Has anyone else had a problem with a smelly air con system after not being used over the winter months?

Tried using an air bomb from Halfords but the smell is still pretty strong.

I realise it is bacteria causing the problem but my mk2 Octavia never had this issue.

 

I literally had this issue today with air con's first use of the season. It smelt as if wet gym gear had been left in the car! 

I was going to buy an air bomb tomorrow so perhaps that's not going to be enough!

Hope someone has a fix.

Have you tried replacing the pollen filter?

I have found that the bombs work better, but not perfectly, if used with the old pollen filter removed and then you can fit a new one.

You might need to have it sprayed/freshened up to kill the bacteria. To avoid the pong and keep the seals lubricated, run air con at least once a month. If running it cold when you finish your trip, turn the temp up to max temperature at standstill with recirculation through all the vents for a minute or two. This dries the moisture in the ducts and prevents the smelly sock aroma. 

16 minutes ago, Redboy said:

You might need to have it sprayed/freshened up to kill the bacteria. To avoid the pong and keep the seals lubricated, run air con at least once a month. If running it cold when you finish your trip, turn the temp up to max temperature at standstill with recirculation through all the vents for a minute or two. This dries the moisture in the ducts and prevents the smelly sock aroma. 

That sounds like good advice. Thanks.

28 minutes ago, Liger1956 said:

Have you tried replacing the pollen filter?

I have found that the bombs work better, but not perfectly, if used with the old pollen filter removed and then you can fit a new one.

I will get a new filter and give it a try. Thanks.

Odd that my previous car never had this problem. I had it for seven years.

33 minutes ago, slimjim99 said:

I literally had this issue today with air con's first use of the season. It smelt as if wet gym gear had been left in the car! 

I was going to buy an air bomb tomorrow so perhaps that's not going to be enough!

Hope someone has a fix.

It is a nasty pong!!

14 hours ago, Chimble said:

That sounds like good advice. Thanks.

It does work.....at least my car doesn't smell of socks after 4 years and it hasn't needed a regas. I hope the compressors on the MkIII are more robust than the Valeo ones, which disintegrated on the MkII. 

Why not run your aircon all year round ,mine rarely gets turned off unless i drop a window in the summer months ,as in the winter the dehumidifier keeps car dry and it never steams up and it keeps all the seals lubricated 

27 minutes ago, Mickvrs220 said:

Why not run your aircon all year round ,mine rarely gets turned off unless i drop a window in the summer months ,as in the winter the dehumidifier keeps car dry and it never steams up and it keeps all the seals lubricated 

 

Same. Works great, lovely and cold all year round and never smells.

Cold in summer hot in winter 

4 minutes ago, ahenners said:

 

Same. Works great, lovely and cold all year round and never smells.

 

In the 20 years I've owned cars with air con I've never turned it off, it's on 365 days per year (366 on leap years!).

 

Why? Because in the Summer it cools the air making it more comfortable, and it Winter it dehumidifies the air keeping the windows clear from misting up.

keeping the seals lubricated is not relevant to the clutchless pumps fitted to the MK2 Octavia as the pump shaft and internals are rotating at all times, if someone wants to save fuel by switching to MANUAL from AUTO there is no downside, once the regfrigerant pressure/weight drops the system takes a lot more load from the engine and hence fuel, this can be seen on the older type witha  clutch that will be permanently engaged when the refrigerant is low and visibly drop the engine revs when engaged.

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

if someone wants to save fuel by switching to MANUAL from AUTO there is no downside

Except for the lack of airflow through the condenser leading to the buildup of bacteria and hence the bad smells?

1 hour ago, PetrolDave said:

Except for the lack of airflow through the condenser leading to the buildup of bacteria and hence the bad smells?

 

The fan blows through the evaporator regardless of whether the air con is on or off

Changed my pollen filter last week. Looks like my suspicions about a pongy smell were correct. A lot better now. 

 

 

9 hours ago, Upthepool said:

Changed my pollen filter last week. Looks like my suspicions about a pongy smell were correct. A lot better now. 

 

 

 

 

That's not a dirty filter it is a carbon filter. I'd replace it with another carbon filter as it greatly reduces smells entering the cabin. The white filter will just stop dirt and bugs coming in. 

@SkodaKingThis is the cabin/pollen filter housed in a small tray behind the glove box. Are you saying the carbon filter slots into the same place but carries out a different function? Thanks 

As SkodaKing mentions there are two types of pollen filter, the paper one as you’ve bought or the activated carbon version that you have removed.

On 22/04/2019 at 13:17, Mickvrs220 said:

Why not run your aircon all year round ,mine rarely gets turned off unless i drop a window in the summer months ,as in the winter the dehumidifier keeps car dry and it never steams up and it keeps all the seals lubricated 

Wait you'll set the tighwads/experts off again lol about why running it in the winter/rain is too costly or not needed.

I run mine all year and have done in every car I've had with AC fitted.

46 minutes ago, Scotty72 said:

Wait you'll set the tighwads/experts off again lol about why running it in the winter/rain is too costly or not needed.

I run mine all year and have done in every car I've had with AC fitted.

 

Climate control, 19.5 always on

1 hour ago, Scotty72 said:

Wait you'll set the tighwads/experts off again lol about why running it in the winter/rain is too costly or not needed.

I run mine all year and have done in every car I've had with AC fitted.

May as well thats what its there for ,cant believe how many people still think its just to make car cool in summer 

48 minutes ago, Mickvrs220 said:

May as well thats what its there for ,cant believe how many people still think its just to make car cool in summer 

 

Yes. It’s called Air “Conditioning” for a reason. Not Air Cooling. 

 

Mines never off all year round and never get any smell or steamed up Windows. Dehumidifies the cabin. Keeps it fresh and dry. 

 

Warm in winter. Cool in summer. 

 

Never seen any affect on mpg if I have turned it off. Maybe did 10 years ago on old cars, but modern compressors are very efficient nowadays. 

 

Its using it it on warm setting which keeps the evaporator/heater matrix dry, and prevents bacteria build up in the first place. 

 

Is the carbon pollen filter fitted as standard? What does it do over a paper one? 

 

 

3 hours ago, Mickvrs220 said:

cant believe how many people still think its just to make car cool in summer 

 

I can't believe how many people think they know what they are talking about when it comes to the climate system

33 minutes ago, SuperbTWM said:

 

I can't believe how many people think they know what they are talking about when it comes to the climate system

Have i said something wrong about air con ?