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Air Conditioner Cleaning - Easy DIY Job!
mickburkejnr
Posts: 66 Forumite
in Motoring
I own a Peugeot 3008, and shortly after I bought it when I put the Air Con on there was a funny smell that would enter the cabin. Thought nothing of it really at the time.
However, during the winter I didn't have the Air Con on at all, and a month ago I put it on the same smell was back - worse than ever, and wouldn't go away. I brought it to a Peugeot dealer who said the Air Con would need "cleaning and given an anti-bacterial treatment". He quoted £25 to do the job. However, it was the wrong side of pay day and I declined it, making do with putting the windows down.
Anyway, today I was in an official parts dealer for Peugeot looking for a part for another car, and while waiting I saw some "Air Conditioning Cleaner". I asked the bloke behind the counter would that do the same job as what the dealership do and he told me it's exactly what they do - except the canister they use costs £3.50!
I bought one and followed the instructions. You have to have the car running with the recirculating fan on, air con on full, press down on the canister so it starts spraying and leave it in the passenger footwell for 10 minutes. After this, go back to the car and turn the recirculating fans off so it draws air from the outside, leave for a further 5 minutes.
I've done it, and I've tested it and the smell is no longer present! So to me that's job done, and £21.50 saved! If you're in a similar position definitely do it! :j
However, during the winter I didn't have the Air Con on at all, and a month ago I put it on the same smell was back - worse than ever, and wouldn't go away. I brought it to a Peugeot dealer who said the Air Con would need "cleaning and given an anti-bacterial treatment". He quoted £25 to do the job. However, it was the wrong side of pay day and I declined it, making do with putting the windows down.
Anyway, today I was in an official parts dealer for Peugeot looking for a part for another car, and while waiting I saw some "Air Conditioning Cleaner". I asked the bloke behind the counter would that do the same job as what the dealership do and he told me it's exactly what they do - except the canister they use costs £3.50!
I bought one and followed the instructions. You have to have the car running with the recirculating fan on, air con on full, press down on the canister so it starts spraying and leave it in the passenger footwell for 10 minutes. After this, go back to the car and turn the recirculating fans off so it draws air from the outside, leave for a further 5 minutes.
I've done it, and I've tested it and the smell is no longer present! So to me that's job done, and £21.50 saved! If you're in a similar position definitely do it! :j
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Comments
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Moral of the story here is to use your AC all the time. I never, ever, switch mine off.0
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But doesn't that use more fuel?0
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I both regularly use the air con all year round (though it's not on all the time) and use one of those cans of cleaner once a year or thereabouts.
OP: these things have been around for many years
Edit: I also change the pollen filter regularly - these things get vile incredibly quicklyNow free from the incompetence of vodafail0 -
As Yolina says, change the pollen filter too. It cleans the air that comes into the cabin and is often missed when servicing.
I had an Alfa 147 that smelt absolutely terrible. Once I used an aircon cleaner and changed the pollen filter, the smell went immediately. EuroCarParts do some very cheap ones in the form of either the bomb type ones which you leave in the car spraying or the ones with a long straw type nozzle which you spray into the vents.0 -
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straighttalker wrote: »and is often missed when servicing.
Toyota don't miss the pollen filter when servicing, that's because they charge £40 to supply and fit a new one :rotfl: which is a 30 seconds job on the Yaris hybrid and I can get a Mann activated carbon one for less than half that
Now free from the incompetence of vodafail0 -
BeenThroughItAll wrote: »My current fleet run at between 14 and 28mpg so I don't care really.
The tiny increase in fuel use is cheaper than fixing air con which has broken through not being used.
But if you leave it on all the time wouldn't you end up spending more on re-gassing it?0 -
But if you leave it on all the time wouldn't you end up spending more on re-gassing it?
Quite the opposite. Running it all the time keeps the rotating seals in gas tight condition and minimises loss of refridgerant.
Not running it for a time allows the seals to dry out and gas to escape.
TBH the materials used nowadays are so cheap and thin that I wouldn't be surprised if the pipework were very slightly porous and it not to make any difference
I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)0
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