Does anyone else notice that their A3 has a funny smell (seems to be from the dash)

smells like new-car smell mixed with a after-swish of poop.

all the a3s I have ever sat in smell like this.

any way to get rid of the smell?

 

If you smell this in all the A3, maybe I would recommend a bar of soap and not for the car... A mask [X(]may work too?

Maybe my olfactory skills are lacking ??? That would be a good thing I guess, I cannot say that I would be looking forward to an "after-swish poop" smell myself...

Sorry I could not help...

 

now that you mention it, i'd say that i also have noticed a weird smell coming from the ac vents but only when i start the car (with the ac on) when the car has been sitting out in the sun and it's hot inside.

my smell is actually a bit like an alcoholic drink!!but it goes away in a few seconds of running the ac. (and no, i have never had a ancoholic drink in my car if anyone asks!)

 

Hi,
I had the same/similar problem when I bought my 06 used about 2 months ago. I've read that it's caused by condensation collecting in the AC system when the car is turned off after using AC, and then mold grows.
When my car was due for the 15k service I asked them to clean out the AC, which they did. (Somehow broke my windshield in the process, but they agreed to replace that, so no harm done). That seemed to help a lot. I don't really know what they did (maybe replaced a filter? maybe just sponged out some mold?) but it seemed to work. It's only been 1000 miles since then and no smell, but I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back.
I've heard that you can spray lysol or febreze into the air intakes. I know, your next question is where are the intakes. It took me forever to find them, but they are on either side of the center console side wall, right below your knee. I haven't tried this, but it probably wouldn't hurt. Spraying into the outflow vents, tho, will do nothing (I tried). There is also a German duct cleaner that looks like a can of WD40 with a super long hose attachment. It helped a little, but not too much. It says it should go into the outflow vents, which I tried, but if I need it again, I might try the intake vent instead.
Another thing I've read: if you run the AC system on ECON with max fan for 2-3 minutes just prior to turning off the car (after you've been running the AC) that will help blow out some of the condensation and thus cut down on the smell. This is easy enough to do when you're a couple of blocks from work or home or whatever.
Good luck.
(PS - long time lurker, first time poster)

 

thanks, that helps alot

though the funny smell does come from my air vents


the smell im talking about actually comes from the car itself. the werid thing is i do not think any of you have experienced it, however, I sat in three A3s at the dealership and it all smelled about the same. 2 of my friends car smell the same too. and the salesman was making funny faces in the A3s as well.

 

Maybe someone there has a beef with the A3 and is dropping a deuce under the hood of each one on the lot.

In all seriousness, is it possible that something has crawled up and died somewhere in the car? Is the smell strong under the hood?

 

weird, i also get the AC vent smell though, i'll mention it to the dealership when i take it in for my 15k service.

 

I have this on my '06 A3, and also in my Lexus RX400h... it's just moisture on the cabin air filter. Those lucky ducks without luxury cars (and thus without cabin air filters) don't have this problem[:@]

 

My AC has a distinct smell too but its more of a new/fresh kind of smell. Some people have said it smells somewhat similar to fresh paint. Now I'm concerned about condensation buildup after reading this thread so I am following Farstriders advice. The last thing I want is a gnarly smell in my car!

 

I have never had a smell from the AC. My car is two years old with 46k on it. I do turn off my AC before Iturn off my car. My Dad taught me to do that as a kid! I just wish I could convince my wife to do it with her car.

Cheers