Every summer, like clockwork, my dealer offers to disinfect my A/C system. He promises it will get rid of any of the musty smells that sometimes come through the vents, especially on "fresh" mode. I'm wondering if this process is little more than spraying Lysol near the air intake.

Does anybody have any experience with what a dealer does to disinfect the system?

Thanks

 

no, and why would i? i can spray antifungals and bacterial killers into vents myself, not that much of brains needed. what i do know though, they will put some smelly stuff in, like deodorants. my first boss serviced his car at dealer only, and had that done routinely. so, his tahoe smells god for about 2 weeks, then chemicals break down and strat stinking. so he'll go and do it again.

after you done with a/c, don't just shut the fan off. run it for several minutes. exchange radiator is cold, humidity condenses on it. if not removed, it builds up and mold starts growing on it. not only it plugs radiator but, also, stinks. eventually, it crumbles and can be blown out of vents with air flow.

 

The dealer very likely will just spray some Frigi-Fresh into the fresh air intake. The product description below is from the manufacturers web site: http://www.bgprod.com/products/climatecontrol.html The small 1-oz can is enough for one treatment of one car. It is usually available in parts-departments or online for about $10. Don't forget to remove the cabin-air filter -- it gets in the way, and makes a mess if you forget. It is also a good idea to install a new cabin air filter at the same time.

BG Frigi-Fresh®
BG Frigi-Fresh® is formulated to quickly and effectively eliminate foul, musty odors from automobile air conditioning systems. It kills mold, mildew and other odor-producing organisms that grow in the evaporator core and housing. Powerful deodorizers in BG Frigi-Fresh® keep the automobile interior smelling fresh and clean. EPA Reg. No. 44446-20-67145.
Part No. 7083
Part No. 708 Net Wt. 1 oz. (28.3 g)
Volume 1.12 fl. oz. (33.1 mL)
Net Wt. 5.5 oz. (156 g)
Volume 6.17 fl. oz. (182.6 mL)

 

I just bought my TCH used about a month ago and I got the odor ban stuff at sams club for like 8 bucks a gallon, it's a odor remover and a disinfectant.

I wasn't down with having other people smells in my car so now it's nice and fresh. It also helps with the dusty pollen smell I get bad when I drive with my windows open out in the farm areas of the east valley.

It will last for about a month or two then I do it again.

you just have to spray a ton while you run the AC on re-circulate on full blast. I spray all over and then concentrate where the air intake is on the floor behind the passenger seat.

don't forget to change the directions of the air flow to get all the vents e.g. the floor vents and the window defoggers.

don't forget to also run it while the heater is on. I have also heard of people spraying the stuff from the outside and using the fresh air vent? I haven't done it, but maybe give it a whirl.

 

These days most automotive A/C evaporators, heat exchangers, come from the OEM factory with a fungicide, anti-microbial chemical, embedded in a thin nylon porus film covering all ~10,000 square inches of evaporator vane surface area.

That coating should last for at least 2-3 years.

Once it is "exhausted" ("plastic" dust coming out of the vents) the best procedure is to ALWAYS leave the windows lowered at night to allow the day's accumulated moisture to evaporate and exit the cabin.

It takes an hour or more for the evaporator vane surface operating temperature, 35F, to rise to a level whenin the accummulated moisture begins evaporating provided the OAT is high enough.