Please help!

 I have a musty smell inside my car that I can’t get rid of. I have changed the filter behind the glove box and set one of those air freshener bombs off but it’s still there. I have researched the problem on different sites and come to the conclusion that it is the condensation drain pipe that is probably blocked as there is no water dripping out from underneath the car when I have the a/c on full blast at the lowest temperature. Has anyone else had this problem and knows how to remedy the situation. Thanks.

 

Mark.

A musty smell is always caused by damp, and as you have found those air freshener bombs (which are only perfume) merely cover the stink for a short time.

You are right about the condensate drain from the AC being blocked if there is no water on the ground beneath it. Unfortunately I don't know where the drain is on your model, or how to access it. Have you cleared the AC air intakes of dead leaves etc. below the windscreen as a start? Can you remove the scuttle cover for a better view?

Thanks for your reply 👍yes I have checked that and they are clear of any debris. I think I have got to get underneath the car to locate the pipe to clear it . I have got a trolley jack so have got a friend who has got some axle stands so hopefully I can do it myself if not I will have to take it to a garage. If I sort it out I will update my post so hopefully other people with the same problem can fix it.

Thanks again for your advice 

 

1 hour ago, Mark Taylor said:

 If I sort it out I will update my post so hopefully other people with the same problem can fix it.

 

Please do, as this question crops up from time to time.

Just a quick update on the musty smell problem in the cabin. I was quoted £210 to get the car up in the air, take off some heat shields to access the drain pipe and clean it out which I thought was a bit steep so I have been searching the web for an alternative solution. I have managed to locate where the drain pipe joins to the bodywork of the car which can be accessed from the drivers side foot well on the right hand side of the centre console tunnel. My car is a UK model right hand drive 17 plate for your information. You need to take out 2 torx bolts one that holds the foot rest on and one that holds the plastic trim on, then you can pull back the carpet to access the pipe. Had trouble pulling off the pipe some comments say you have to twist it 90 degrees but eventually it came off. I then poured some water into the hole in the bodywork and looked underneath the car to see if it was draining, which it was so I am not sure that it was blocked in the first place. However I thought I might as well pour some very hot water with a bit of bleach in it to clear any muck that was left in the pipe. I don’t know if this has cured the smell I will have to wait a few weeks to see if it comes back. The only problem I have now is that someone on a website has said that there is another pipe the same on the other side of the centre console tunnel if so you can only access that by removing the whole of the tunnel which I am not prepared to do. If anyone knows if there is a second pipe on the other side that please let me know. Hope this helps someone. If the smell comes back it’s time for a new car.

 

is it a easy job think mine is leaking in the drivers foot well 

Very easy to locate the pipe and if it is leaking just seal it with some silicone