Leather, Heat, and AC

[Sithil]

Just curious is someone could answer a question for me. I'm in La and its forever hot here after March. Well the new Fusion I got last week has leather seats. My question is what in the leather or maybe in the factory conditioner burns the hell out of my eyes in the afternoon when the AC is on interior circulation? Its 95+ and I have the AC on max and recycle and something from inside puts a nice sting in my eyes. When I switch to fresh air instead of interior circulation the smell from the AC is different and my eyes stop burning.

[akirby]

Just curious is someone could answer a question for me. I'm in La and its forever hot here after March. Well the new Fusion I got last week has leather seats. My question is what in the leather or maybe in the factory conditioner burns the hell out of my eyes in the afternoon when the AC is on interior circulation? Its 95+ and I have the AC on max and recycle and something from inside puts a nice sting in my eyes. When I switch to fresh air instead of interior circulation the smell from the AC is different and my eyes stop burning.

 

It's the plastics and other materials out-gassing. That's what gives you that "new car" smell, too. Leave the windows open as much as possible and it should go away within a week or two.

[hondaconvert]

It's the plastics and other materials out-gassing. That's what gives you that "new car" smell, too. Leave the windows open as much as possible and it should go away within a week or two.

 

 

Yes, definitely don't inhale the stuff if you can avoid it. If you have to run the AC, run it a while w/windows open before you get into the car. That stuff is toxic.

[Sithil]

Been turning off the recycle air along with cracking the back windows and moon roof to vent out the smell and heat when I first get in the car in the afternoon. Then go back to recycle in 5 minutes or so for max cool. Working out good and my eyes are no longer burning from the gases. Thanks for the info.

[Riggo]

So two times this has happened to me, and I've only had the car for a little over 3 months.

I get this smelly sock smell from the a/c when I first cut it on and it lasts for about a minute or less then goes away. Is this mold on the coils? How could this happen in a car so new and what should I do to get rid of it. It seems to happen if I don't run the a/c a few times and then run it a day or two later. Argh!!

[aaronj1159]

So two times this has happened to me, and I've only had the car for a little over 3 months.

I get this smelly sock smell from the a/c when I first cut it on and it lasts for about a minute or less then goes away. Is this mold on the coils? How could this happen in a car so new and what should I do to get rid of it. It seems to happen if I don't run the a/c a few times and then run it a day or two later. Argh!!

Yup, I noticed this too. I checked around my interior to make sure I don't have anything that could be producing the smell. No luck

[djminfll]

Just curious is someone could answer a question for me. I'm in La and its forever hot here after March. Well the new Fusion I got last week has leather seats. My question is what in the leather or maybe in the factory conditioner burns the hell out of my eyes in the afternoon when the AC is on interior circulation? Its 95+ and I have the AC on max and recycle and something from inside puts a nice sting in my eyes. When I switch to fresh air instead of interior circulation the smell from the AC is different and my eyes stop burning.

If you don't know this, you can open the windows remotely by unlocking the car and then keeping the Unlock button depressed for a few seconds. All 4 windows will roll down. Give the car a minute to cool down before you start it, and the smell should be a lot less strong.

[acdii]

So two times this has happened to me, and I've only had the car for a little over 3 months.

I get this smelly sock smell from the a/c when I first cut it on and it lasts for about a minute or less then goes away. Is this mold on the coils? How could this happen in a car so new and what should I do to get rid of it. It seems to happen if I don't run the a/c a few times and then run it a day or two later. Argh!!

When you run the AC the hot moist inside air is cooled, then condenses on the coils, so if you shut the car off with a wet coil eventually mold will grow on it. Someone had posted in another thread how they reduce the mold problem by turning the AC off when they are close to their destination and just blow air across it without the AC compressor so it has a chance to dry off. This really is the only way to reduce this from happening.

[aaronj1159]

When you run the AC the hot moist inside air is cooled, then condenses on the coils, so if you shut the car off with a wet coil eventually mold will grow on it. Someone had posted in another thread how they reduce the mold problem by turning the AC off when they are close to their destination and just blow air across it without the AC compressor so it has a chance to dry off. This really is the only way to reduce this from happening.

But why is this the only car I've had this problem with? I ran the AC in my Jetta almost exactly the same way and never had an issue like this.

[Riggo]

But why is this the only car I've had this problem with? I ran the AC in my Jetta almost exactly the same way and never had an issue like this.

 

Yeah, I haven't had this problem with my previous cars either.

[smr2112]

There is a very easy way to prevent the musty A/C smell, it's so simple, hard to believe

it's not well known. This seems to be made worse when A/C is run on warm damp days

like when it's raining and you shut the car off. If you have your air on high and just

quickly shut the car off, you'll start to get this smell very quickly.

 

Before you shut the car off, as you are very close to your destination, just turn the AC

portion of the Climate control to OFF (however we decided this works in the FFH), I usually

hit AC OFF and put the Vent on UPPER only. Leave the fan on and the car running for 30 seconds to 1

minute and you wont have this problem. I do it as I'm pulling up or near my destination. It

just drains the remaining moisture out of the compressor and that does the trick.

 

[Riggo]

There is a very easy way to prevent the musty A/C smell, it's so simple, hard to believe

it's not well known. This seems to be made worse when A/C is run on warm damp days

like when it's raining and you shut the car off. If you have your air on high and just

quickly shut the car off, you'll start to get this smell very quickly.

 

Before you shut the car off, as you are very close to your destination, just turn the AC

portion of the Climate control to OFF (however we decided this works in the FFH), I usually

hit AC OFF and put the Vent on UPPER only. Leave the fan on and the car running for 30 seconds to 1

minute and you wont have this problem. I do it as I'm pulling up or near my destination. It

just drains the remaining moisture out of the compressor and that does the trick.

 

 

This may be a good solution but it just seems annoying to me that I have to go through this process every time I'd go somewhere. I never got this smell in my other cars, and I never had to go through any process like this to keep smells away. Oh well, you can't win them all I guess?

[Riggo]

The very little research i've done on this seems to indicate that running the A/C on recirculate can cause this mildew buildup. I run it on recirculate almost exclusively. Maybe I need to only do that when I get up to highway speed and then turn off recirculate when I'm nearing my destination? Some people also say running the heat can cook the mildew/mold and kill it but that doesn't seem to be a unanimous sentiment.

[aaronj1159]

The very little research i've done on this seems to indicate that running the A/C on recirculate can cause this mildew buildup. I run it on recirculate almost exclusively. Maybe I need to only do that when I get up to highway speed and then turn off recirculate when I'm nearing my destination? Some people also say running the heat can cook the mildew/mold and kill it but that doesn't seem to be a unanimous sentiment.

I don't ever use recirculate.

[Riggo]

I don't ever use recirculate.

 

Ha. Well there goes that theory.

[Sleddog]

When you run the AC the hot moist inside air is cooled, then condenses on the coils, so if you shut the car off with a wet coil eventually mold will grow on it. Someone had posted in another thread how they reduce the mold problem by turning the AC off when they are close to their destination and just blow air across it without the AC compressor so it has a chance to dry off. This really is the only way to reduce this from happening.

That was me. I do this one every trip I run the A/C, in every vehicle I have. It works. Check out this thread.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/5344-cooling-system-stinks-up-car-even-in-winter/

[TX NRG]

When you run the AC the hot moist inside air is cooled, then condenses on the coils, so if you shut the car off with a wet coil eventually mold will grow on it. Someone had posted in another thread how they reduce the mold problem by turning the AC off when they are close to their destination and just blow air across it without the AC compressor so it has a chance to dry off. This really is the only way to reduce this from happening.

 

Been turning off the AC condenser and venting outside air as I approached my neighborhood for years in all my vehicles to minimize/control the mold accumulation on the coils and within the vents. It has worked well for us and we use AC about 8 months of the year. It annoyed my wife at first when I would turn off the AC and she would feel the hot TX air blowing on her until we arrived in our garage. I went for about a month one hot summer without driving her vehicle since I was traveling and she got lazy and stopped turning off her AC early. Mold had built up and she called me to complain about a mold smell. I asked if she was still turning off the AC early to warm up the coils and vents to prevent condensation buildup before shutting it off? "Well, no. ..It's been hot" was her answer.

 

I paused, then said "Oh".

 

She's done it ever since, and no longer gets annoyed when I turn off her AC when we're almost at our destination. Mold smell has not returned.

[acdii]

But why is this the only car I've had this problem with? I ran the AC in my Jetta almost exactly the same way and never had an issue like this.

It could be related to the latest TSB for the reprogramming. They are turning down the AC compressor. It may be getting too cold, so it can stay damp well after being shut down, so can grow mold much faster than other cars. It could also be the design of the housing not letting enough fresh air in when shut down. If the doors close when shut down, then it can trap the moisture in the housing, and the heat of the day can help incubate the mold.

[smr2112]

I was going to say, that I think some cars are just more prone that others to this issue. My wife has a Hyundai Santa Fe

and almost never shuts off the AC (but she knows she should) and does even have a hint of this smell.

 

The only time I serious got this smell (before I knew about shutting it off on arrival) was when I took an older Honda

for brakes at a PepBoys. Picked up the car (100 feet from the service bays) and everything in that car was on

full, the AC the radio, the defrosters. It was a joke... and it was a hot humid rainy day, at from then on I had

the mildew/smell issue in that car that I had to have the dealer get rid of.

[Riggo]

I'm taking my car in this Satueday for the mpg update and other issues. Is this mold smell something they could fix or is it most likely as i suspect something not covered under warranty and that I'll have to pay for to clean the coils?

[smr2112]

They have a spray that they can shoot in there to kill any mold/mildew. But unsure if there is

any other fix for it. If it's really bad, they may have to get at the fan motor or vents - hopefully

not.

[Riggo]

Well it looks like there will be no hybrid tech at my dealer Saturday (I had to find this out by calling and spefically asking this question after I'd already made an appiontment). So I guess my mildew/mold problem along with all the other things I was taking it in for will be delayed. Good to see my dealers service department is thorough in making sure a hybrid car is paired with a knowledgeable mechanic.

[dalesky]

Just curious is someone could answer a question for me. I'm in La and its forever hot here after March. Well the new Fusion I got last week has leather seats. My question is what in the leather or maybe in the factory conditioner burns the hell out of my eyes in the afternoon when the AC is on interior circulation? Its 95+ and I have the AC on max and recycle and something from inside puts a nice sting in my eyes. When I switch to fresh air instead of interior circulation the smell from the AC is different and my eyes stop burning.

Nothing personal, but you would think it might be the opposite, given the smog that is usually there. No idea, and I have not noticed that here, tho I rarely use max AC. Maybe the dealer has an idea.

[dalesky]

They have a spray that they can shoot in there to kill any mold/mildew. But unsure if there is

any other fix for it. If it's really bad, they may have to get at the fan motor or vents - hopefully

not.

I did in fact have that done on a Mazda years ago. Not only was the AC anemic, but it stank!

[Riggo]

They suppoedly sprayed Frigi-Fresh in there and I did notice a different smell when I turned on the a/c at the dealer. But today the smell is back, it seems the Frigi-fresh did nothing. Great. I've never had this problem with any car before this. I hope this isn't a recurring problem.