Strage odor from A/C
 

Ive been getting a strange odor, sort of moisture or musty smell, i have changed the microfilter about 2 months ago and the smell is still there.
I read somewhere that i should take the filter out and clean the system with an A/C cleaner. is this something i can do on my own?
how do i do it?
is there any other solution?

thanks

I can't personally help, but I ran a little search and came up with this thread.
Hope it helps.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/14529-c-smells.html

Mold/mildew in the ducts. You can use something like this or similar to "clean" the ducts:

Auto Clean-Air, Car Air Purifier, Air Conditioner cleaner & Deodorizer

Also, try not to run the A/C compressor at all times, open windows but blast fan.

The moisture harbors mold/mildew.

i use a product that requires you to run engine with air con on full and all vents open , recirculate air then place aerosol product in rear footwell and activate aerosol and leave car closed for 10 minutes . do this in spring and fall to sterilise all air ducts.

We use a product like that at the dealer, works great! Ours is made by winzor products... May be worth a call to your local dealer, and if the front parts counter people don't know what your talking about, have them ask the back counter people that work with the service shop. (we use the stuff quite often, but the front counter guys didn't even know we had it!)

I have had good results on an older car with spraying Lysol spray through the outside intake vents, while running the fan at full blast and leaving the doors open.

http://www.firstaidmonster.com/image...19_OZ-5070.jpg

your cabin air filter might have been wet and has some mildew on it. buy a new one with carbon filter at dealer $40. pop it right in. other than that do what others do, clean the entire venting system using one of those recommended product. yep, spray it in the venting system while full blasting it.

:iagree: Excellent link and best answer for this problem.
With 53K on the odometer I had forgotten all about that
odor thing. No hint of it for years at this point.

sorry if its a dumb question but, where is the vent system intake?

i've experienced this problem in a few bmws so i don't think it's model-specific. my m3, 740, and x5 have this moldy smell for at times when running the ac