI got closer to a root cause.

All F5x cars produced through 3/31/15 are susceptible to the smell issue.

Had mine fixed a few weeks ago and they replaced the evaporator assembly, microfilters and a gasket. So far so good...

 

Mine is a May 2015 build and I get a whiff of Vinegar on start up. With AC set to recirculate, no smell, set to outside air intake, and each morning I get a shot of Vinegar smell blowing out of the vents. It has to be something on the outside or the filter since getting since no smell with the AC recirculating the air only when set to A or M..

 

This issue is BACK AGAIN for me

First time, they changed my evap box (before it was redesigned) and sprayed the replacement with a chemical to inhibit bacterial growth. Was good for a while, smell came back.

Second time was back in May, they finally got in the re-engineered evap and they were able to do a swap for me, and I was fine until a couple of weeks ago...

And now its back! Ugh! So frustrating to be going through all of this in the first year of ownership on a thoroughly modern car.

I will take it in again this week - could be the blower motors? Has the bulletin been updated? I can't imagine that it's the evap box again now that the part has been redesigned, and my carpets are never wet, the smell is coming from the vents, not from inside the car.

 

You getting a vinegar smell or a Mildew smell? Have you tried changing your AC setting to recirculate rather than the two outside air settings?

Mine only emits a smell when the outside air is vented in telling me, whatever is causing my smell has to be at or near the outside air intake. Perhaps the filter. Will be going for second date in another week so will have this addressed then.

Sorry to hear you have the problem back. Such a great little car only to be plagued with such an intrusive annoyance. At least mine clears up after a second or two and stays clear until the next morning start up. I'd be beside myself if It was blowing "stink" on me the whole time I was in the car.

 

I had this same issue on several prior cars I've had (VWs). At this point I just assume "that's how it is".