My cars air conditioning smells bad, why?

During the warm weather, your cars air conditioning keeps you cool and comfortable on your commute. When you turn on your air con you expect to be blasted with icey cold fresh air, so there’s nothing worse than turning your air con on to cool down on a hot day than being slammed in the face with a bad smell that takes your breath away!

What causes cars air conditioning to smell bad?

1.     Mildew

A growth of mold or mildew is one of the most common reasons there is a distinct smell coming from your air conditioner. This is caused by a growth of bacteria in the damp environment in your evaporator that builds up behind your dash panel.

This mildew builds up then passes over the evaporator, wafting the bad smell throughout your car! By spraying a mildew treatment into your can air intakes you can kill it.

Be sure to draw in fresh air from the outside before you turn your car off  by cranking the air conditioner on maximum as this will dispel the moist air that has been recirculating through your

2.    Dirty cabin filter

When your cabin air filter gets clogged up, it traps moisture (which leads to bacteria growth) as well as dirt, dust and other pollutants. This bacteria growth festers and causes a serious funk to flow from your vents. This problem can be solved with a quick fix! Replacing your cabin air filter will remove the stench from your air con, allowing the fresh air to flow freely. Air filters are relatively cheap, and easy to fix and if cleaned regularly will last for a long time.

3.    Gas leak

If you smell gas when you turn on your air conditioner then you may have a gas leak as the gas smell is coming through your vents. This leak will need to be repaired and as there could be several reasons for it, you’ll require the assistance of a mechanic to get to the root of the rotten gas smell.

Your cars air con should smell nothing other than fresh! If you’ve tried mildew treatment, changing the cabin filter and still can’t get to the bottom of the smell – visit Red Devil Radiators to rid your car of the smell once and for all!