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Car smells like BO


UTGrad98

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So I bought a 2016 Corolla 3rd party and every time I turn on the AC the car smells like BO. I cant get rid of it. Its better now but during the summer it was pretty bad. I have had the interior professionally washed and it only helps for a little while then the smell comes back. Ive tried using recirculated air and air from the outside when running the AC. Its usually the worst right in the morning and then gets better throughout the day. Do you think it is the ducts? Maybe something with the fluid? What would be my next step? Its drivable but both my wife and son hate to ride with me because of it. No other issues I can see. I feel horrible saying this but the original owner was a young Pakistani man. When I drove with him during the test drive I didnt notice anything.

 

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Usually stinky smell comes from bacteria that lives in the condensation in the ducting. 

Youre supposed to spray disinfectant and shit at the base of the windshield outside the car and hope that it makes it way through the system. 

Dont know how the smelly dude could excrete his odor in the reverse direction though. 

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Yeah, it's probably mold in your condensor coil.  Sometimes, that can be related to it not draining properly, so you can try to dig that up and see if it helps to unplug the drains/drain hose.

Other times it's in there for keeps and all you can do is try to kill it off.  I have read of using ozone generators for a couple of hours while the ac is running and there are a few disinfectant products you could try.  Possibly spraying lysol into the intake at the cowl would help, as I think that is essentially what the disinfectants are/do.

A detail shop may be able to help.

The ultimate solution may be to replace or clean the condensor coil, but that usually entails a great deal of disassembly of the dash and interior, so may not be worth it.

http://www.corollaforum.com/threads/stinky-a-c-remedy.12363/

Edited by TwiceHorn
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First change the filters. If that doesn't work, I'd pull em out and see if there's a chemical you can spray into the air intake that will kill the bacteria. Trouble is, you cant kill it all if moisture is going to continue to accumulate. Breathing the bacteria in probably won't kill you, same with the chemical, but you never know. Not a healthy situation.

You could take it all apart and clean it out. As long as there's moisture, you'll have a problem. Supposedly, there's some kind ozone spray that will kill any odor. Landlords use it, I believe. According to this video, it kills bacteria.

 

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On 11/22/2020 at 7:37 AM, TwiceHorn said:

Related note.  For more general smells or mustiness, a bowl of vinegar overnight or longer and/or a dryer sheet can do a lot.

Or perhaps coal as well. I've heard air ionizers work also. I think that is what professional detailers use. But, before you go through all that extent, maybe the problem is you. Do you shower regularly? Hangout with hookers or have a penchant for people who hide salmon under their jackets?

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I’d get one of the little ozone machines and seal up the car and run the ac on high/recirculate for a couple of hours and hope for the best. That’s supposed to kill stuff that generates the odor, I think.

Had a crappy company car with some funk to it and that helped for 9-12 months. Was about to do it again but finally got an upgrade to a new one. 

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