It’s peak cucumber season in the veggie garden, but that doesn’t mean your car’s air conditioner should be smelling like a pickling day in the kitchen. Is your car AC smelling like vinegar? Let’s take a look at common causes of something whiffy in the air con.
Why your car AC is smelling like vinegar
First things first, let’s rule out forgotten salads or grocery bags! Unless there are leftovers from yesterday’s BBQ, chances are that a sour smell coming from your car AC vents is a sign of a build-up of mould in your air conditioning system. This is more common after long periods of rainy or humid weather like we’ve been having this summer.
While this is an issue that’s more familiar to those living in more humid climates, recent hot and wet weather here over an unusually sticky Victorian summer means that your car AC may not be fully drying out. This creates the perfect conditions for common moulds – many of which give off a smell like vinegar – to grow.
Is it an urgent issue to fix if your car AC smells?
Even a mild sour smell is a cry for help from your air conditioning system, and the sooner you have it looked at, the better – for your AC, your comfort, and your wallet! Even the most basic of car air conditioning systems is made up of hundreds of components: hoses, switches, pumps, valves, evaporators, compressors, sensors, filters and fans galore!
These components work together to absorb heat from inside your car and circulate cold air in its place. Any odour – whether it’s vinegar, smelly socks, or a ‘hot’ smell – is a sign that something isn’t right in that complex system.
If left to circulate in your AC, mould can be dangerous to your respiratory health, so don’t wait to fix the issue if your car AC starts smelling like vinegar.
How to remove the smell from your car’s AC
1. Filter change
In most cases, a filter change is enough to remove the root cause of the smell. This relatively inexpensive repair removes the mould growth from the most common place that it grows in the system entirely.
2. Evaporator repairs
If you’ve only noticed the vinegar smell when the AC is functioning – i.e. you don’t smell it when you’ve only got the fan blowing through the vents – this may indicate that the source of the smell is the evaporator. If this is the case, you may have also noticed some dampness forming in the front passenger footwell, which is an indicator that the evaporator is under strain. Your evaporator may be blocked, preventing it from draining appropriately and allowing mould to grow.
3. Regassing
If your air conditioning system initially blows very cold air with a vinegar smell and then very rapidly loses its cool, you may be running low on gas. To keep circulating cool air effectively, your car AC needs a certain level of refrigerant gas. If this level drops too low, it can result in a pressure drop that may cause the evaporator coils to ice over – hence the initial blast of cold air. Y
ou may also notice some dampness in the front passenger well, where moisture from the ice may leak. It’s important to have this looked at by a professional, as working with refrigerants can be unsafe and damaging to you and the environment.
We’ll keep you fresh and cool
Don’t drive around like a cabbage waiting to be pickled – if your car AC is smelling like vinegar, get it serviced at Cox Auto! Drop in or give us a call at the first sign of a sour odour, however mild.
Our team are ARC-authorised and licensed air conditioning technicians – so whether your AC just needs a quick filter change or a full service, you know you’re in good hands. Ask about our complimentary loan cars and flexible prepayment options. We’ll keep you and your car cool, smelling fresh, and on the road.
