Ventilation system stinking :(

try turning off the a/c a few miles from destination, and run the fresh air on high. might help to throw in a charcoal cabin filter and some baking soda too.

 

Not.
Even.
Close.

If you have a garage, then you may want to consider leaving your windows open when you park at night.
If not and you don't live in a demilitarized zone, you way want to consider vent visors and leaving your windows cracked at night.

Some people turn off their A/C a minute or so before they arrive at their destination and switch the fan speed to high in order to normalize the temps inside your HVAC system.
Otherwise?
You have COLD plumbing in a hot car and even in arid climates this promotes condensation and plant growth, plus the normal people smells of eating, gym visits, etc that are trapped inside an small, sealed up space.


Get a large dog or two small children and I promise you won't notice the A/C musty smell.

 

how many miles on her when you bought it? maybe she saw a lot of a/c use previously.

i agree, it usually takes some driving to get that nice musty smell

 

Warm.
Dark.
Moist.

Plus....some of the plastics in Toyota cars are supposed to be plant based instead of icky old petrol.
Whether or not this is true or has any effect on your biological experiment is anyone's guess and it doesn't really matter.

I would try varying the modes of your HVAC system and see if you can create a less hospitable environment for the plants inside your vent system.
Maybe turn the temp inside your car the same as the outside a little bit before you shut down the car..
The idea is to keep condensation from forming deep inside your car behind the dash inside those dark ducts.

As long as you're single I would continue to be (vainly) anal about the interior cleanliness of your car.
Consider also vent visors and leaving windows cracked.

Over a period of time, your new car is going to get to be your old car and if you're smart and young, you will eventually learn that there is a very liberating feeling that comes from driving a car that has a little more character for a longer period of time than some bank-owned car that you're still making payments on that you feel you have to grieve over every little scratch and blemish over.

I used to be you.
Which means....
Someday....you're gonna be me.

Yeah.
I know....
#okboomer.

But here's the thing.
We boomers are the original hippies.
We all eat plant based now, and since we were the original health geeks, and we still have decent health care we're gonna live a looooooooong loooooooong time!

Better plan for that!

Meanwhile
Relax and enjoy the car.
Warts and all.

Good Luck with the plants.

 

very odd. maybe mold grew in the system while sitting on the lot.

dealers have a special cleaning system. (not the chlorine bomb) i would ask for a freebie

 

That's odd - for the first time, mine did smell a month ago after I'd carted ½ dozen bags of manure - next day I realised I should have left the windows open for a while. But before that, no smells. But that odour cleared after 2x 50km trips.

Do you still carry PIZZAs? As you said, they do tend to permeate a car - and don't smell like PIZZA after being locked up for a day or 2 in the sun. My son was carrying them in his first car for a while - and it took a month or 2 for that smell to dissipate after he stopped.

 

Post #2 in this thread seems to have disappeared.

Sometime during it's life, the car may have sat under a tree where leaves and other debris collected in the air intake just in front of the windshield. Also a rodent could have made it's way inside and died.

I think you really should leave it with the dealer for a few days, while you have a loaner.
There might be an easy fix......and this would be a good test of their service department.......to see if they actually find and fix the problem or just try to cover it up.

I actually had a home system that stunk when brand new.
Eventually they replaced the evaporator and the problem went away.
Something was wrong with the manufacturing process and it smelled whenever it got wet.

 

i can see post #2, are you ignoring the user?

 

No, not on a brand new car.

Like your PIZZAs, I bought a car when I was young which had been owned by a smoker - I assumed (wrongly) that the smell would go away - but no matter how thoroughly I scrubbed it, park it in the sun and the stench of the previous owner pervaded it yet again.

Maybe it is time to contact TOYOTA?

 

Well well....
More fool me.

Sounds like you're doing it right with the cars if you're keeping them that long.

They make some sort of spray duct and vent cleaner that you can spray into the vent system.
Don't know how it works but here's a link.

A/C Pro No Scent Odor Absorber 10 oz. Aerosol - Ace Hardware

There's also about 10,000 YouTube links.

Let us know if you find a way to beat the smell.

Good Luck!

 

Turn it in on a warranty claim.
All they can do is say no.....

 

You use this car to haul rideshare, right? Passengers leaving things behind?

All it takes is a leaky fresh water bottle. Passenger might not even realize they leaked. No matter where it comes from, a pint of water ignored in the carpet of a car footwell can give a musty smell before long.

 

And I feel like it definitely is a warranty claim......and if they can't fix it, a "lemon law" claim might be in order.
Unless, of course, you are the only one who can smell the odor or the only one who thinks it's objectionable.

 

someone left the o without the b?