Hi,

I'm not sure what's wrong, but my vents let out musty air unless I have it on recirculated air mode. I'm not sure if these means I have to change the cabin air filter or intake air filter or something else etc etc.

Anyone know what I should do?

 

CHange out the cabin air filter.

Do you run your AC and just shut the car off without turning off the AC and letting fresh air run through your vents?

 

Start with CA filter....easy DIY.

Utah

 

Oo, I'm guilty of doing that! What does it do?

I'll have the AC on plus Re-circulation to make the air come out faster.

If it's not hot, i'll have everything off but re-circulation on because warm air will come through the vents inherently.

Will do!

 

If you run the AC and then shut the car off before turning the AC off, moisture will sit in the vents. When moisture sits, it starts to get gross. Thats why you have musky air.

So, before you shut the car off, turn off the AC and let the fans blow to dry off the moisture that developed from having your AC on.

 

I personally switch to circulation mode and turn off AC couple miles before arriving at my destination.

 

If that's the case shouldn't I be smelling the musty air no matter if I have it on circulation mode or not? Right now its only when I dont have circulation mode on

 

Regardless of why or how, you have some moldy nasties in there someplace. So get a new cabin filter, then go to Walmart and get a can Linen Fresh Lysol. Remove filter, turn on a/c (in fresh air mode), spray Lysol into filter opening. Go switch the controls to different vent arrangements, respray.

Oh, do this top down, or you will be fumigating your interior and won't be able to drive until it dissipates.

Do the same with heater on. While there is still fumes of this stuff in the vents, switch to recirculate.

This should kill all the mold. Or at least 99.9% of it like the label says!

Install new filter. Drive. Enjoy fresh linen aroma...

 

24 months of driving produced this amount of dirt in the cabin filter. Surprised me as a new filter was fitted when I bought the car two years ago. $10 or so.

Never smelled musty though at any time.

-- Chuck

 

interesting how the diagonal pattern from top left to bottom right forms in just 2 years. when i changed mine it was caked with debris, but more so along the diagonal.