My wife drives a 2008 Toyota Yaris Sedan. I have noticed that on occasion when I drive the car and turn on the AC or Air, I smell a strong Vinegar odor coming through the vent. It doesn’t happen all the time (I don’t think my sense of smell has been burned out yet) and I have taken the car back to the dealer for the AC Refresher Service twice. We live in South Carolina (hotttttt) but I can smell the odor even on cool mornings and it is clearly coming out of the vent. Suggestions?
Learn to live with it. Or don’t drive your wife’s car.
SC is a hot, humid climate. There’s not much you can do about that.
You’re wasting your money at the dealer. “AC refresher service” is unheard of in the northern states, but your Toyota dealer will gladly keep taking your money for nothing.
Some water, which condenses from the AC evaporator, remains in the HVC system, even after you park the car. This allows mold, mildew, and all sorts of other unwanted things to develop. especially in hot, humid climates. The odor you detect is from this water, and the things growing in it.
As long as the odor goes away within a minute, I wouldn’t worry about t.
First I would make sure the drain for the water that enters the grill right in front of the windscreen. Clean out any old leaves that might be there and rinse it out. If when you rinse it, it does not drain well, check the drain (usually a hose) for blockage. A little compressed air or the careful use of some string trimmer line can help clean the drain without damaging it.
After you have good drainage, then try some lysol or one of the products make for this use from the auto parts store. (Lysol is almost as good and cheaper.