Being in the Charlotte, NC area I turned on my A/C for the first time over the weekend. If I only use the air/heat, there is no smell, but once I hit the A/C button I get this weird smell. I tried driving with the A/C on and windows down for about 10 minutes but the smell is still there. Should I try blasting the heat instead as I have seen recommended in other threads?
Also, I know my MINI came with the carbon filter. I welcome any suggestions to get rid of this smell

Anthony

 

Duh, change the cabin filter ---
here is a link to get one
http://www.atozautolights.com/2009-MINI-COOPER.html

here is a link to show how to replace the filter -- good luck with the project

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...placement.html

 

I should have mentioned I have barely driven the car in the last 4-5 months (1,500 miles). So I wonder if this just from a lack of use. Do I really need to buy a new filter? I wonder if this is covered under the service warranty.

 

I should have mentioned I have barely driven the car in the last 4-5 months (1,500 miles). So I wonder if this just from a lack of use. Is the filter the only variable here? I wonder if this is covered under the service warranty.

 

There is a drain that goes under the car to let out the condensation. If it is plugged, water stays in and you can get a smell. Check under the car for a tube and stick a coat hanger in to clear it. I don't know where it is in a mini, but a dangling tube is probably it.

 

Thanks for your suggestions Davester and HRM. I ended up running the heat on "HI" for about 20 minutes this morning and after running the A/C for a couple minutes, the scent dissipated significantly. On my drive home tonight I did not get the smell at all. Let's see how it is on the morning run. If not I will look for the drain tube and/or replace the filter.

 

The smell was gone again today. Whatever it was, I guess it could not take the heat.

 

What was causing the smell was mold on the condensor and/or tray, if blasting the heat worked more power to you!

Usually the fix is to spray Lysol into the intake vents while you have the fan speed on high, this draws the lysol in and kills the mold.

Sometimes a critter gets in and makes a nest, those can smell pretty badly too! The repair for that is to clean out the nest and change the filter.

You can check this easily by taking the cover off over the top of the battery, you can look in with a flashlight and see the top side of the cabin filter and whether anything's in there.

 

Also heard that frequent running of the environmental in the fresh air and not the recirc mode helps.

 

The smell was sort of moldy, but definitely not a dead critter. I think the condenser just had some stale water in there as it all smells fine now.

 

The smell did come back eventually but not as prevalent. Took it to the dealer and they changed the cabin filter and it has been fine since. It's been over a month and at least 1,000 miles now and no problems..