My wife's RX has had this weird, what I'd call a moldy/mildewy smell when you open the hatch. Cleaned everything out, check spare compartment for moisture, emptied out everything in the hatch, had the car detailed, and it's still there.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2013 and after it sits for a day especially when it's warm the AC vents put out a moldy smell when starting. I've heard all the ideas of Turing off AC before shouting down engine but that shouldn't required for a Lexus of all cars. The dealer ran a refresh we thru the systems that worked for a few days but that was it. I've never had this problem with my 2004 RX. I also replaced the cabin filter with a charcoal based one. Seems a $45,000 vehicle shouldn't have this type of problem
View 14 RepliesEvery time I get in and start up my GX it omits a moldy / musty smell out of the vents, it stinks! It goes away in a matter of seconds but it seems at every start up I get that smell again, it's kind of embarrassing.
View 14 RepliesIn the last week the I've noticed a moldy metallic smell when I turn my ac on. I've tired to come up with what I would liken it to. Almost as it the ac hadn't been turn own in months or it was almost out of freon. It's only a month old so I wonder what it might be.
View 5 RepliesJust wanted to let know that the mildew smell i had in my '10 ISF was resolved with a simple spray into the a/c intake vents at the bottom of the windshield. Changing the cabin filter and lysol didnt do squat. its called "a/c treatment spray" available at Lexus or at the auto stores.
View 14 RepliesI've had this in old cars before but not a car less than a year old ! I have 5,000 miles on mine and everytime I start the car this summer it smells like sour ammonia or mildew. I'm gonna take it in soon but was hoping there was an easy fix. Everything I've read seems temporary.
View 14 RepliesWhen I turn on my car I get a horrible mildew smell from my AC
There's only 3500 miles on it.
It's garaged every night.
When I turn on my car I get a horrible mildew smell from my AC... It's garaged every night...
View 6 RepliesI bought a new 2013 ES 300h. It only has 7K miles on it. When I first start it up for the day there is a moldy smell coming out of the vents for a few minutes. I've not taken it through any deep water.
Does it just need some new vent filters? What filters would be involved?
I've had the JoeZ axle back installed for about two months now. I noticed that the engine light came on initially when installing but it went away on its own. I got into an accident and after the repairs were done on my car the light was gone.
It soon came back on but i expected it was because my oil change was due
Got the oil change done and the light was off. Couple days ago the light came back on.
I called the Lexus Dealer and they told me that it might be due to the Gas cap not tight enough. Gave it a few twist but light still remained on.
For the past month, I also recently noticed a mildew smell coming from the vents when i start the car but goes away. Does the mildew smell + Check engine light mean that something is wrong with the exhaust?
I had a friend drive my car while I was in the rear hatch area trying to find a bad rattle. I discovered that it is inside a large plastic panel just where the rear window wiper motor would be. I'm sure if I could safely remove this large panel, I could find out what the rattle is and quiet it.
How to remove this panel? Are there some hidden bolts or screws? I don't want to force-pry it off if that is not the proper way to remove it. I'd sure rather do this myself than go thru the dealer rigmarole.
So I thought the smell had been taken care of last year by the dealership (which I had to pay for) but that was not the case. As soon as the temp's outside started getting hot out, I notcied the mold smell starting to come back. Had the pollen filter replaced again this year at my expense and once again, the smell is still there. It happens after the car sits a while and only when I'm running outside air. It also happens as soon as you turn the air on whether its the A/C or just outside air. I plan on calling the dealership again today because to be honest, it's a bit embarassing when I have other people/clients in my car. Is there anything that I can do on my own to cure this?
View 1 RepliesAfter 1 year and 9000 miles, I have the dreaded moldy smell through the AC vents. Thought this would be covered by warranty but Toyota says "NO" and will cost me$120. That is unacceptable to have to pay $120/year for a problem that should NOT happen. I have had too many cars in the past to count and have never had this problem. It has to be a design issue (poor drainage??) 2012 PIP.
View 16 RepliesAfter I use the AC, I get a bad smell. It smells like mold or mildew. I've tried a spray cleaner but the smell comes back. Is there a way to clean the system without tearing out the dash?
View 16 RepliesI am a first time toyota owner. I have a 2011 Camry which was purchased NEW in november. I have 6000 miles on it and thea/c smells like MILDEW. Took car into dealer todayand all they did was spray foo foo juice and my car now stinks to high heavens. Nobody told me a toyota would smell llike mildew. What is this and what do I do to fix it. I am scared to drive this car as some have told me it is probably MOLD in the ac.
View 14 RepliesI enjoy your show and newspaper column. Here's my situation. I have a 2008 Grand Prix with a stinky problem. There's a terrible musty, moldy smell that comes out of my vents (any vents, i.e. dashboard, floor, defrost) after I shut off my air conditioning. When just the fresh air from outside is coming through the vents, everything is just fine. When I turn on my air conditioning, everything is just fine. When I turn off my air conditioning is when the funky smell starts.
Mechanic number one cleaned out the drain hole, sprayed anti-mold spray and foam through the air intake vents with the recirculation switch on and the windows rolled up. But the mold is still there. Mechanic number two shared with me that the only way to get the mold out is to disassemble part of the A/C unit, physically clean out and disinfect the unit and then add some other part that drain or dry the unit so moisture never sits in there and starts the molding process. Is that the best way to deal with this problem?
2008 GX 470 ... Experience noise that sounds to be coming from the back hatch/toolbox area when going over harsh bumps? If so is there a known fix for this? I was thinking of adding weather stripping in a couple of strategic locations.
View 4 RepliesLet me know if I'm doing the right things
1. Spray sanitizer in it (already done)
2. Flush kit from Toyota ???
3. New evaporator coil
Trying to remedy this problem.
I have a '07 Elantra Limited. Air coming out air conditioner has a fairly strong mildew smell. How can I get rid of the smell? Is there a drain plug somewhere in the ventilation system I can open to get rid of water?
View 3 RepliesI'm getting a mildew smell every time I turn on the AC in my Tiguan. Even if the car is warmed up and shut off for 5 minutes, when turned on again, the smell is there. It's a 2012 with only 15k miles and the cabin filter is brand new. I was thinking of getting the mold sprays to apply directly to the vents. What to do to resolve it?
View 9 RepliesOver the last few days, noticed immediately after starting car with AC on , slight mildew smell from the vents. Seems to last a few seconds then clears.
My Gen 3 is just over a year old with 10K miles. Most times my HVAC is set Auto/75/AC on, and use no special procedures to vent the evaporator with non/cooled air prior to shutting off the car.