Air conditioning system cleaner ?

Question

Not having had AC before and certainly not heard of this product, is there any point in it and does it work? The instructions say about putting it behind the driver's seat and leaving the engine running for

10 minutes with the AC full on, to kill off any bacteria etc.

Is it simply hype or do you just use it if the system starts to smell ?

Andy C

MrCheerful · Accepted Answer

a modern system should not really need it (the evaporators have an anti-bacterial coating), but if you like it, use it, it can improve the general smell of the car, a bit like febreze. First though is to check the pollen filter and put in a genuine one if it looks cruddy, not a pattern one. Check the heater inlets for leaves and general crap and if you can find them, check that the heater drains are clear (generally a short tube with a flattened end that lets out water and keeps spiders from entering, these can block with leaves and allow water to accumulate inside and go stagnant.)

Andy Cap · Answer

Not having had AC before and certainly not heard of this product, is there any point in it and does it work? The instructions say about putting it behind the driver's seat and leaving the engine running for

10 minutes with the AC full on, to kill off any bacteria etc.

Is it simply hype or do you just use it if the system starts to smell ?

Andy C

Chris Whelan · Answer

Mostly hype. I've had A/C for 20 years and never used or needed it.

If you can remember to do so, turning off the A/C a few minutes before the end of your last drive of the day is the best way to prevent smelly A/C.

Chris

steve robinson · Answer

If the system starts to smell you need an antibacterial/ anti fungal cleaner.

Modern air con systems rarely suffer from this problem, most of these 'cleaners' are nothing more than air fresheners .

Basic rule of thumb run your air con on a regular basis , make sure you have it re gassed if performance drops

Some recommend turning it off 10 minutes before you park up

Keep vents clear and change pollen filter on a regular basis

Andy Cap · Answer

Thanks for all the helpful replies

Dave Plowman (News) · Answer

Many AC system do produce a musty smell if the engine is stopped with the system working, when you return to the car.

The trick (if this happens) is to switch off the AC just before the end of your journey so fresh air clears out the matrix.

If you do have this smell, Febreeze seems to be as good as anything at masking it.

Air conditioning system cleaner ?

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