This is a problem which is really bugging me, to the extent that I totally drained the lot (sat in the car and kept wash/wiping) yesterday. There is a real stink every time I washed the windows????

I hope that with yesterday's draining it will have gone away, but has anyone else experienced this - a smell which reeks a bit of bad eggs?

I use alcohol based solutions and have never noticed this before.

you could try emptying the screenwash again, pop in a couple of Milton sterilising tablets, leave it an hour or two, flush it through the system again and refill with screenwash, might help eliminate any bacteria that are in there, though I wouldn't really expect much if you use alcohol based wash anyway.

The stuff my local Skoda dealer put in when it was serviced a while back does smell a bit nasty compared to the usual Halfords stuff I put in.

I had some great apple scented screenwash from a ford dealer some years ago. I must have had a leak around the cap though as for days after a service I was getting a smell of apples on tight right hand corners and didn't work it out until I washed the screen

Cheers guys, particularly the hint about Milton sterilising tablets, I may try that.

Empty the tank, with a suction pump or similar then put a bit of detol/milton solution in there and run it through.

Once it's empty, leave it to dry for a little bit, then refil it with a strong solution of screen wash (VAG stuff id actually quite good considering how far it goes).

After that, just make sure you keep the solution at least at the minimum length.

FWIW, I'd try the milton solution rather than the tablets, as there are then no solids to get stuck in there.

Edited 9 June, 201214 yr by cheezemonkhai

Shove the hosepipe into the bottle to wash out all the gunk in the bottom of the tank. Let it run for a while to ensure it is clean. I would siphon out the water rather than overwork the pump plus all the manky water will run down and possibly foul the pollen filter.

Edited 9 June, 201214 yr by Metblackrat

Milton fluid's good stuff. However I would make it slightly stronger than the dilutions that they say on the bottle for sterilizing, about 25% stronger I find works really well & quicker too.

(It's also good for cleaning your work.cups out with too... )

I had the same problem and used Milton fluid to clean it all out, seemed to work a treat. I think you need to try and clean as much through the pickup pipe and jets as posisble rather than sucking it all out of the tank. I ran mine through the jets on a trip to work, seemed to be OK and didn't give the pump any grief.

Milton fluid's good stuff. However I would make it slightly stronger than the dilutions that they say on the bottle for sterilizing, about 25% stronger I find works really well & quicker too.

(It's also good for cleaning your work.cups out with too... )

I thought you'd just dip yours in the boiler quickly while the firemans cooking the bacon on a shovel!

And there was me thinking that I was the only person who had experienced this problem! Identical symptoms (gross smell, reeking of bad eggs). I did empty it via using the pump (no apparent harm done), refilled with plain water, repeated the emptying process, then refilled with Bars Bugs solution (that might be a Kiwi product - not sure) and haven't noticed an unpleasant smell since. I presume it happens if you don't use the screenwash fluid fast enough and it goes off.

GUYS STOP.

I dont think its your screenwash that stinks, it could be your cabin filter.

When the screenwash is triggered the climate control automatically switches to recirculate to avoid the smell of screenwash entering the cabin, it also does this when reverse is selected, im sure you can work out why.

If your cabin filter/pollen filter is old and neglected chances are it will stink when the air is recirculated, even more so than when fresh air is coming in because our noses are so sensitive to sudden changes.

GUYS STOP.

I dont think its your screenwash that stinks, it could be your cabin filter.

When the screenwash is triggered the climate control automatically switches to recirculate to avoid the smell of screenwash entering the cabin, it also does this when reverse is selected, im sure you can work out why.

If your cabin filter/pollen filter is old and neglected chances are it will stink when the air is recirculated, even more so than when fresh air is coming in because our noses are so sensitive to sudden changes.

That is something that should be changed at regular intervals, but it's common for bacteria to grow at a substantial rate in screenwash bottles when there has been a period of warmer weather and the screenwash has not been made up strongly enough.

It's usually the stinky screenwash, which is also a potential health risk.

Not wishing to spread alarm, but screenwash could be lethal

"Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires' disease in England and Wales,” the BBC warned. It reported that the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said that simply adding screenwash to wiper fluid kills the bacteria and could save lives."

see: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/06June/Pages/Legionnaires-risk-from-wiper-water.aspx