I know there are known issues with AC condensation draining not being quite right with the F56. Pretty sure I've got one. What I don't know is whether that is the same as/tied to the following in my 2017 F56S (October 2016 manufacture date) Looking for guidance.

Symptoms:

(1) No major AC funky until I swapped the cabin air filter out from a set with the plastic "buttons" (spacers) on the bottom of one of the 2 elements to a set without any. I have read mixed things about the significance of the filter elements with the "buttons," but I've had the car for almost 2 years and did not have odor issues this obvious until the filter type switch. Could be coincidence, guessing not, but anything is possible.

(2) Condensation seems to be dripping from the vehicle below the drivers seat, with exact exit location not determined but the wet spot on the ground is maybe a couple of inches directly behind the LF splash guard, close to the outer edge of the vehicle (as in far out from the vehicle front to rear centerline), but not all the way at the edge of the door. I have noted what seemed to be a water drip in this general area of the vehicle before but never got to chasing it down; now I definitely want to chase it down.

Could well be that the funky odor is due to the condensation path being not quite right and the drip in odd spot being side effect & evidence of path blockage, but my recall is that most discussions of such things involve water parking in the passenger side footwell/carpet/you get the idea. Still, my reading on this is a bit scattered.

Any specific thoughts on this, and especially any firsthand observations of these symptoms and how you cured them, is of interest.

Thanks!

 

If A/C evaporator water is not dripping from the correct location that suggests the drain hole in the catch pan/tray is blocked and water collects and is overflowing and making its way to the ground via the wrong way. Also, any water that remains in the catch pan/tray will turn foul over time.

But the water can end up at the wrong place if the drain hose at the catch pan/tray is loose/cracked. However, this is less likely to cause an odor.

Think you need to check the A/C evaporator condensation capture/drain hardware is all intact and functioning correctly.

As an aside it is very important to when changing the cabin air filter to be sure no trash that might be on the filter fall off and downstream of the filter. This trash will almost certainly end up in the catch pan/tray.

Oh, and with some cars there are body water catch basins/drains that receive water that runs off the car. These can collect plant litter and even collect water. The water level can be bad enough water can run over the side of the catch basin. And if water remains it will soon develop an odor.