In recent years I have purchased all my cars with aircon.
With advice from HJ and others I run the aircon on a regular basis, even in winter. Usually for de-misting. And run it on full heat to supposedly kill off bugs/bacteria etc.
To eradicate the pungent aroma that occurs from time to time, I have tried two shop bought aerosols to kill off any bugs and get the ventilation smelling more sweetly. I won't name the two products but they are different makes. I have used both in the past and twice in the last month and have not shifted the smell.
Is there an alternative to these aerosols, and if so what. Or is their any personal remedies the BRs can recommend.
I would be grateful for your advice.
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Oust & Neutradol squirted in vents - leave AC to run 30 mins and Bingo it should be gone.
Worked for me.
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It is possible to buy some device, made by Forte I think, which is put in the car and gives off vapour/nice smells and I think think some anti bacterial stuff. It is put in the car with you NOT in it and the a/c is run as above. The skint is that the pong is bacterial and neutradol etc will maks the smell but won't kill the source SFAIK
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Bought tuppence ha'penny's worth of Tesco own brand anti bacterial spray for kitchen tops last week for this exact purpose. Few squirts in the intake, ran the aircon, and after a day or two, no more problem, so assume it killed the bugs. Enough left in the bottle for six and half thousand years too.
Edited by Dipstick on 23/09/2008 at 16:52
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>>Enough left in the bottle for six and half thousand years too.<<
Can I have what's left when you've finished with it, please?
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You can, but having just checked Outlook I discover for some bizarre reason the calendar only goes to Wed 23/09/4499, so I' ve put a reminder in for then.
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You can but having just checked Outlook I discover for some bizarre reason the calendar only goes to Wed 23/09/4499 so I' ve put a reminder in for then.
Don't tell me there's going to be a Y4.5K bug? We're doomed.
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The spray kills the bugs.
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thanks guys,
I wonder why the car accessory aerosols don't work when they claim they do. Not just one brand, but two. I'll try the Tesco trick.
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You are putting it in the intakes - so it gets sucked through the system - and not in the vents in the dash, where it will be less likely to encounter the bugs?
Edited by Dipstick on 23/09/2008 at 19:20
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One of these cans was bought at Tesco( Carplan) the other in Halfords (Comma). Both give instructions as the same. Fans on full, all vents open, aircon on, recirculation on. Can is operated and left to expel within the car for 10 minutes. Both sets of instructions show the spray recirculating through the ventilation system, supposedly killing the bugs and making it smell better. I have carried out the instructions to the letter. If I am missing something or doing something wrong, please tell DS.
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I am glad that I was right about the bacteria and somebody gave a top tip money saving tip re an anti bacteria spray! Dim question - where does one find the aircon intake? Turn it on full and look around the engine bay for an inlet with air being sucked into it a great rate?
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 23/09/2008 at 19:21
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The air con system intake is usually to be found hidden behind the car pollen and/or air filter. Worth checking that the filter is not old, smelly and damp as that can cause similar issues. Usually straightforward and cheap to to replace.
hth
R40
Edited by R40 on 23/09/2008 at 20:19
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My A/C started to smell and it turned out to be a blocked outlet from A/C under passenger foot well to engine bay - condensed water had collected in bottom of A/C unit and gone stale - a piece of electrical earth wire poked in from engine bay cleared outlet and water ran out - a new filter and things were great - every now and again I poke wire up just in case.
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You can easily check if this is blocked by running your a/c on a very cold setting and high fan, engine idling, doors and windows closed and look for tell tale drips of condensate under the car from somewhere near the front.
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Oust has worked in the past for a slight whiffyness, but is a bit of a pain to keep spraying into the air intake (and may not be good for the lungs!).
Check out Ebay for Forte air-con treatment, should get a can for under a tenner, this has worked well in SWMDBO's Pug, you just get the vehicle system running and press the top of the can and leave it in the footwell and it sprays until empty, this does take a while and you have to leave the system running for around 15 minutes to let the aerosol go throuigh the system (on re-circulate). Did this over a year ago and have had no pong since, also could be wise to check the pollen filter to check it isnt filthy/wet etc.
Cheers
CBG
Edited by corblimeyguvnar on 24/09/2008 at 11:29
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Yeah thanks. The two cans I tried were similar and the process the same. Two cans in a month. And they're not cheap. Probably change the pollen filter next. Let you know if it clears it up.
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