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Every time I start the fan blower on my 99 VW gti after the car's been sitting overnight, I get this really nasty pungent disease kinda smell out of the vents. I open the windows and it blows away, and it's fine after the first 30 seconds or so.

So I decided to replace the cabin air filter. Yes, after 12 years. So I figure while I have it opened up, maybe I should spray some disinfectant or something else in there while I've got it all accessible. Good idea? Bad idea? Suggestions as to what disinfectant or anti bacterial spray I should or shouldn't use?

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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stu
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2 Answers2

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It sounds like it wouldn't hurt to spray some Lysol into the intake. I wouldn't spray it into the filter itself, though, since those are generally paper and would likely dissolve.

More importantly, I would strongly recommend running the heater for quite a while. If you get the system nice and hot, you will kill off quite a lot of the more horrible smelling mildew and the like.

We've talked about the smells you can get in your ducts before but Slink's answer nicely summarizes the high points of most suggestions.

Community
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Bob Cross
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Bob's answer is a good suggestion.

I had a similar issue with my 2005 Touareg. When it would get damp out I would get odd smells coming from the vents. I ended up replacing the filter and using this A/C Coil Cleaning solution on the vents, and it took away the smell. It might be worth a try if you can't get rid of the smell.

It's basically a foam. You shove the tube down the center vent and spray until the can is essentially empty. There are also some other air cleaner products on there called Odor bombs. Maybe one of those would work too for your situation as well.

Philter
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