AC System Cleanse DIY
Alrighty then!
My AC system smelled slightly like dirty, dank feet/socks. If you google this, you will find this is a common problem with mk6's. There are two things that cause this - a stanky cabin air filter and mold/bacteria accumulating on the AC evaporator. Fixing the first problem is easy (
replace your filter for under $10 with this charcoal infused one), but the second problem is a bit trickier to solve. I've tried a couple of methods, and I think the one below actually gets to the root of the problem. So without further adieu, let's make your car smell like lemon goodness, not feet.
Supplies needed:
A can of Klima Cleaner
A light source
As an aside, I've tried several kinds of cleaners for this in the past, and Klima seems to be the most effective (as well as smelling the best)
Step 0.1) Follow the instructions for drying your evaporator coils on the back of the Klima Cleaner can
Step 1) Remove the fiberboard under-cover on the passenger side, underneath the glove box (there are two plastic turn-by-hand fasteners holding it up underneath the glove box).
Step 2) Remove the Cabin Air Filter cover by sliding it towards the passenger side wheel. It will slide with a bit of force and come right off
Here is a pic with the cover removed:
Step 3) Remove the Cabin Air Filter. Discard if you are going to replace it (place it anywhere you want to smell like feet).
4) Take your Klima Cleaner tube and feed it up into the cavity towards the center console. This is where your evaporator coils are located. I removed a trim panel so I could easily get this pics, but you don't need to do so:
You can see in the above pic that there is a pressure fitting in plain sight - this feeds the liquid refrigerant into the evaporator to - you guessed it - be evaporated. When the evaporation happens, the refrigerant takes heat out of the ambient environment to complete its phase transition from liquid to gas. As a consequence, you get a cold thing to shoot air past and keep your hinder from swamping up :laugh:
Ok, enough about heat transfer, back to the DIY! Feed your Klima Cleaner tube up into the cavity, and make sure you actually get it up into the evaporator cavity. This isn't as easy as it seems, so make sure you get it right the first time (or you will have to buy more Klima Cleaner).
Step 5) Spray the ENTIRE can of Klima Cleaner into the cavity, pushing and pulling the tube back and forth to better displace the foam being created. It will take longer than you think, right around 3 or 4 minutes of spraying.
Step 6) Wait 20 minutes for the Klima Cleaner to work its magic - you will get a nice big puddle on your garage floor under the drain tube for this cavity.
While waiting, put everything back together, but don't turn the fan on yet.
Step 7) Finish by repeating the drying procedure on the Klima Cleaner can.
Donezo!
Your car should now have a pleasant lemony scent for a while, which will wear off in a few days. For a really stinky car, multiple applications may be necessary, but give it a couple days between applications to see if the feet smell fades away.
