[CadenzaSXL]

Hey guys.

My car smells like urine/ammonia when i first start her up. (Especially the AC) It goes away within a minute or so but its really bothering me. Its only 6 mos old and at 44xx miles so kind of frustrating havings problems already. (I had problems with the seat warmers, nav unit, and windshield wipers)

Could it be the refrigerant? Or does our cars not use the ammonia type? My friends told me it kind of smells like mold... but i think it smells like piss.

I really dont want to but should i take it to the dealer? (Again...)

Any thoughts, experience, or ideas to solve will be appreciated... thanks in advance guys

 

[Beezwax]

I've been told that the evap core is cleaning out the stagnant condensation

 

[gene]

Take it to the dealer, there was a TSB on that at one time, because of mold I believe

 

[CadenzaSXL]

Thanks for the fast reply guys. Yea i think it is mold. I turned off the ac and just blew the fan at max and certainly smells like mold.

Sigh*

Back to the dealer... lol

 

[CadenzaSXL]

Take it to the dealer, there was a TSB on that at one time, because of mold I believe

Btw Gene... do u know where i can find the tsb code for this? Much thanks in advance

 

[sh30469]

If you do get this into the shop and they tell you anything could you report back please? I have a bad smell too when I start up AC and it's HORRIBLE. Really embarrassing having people in the car and having AC on and windows down for a while so you don't have to smell that nastiness.

 

[foldman]

TSB 016 [Rev 1, 7/21/11

 

[CadenzaSXL]

If you do get this into the shop and they tell you anything could you report back please? I have a bad smell too when I start up AC and it's HORRIBLE. Really embarrassing having people in the car and having AC on and windows down for a while so you don't have to smell that nastiness.

Yessir i will lyk asap. I do have 2 full weeks of work so i might not be in and out of the dealer just yet,but will keep you posted

 

[CadenzaSXL]

TSB 016 [Rev 1, 7/21/11

Thank you so much!

 

[brandontaz2k2]

Sorry, I had no where else to go. Lol jk

 

[CadenzaSXL]

Sorry, I had no where else to go. Lol jk

Lolol! Good one.....

 

[CadenzaSXL]

If you do get this into the shop and they tell you anything could you report back please? I have a bad smell too when I start up AC and it's HORRIBLE. Really embarrassing having people in the car and having AC on and windows down for a while so you don't have to smell that nastiness.

As promised i am reporting back to you my good sir! So its mildew they said in the evap as beezwax said. They supposedly cleaned it with a refresher kit. Ill post a picture of the service file when i get a chance. Hope this helps

 

[sh30469]

Awesome, thanks man. I will be going in for my 2nd service soon and will mention this. Honestly though the guys in my area are inept, but we'll see.

 

[CadenzaSXL]

Awesome, thanks man. I will be going in for my 2nd service soon and will mention this. Honestly though the guys in my area are inept, but we'll see.

This is the service form i received after. Unfortunately there were no codes stated on this form.. but my dealership knew right away when i mention the TSB like Gene and foldman told me about. Hope it helps!

 

[sh30469]

So just to resurrect this post I am only just now getting this issue resolved personally. My normal dealership doesn't have a Cadenza certified HVAC person so I had to go even FARTHER out to get to the dealership that did. I told them I've complained about my HVAC for years not being as cold as it should be, blowers are lackluster, and the bad smells. He told me the compressor coil or anything like that wouldn't affect the smell this way and if there was some nasty gunk in my drain area I would notice water on the passenger side floor.

After the oil change they looked into it and they brought out my old cabin air filter and it was GROSS. It looked like a dryer screen caked full of dark... material and a bunch of junk that falls from a tree I've parked under a few times (honestly not that much while it was bloomed but it sheds like crazy). It was $60 for a replacement but after seeing the filter I told them to just do it, even with that price being quite a bit over what it should be. 1 problem solved, I ran my AC the entire way back to the gym by my house and it smelled just fine afterwards and when I got back in the car later.

As far as lackluster cooling performance it looks like there is a small leak in 1 of my coolant hoses, they will be replacing that next week. They are thinking it may be causing the pressure sensor in the AC system to register it needs to turn off so my air is cool but not cold. They will be recharging my pureon afterwards because they have to drain the whole system to do this. I hope all of this helps, I'm tired of being somewhere just under warm in my car. Who knows how long I've had this little leak.