FELLOW SMARTIES, YOU MUST CHECK THE CABIN AIR FILTER AT ONCE!
I reached the 10K and am doing the maintenance myself. when I opened and checked the cabin air filter, the filtering side was durty... as expected.. But then I turned it over to look at the side that, as indicated by the air flow arrows, is the CLEAN side... IT HAS MOLD ON IT! YIKES! how on earth can this happen. I am very angry at this and WILL get to the bottom of it..
I reached the 10K and am doing the maintenance myself. when I opened and checked the cabin air filter, the filtering side was durty... as expected.. But then I turned it over to look at the side that, as indicated by the air flow arrows, is the CLEAN side... IT HAS MOLD ON IT! YIKES! how on earth can this happen. I am very angry at this and WILL get to the bottom of it..
Replies to This Discussion
-
..hold a minute Sato...let me go check ours ..is only 3500miles and 4 month old....just in case is a French epidemic...
...be right back...
flea
-
well...what do you know...we have 4 spots about 1/4 in diameter...
..I believe this is an issue that needs to be brought to smart dealers attention
flea
-
Permalink Reply by Cheryl Ladner on -
I too must have mold in my filter as I have been sick with sinuses and a debillitating cough. When I emailed SMART they said they haven't heard of it. Anyway I learned about it from you. THANKYOU!
I and my family thought I had some dread disease. My problem is that I don,t have $80.00 for a new one. In fact I am 55 and this is my first new car. If I can find the filter, can I clean it & spray it with something that kills mold? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Or will the car run ok without one
-
Hi SATO,
Sorry... I forgot if you have a cabrio or coupe. Cabrios may have more of a problem than coupes.
I'm in the Aussie hot wet tropics (over 2 metres annual rainfall; humid all the time). It is common to see large puddles of water form under cars when parked on concrete. The air con evaporator is a chilled "radiator" that the air passes through. The air is both chilled and dried. Moisture usually condenses on the evaporator and drains out via a drip collector then out through a hose under the car.
I usually get up to half a litre (half a pint) of water from the smart draining out when parked in the garage. I have a plastic drip tray under the front of the car to collect it. I never turn the air con off. I have the climate control set on 22; fan control set on 1 and air distribution set to head / face. That's good enough so far - not full summer here yet; mostly 30C (86F) days the past month.
Intermittent use of the air con in a car can lead to fungus growth on the evaporator. When run constantly, they tend to rinse themselves with the condensate running off. Stop using the air con when driving for a day or so, then turn it back on and there is often a moldy smell. This is probably more a cabrio than a coupe thing to do.
A guy I worked with had an Isuzu Rodeo same vintage as my Honda Passport. He had some really ugly smells coming out of his air con. For some reason, the drains had become blocked and the condensate built up into a stagnant pool. My car never had the problem... but it did get me into the habit of flushing water through the air intake vents under the windshield every month or so to make sure the drain tubes were clear. (Leaves and tree pollen can block them.)
In normal air con operations, the moisture condensing on the evaporator drains out; there should only be cool, dry air passing over the cabin filter. For the filter to get wet is a worry. Here's my guesses:
* intermittent use of the air con
* temperature set very low and air flow set very high thus causing moisture to be drawn off the evaporator and onto the filter
* blocked drain tubes under the evaporator
And of course, smart have to be different... for the past 20 years; every car I've had with air con, I usually have run it with air recirculation turned on. That was to reduce the cooling load on the system and reduce outside dust and smells being drawn in. smart climate control turns off the recirculation switch at system shutdown; so fresh air intake is the default... ergo more condensate in hot humid climates and more pollens and dust drawn into the system.
A carbon filter usually will trap smaller particulate matter and can be of benefit to severe allergy sufferers. I'd be surprised if it will be any less susceptible to mold. The problem is being caused by the filter becoming wet.
All that said, I'll have to inspect the filter over the weekend and see if anything nasty is going on... and post a pic if alternate life forms are in evidence. If there is: a wash in some anti-bacterial laundry rinse will be my first attempt at a cure. Everything in this part of the world grows mold sooner or later!
PS: I went fishing recently and stepped on a bit of prawn bait that had been sitting in the sun for a while. Got back in the car... there are smells worse than moldy air cons!
-
so are you officially the old musty prawn? LOL... Sorry my friend, I cant pass these things up!
I think the evaporator/condenser might be too close to the filter thus keeping it moist enough to promote growth
-
...evaporator inside...condenser out front.....Geeeeezzz....comedians.....
... Sorry my friend, I cant pass these things up!
flea
-
Ian, mine is a coupe/passion 08 I dont turn off the air (Florida!) even at night its in the low 80s.. in Celicius its... ??? heck 27 or so???
-
SATO, yep 27 C is about 80 F... what we are starting to get overnight here as the summer / wet season approaches. Usually 32 C (90 F) most of the day long, and very humid most of the time. One of the wettest places in Australia.
I browsed on Evilution. The 450 series had the pollen filter as an option (not standard) and from the pics, was in a totally different position up by the air intake slots under the windscreen; before the evaporator (?).
They have good pics of the 451 : http://evilution.co.uk/index.php?page=modpage&id=480&men=se...
On RHD cars, the filter is much easier to access.
Yet to take mine out for inspection... Need to drive the car on a more normal humid day to see what get's wet. Been exceptionally hot and dry this week. Weather change forecast late Sunday.
-
..you lucky dog...we will be bless if we see mid 40's for the weekend or all of next week....but luck is on our side compared to the north of the USA ...
...quick ref for temp conversion....*C = half of the *F minus 15....works close enough up to 110*
flea
-
actually C=(F-32)/1.8
-
....(F - 32) * 5/9 ......and your point is?
...like I said quick ref..nothing too fancy and it will get you....close enough...
flea
-
Hi All,
What a thread. :) Sigh... I think at the end of the day a big holler (as in a good one) goes out to SATO for making fellow smarts aware of the situation.
As well, wanted to let you know we have the replacements in stock for when you're ready. There's a url on our page that shares the proper directions of installation as well.
Here you go and thanks again SATO.
http://www.smartmadness.com/servlet/the-89/Genuine-Smart-Cabin-Filt...
To you, yours and your smart,
SmartGurl of Smart Madness
Welcome to
451 smart fortwo
Latest Activity on 451s
http://www.smartusainsider.com/forum/topic/show?id=2029424%3ATopic%3A438271
1st Annual SMART Car Nationals-The Place to Be is in KC at Kansas City, MO
June 11, 2010 at 9am to June 13, 2010 at 1pm
1st Annual SMART Car Nationals-The Place to Be is in KC
Kansas City, June 11th, 12th, and 13th of 2010
+ Come get a taste of KC with your fellow smart car owners,
+ Local tours and events
+ Local BBQ
+ SMART car product sales, service, and instal...
smartCar on Facebook/Twitter
