New member posting! I have a Fabia estate as a taxi and have clocked up 30k in 9 months, with no problems until now. With aircon off and fan on, I am getting a very nasty smell in the car. It smells like a combination of dirty vacuum cleaner and dirty hair! Could it be the pollen filter? I think it should have been changed at the 20k service. Can anyone tell me where it's located please

Hello TabsTaxi,

Welcome to Briskoda!

I've noticed a strange smell when I have the air recirculation switched on, but I wouldnt say its particularly unpleasant.

I dont know where it is, but would assume it to be somewhere beneath the scuttle panel at the base of the windscreen.

Are you diesel powered by the way??

I think the filter was in the front passenger footwell-but not 100% sure

VWs with air-conditioning suffer from a problem described as 'an unpleasant musty odour from the heating and ventilation system.' The odour may be caused by residual condensate in and around the evaporator mixing with airborne pollutants. This forms the growth of bacteria and/or fungi (mould). A VW Technical Bulletin has been issued describing a fix - the use of a product called Airsept by the Dealer.

I would guess that this problem also affects Audis, SEATs and Skodas since all use the same components. Speak to your Dealer about it. With luck it will just be the pollen filter, but if it is bacteria and/or mould it can be put right. In the meantime I suggest you hang those pine scented thingies from the rearview mirror and coat hooks.

Another thought. If the pollen filter isn't fitted correctly, water can leak into the cabin. Are your carpets wet?

I did a search on VWVortex. Plenty of info on pollen filters on the Golf and Passat, and it would seem they can be a ****** to replace. Location on the Golf - under the plastic rain guard at the base of the windscreen. I've had a look under the bonnet of my Octavia and there is what could be a rectangular filter on the passenger's side under the plastic trim.

I've started getting a musty smell from the vents when the car/air con starts up.

Looks like I might be getting to drive a Fabia for the day again soon

Rob.

This is a problem that can affect all cars with air con, not just VW group. The best way to ease it is to turn off your air con a short while before you stop the car, but keep the fan blowing fresh air(not recirced) which helps to dry the condenser out.

Regular use of the air con will also help, but again blowing plain fresh before turning off the engine will help.

Personally I wouldnt use any cleaners,or anything chemical on the condenser as they are embedded deep, expensive to replace and the product will also have some sort of odour itself, and will most likely be a long term pain.

I have applied this action to my air conned VW Transporter ( the last 3) and my current Octy, and it sure helps a lot.

Cheers

Hmm... always have my aircon on and the fan on at least 1, but never recirculate. Which I thought

was a good way to keep the system healthy...

Rob.

Just a quickie...

On a Fabia estate the pollen filter is indeed located behind the dashboard in the passenger footwell and can be accessed by hanging upside down in the footwell. It's covered by a rectangular cap about 9x2 inches that has two sliding latches on it. The filter itself can be a bugger to replace though as space is tight, it only goes in one way round and when putting it in can catch on other bits of trim!

The last two times I've had mine replaced at the dealers I've ended up re-fitting it myself as it wasn't quite sealed right and whistled so beware. If it does whistle and you can't get it to seal properly use some foam draft excluder (the self adhesive type for household doors) to fill the gap!

Cheers

I have had a look at ETKA and the pollen filter in the Octavia would appear to be where I indicated earlier. Thanks to skomaz, we now know where the pollen filter is fitted on the Fabia - which answers the original question. Unfortunately I don't have access to ETKA for the Fabia or the post-2000 Octavia. For anyone who is interested, the VWoA Technical Bulletin describing how to treat 'Musty Odor from Heating and Ventilation System' in all VWs fitted with air-conditioning is here. The document is in pdf format and needs to be viewed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free.

Time to deodorise the dog........

Thanks for your replies. Yes its diesel (SDi), and yes it has a water leak! I called into the dealers to be told, "Yes Sir, its a common problem, it needs cleaning out. That's

DGW was posting at the same time, and I've just read the VW Bulletin. The last page refers to warranty work. I wonder if my warranty covers it?

Having just read that bulletin from VW to its US dealers, it would appear to concour that fresh air flow is the way to dry the evaporter, which would mean my suggestion to run the fan without air con before stopping would help greatly to stop the problem. (But then my experience of this told me that anyway )

Cheers