2006 Sonata odd smell from air vent

I have a Sonata GL with 2500 on the clock. For the last 1000 miles the
air vent has had an odd smell (wet dog !) when switched to intake from
outside. Anyone else experienced this?

 

The moisture in the evaporator case has probably invited mold or something
similar. The fresh air intake is in the right side of the plastic cowl
at
the bottom of the windshield. Turn the heater on full with fan on high
and
fresh air selected, and spray lysol or similar air freshener into the
cowl
to reduce the odor.

 

Most air freshening products (Lysol included) have warnings against
using them on many types of plastics. I do know of one case where Lysol
use had caused the 'air door' plastics to get soft (Ford).

Most air fresheners/spray disinfectants aren't exactly good for you to
breathe either. You can figure anything that kills germs doesn't do
much for your sinuses, throat, lungs, and eyes. Lysol cans have severe
warnings about the carcinogen content inside - apparently it can also be
referred to as "spray-on cancer"

Back during the extremely short time my Dodge truck was under warranty
(3/36k, what a joke) a "dirt dobber" decided to plant her eggs in the AC
drain tube, and the resulting puddle caused quite a mold build-up.
Dealer used a can of Mopar-branded stuff with an application tube,
sprayed in with the system off... Apparently the idea is the foam gets
'everywhere' and flushes the nasty stuff out of the tube, and it worked
fine, but....

At about 80k I had to replace the heater core, which isn't a common
repair on the newish model dodge trucks. Maybe I bumped the heater
hoses too hard when changing sparkplugs? Maybe it was a manufacturing
defect? Maybe it dislikes the dirt roads I drive? Maybe I just have
bad luck? Maybe it was that can of foam cleaner? Hard to say.

JS

 

We use a product called "Frigi-Fresh" that says it's distributed by BG
Products. It mentions eye and skin irritation and not to swallow, but
doesn't say anything about inhalation. I would think any aerosol air
freshener shouldn't have warnings about not breathing-- that's what you'll
be using it for wherever you use it, right?

 

Yes, especially if I haven't used the AC in a while. Probably a little
bit of mildew in the system. Mine usually clears out pretty quickly
though. I've had other cars do this, but the Sonata seems worse than
most cars I've owned.


Matt

 

Absolutely. The best part is that the dealer told me "This is a problem
with all Hyundais." Two dealers now have told me that I'm stuck with the
smell. Fantastic isn't it? My Elantra had the exact same issue, and now
I have it in my 06 Sonata.

-B

 

Print out Hyundaitech's post about the intake spray and take it to the
dealership. See how they react to that.

JS

 

The dealership won't care what I've posted. The easiest solution is to get
some aerosol air freshener and do it yourself if they can't figure out how
to do it on their own.

 

Interdynamics makes a product called Pureair duct system cleaner and
deodorizer for auto airconditioners. I bought mine at Pep Boys. 8 oz spray
can. here is their web site:
http://www.id-usa.com/

 

Same thing in my Toyota pickup. Smells like dirty socks. Gah!

Here's what I do, and it helps a lot. Instead of running the AC on the
coldest setting and low fan, I run it on a middle setting, and higher fan
speed. That seems to keep things drier, and leaves less moisture for mold to
grow in.

Haven't smelled it yet in the new-ish Sonata. It's the wife's daily driver,
and she keeps the A/C on real low. But if it starts to smell, I can
guarantee she will let me know!