I'm at a loss for finding out what this is. I get a weird musty smell coming from all vents in the xD. It only is noticeable when you use the fresh-air button, the non-recirculation option. That means anytime the vent is on, heat, etc. It is awful. I have 8900 miles on it. I have only driven it though about 200 in the last 2 months, it's been in the garage while we drove another car(no animals). Took it to the dealer today, couldn't find anything in there that would cause this and they sprayed some stuff where the cabin filter would be, but it just masked it and made it worse. Anyone had this? I don't have a cabin filter, but at this point I'm sure it won't help on the smell. Help.

 

if u leave recirculation on and use the a/c, condensation builds up and typically builds that aroma and it gets released when u open the vents again. Leave it on fresh air for a few days and get a cabin filter.

 

yes i'm on the same exact boat.

only started about a week ago.

the smell comes and goes, someone recommended a/c off 2-3 minutes before destination, but im too busy driving to remember.

 

Is it like a moldy kinda smell? My tC done the same thing. I was told it gets moldy up there. Get some Lysol and spray in the vent on the outside of the car. that sucks in the fresh air. in the tC it's located under the passenger side windshield wiper. Just repeat a couple times, and it should go away. atleast it did in mine. hope that helps

 

Where is the vent on the xd?

 

don't know. i have a tC. I would think its in the same area though...

 

So better not to recirculate air if I use A/C?

 

I had the same thing happen to me. It's more than likely the A/C.... use the fresh air as much as possible. mine went away after a month or two... you could always try sticking a few dryer sheets in the vents... when the air, (HOT OR COLD) passes through the sheets it acts like an air freshener.

 

i have the same problem as well,
can it be from the Japanese plastic when it was being shipped?

 

ok so 7 posts after zefoxe, and everyone still sayign they have it and questioning what it is. go back and read the second post from the top, and you'll all know what it is.

me on the other hand, i don't use recirculate. fresh air all the time.

 

^^ Agreed.

Yeah it just stale air. Mine is worse in the summer because of the warm, musty air sitting in there. I'm willing to bet 100 to 1 there is nothing dead in there and it's not worth taking it to a dealership. They won't find anything wrong.

Just get some of those air freshners that clip into the vents. Problem solved.

 

Yeah I agree don't take it to the dealership. they will just charge you to run a freshener system through it. And no, clip on air fresheners will make it smell musky with a slight good smell. IMO worse! lol But try spraying the lysol in it.

 

someone with a xD has to know where the fresh air intake for the air condition is... spray the lysol through there. With the A/C on. 1, it should get rid of the funky smell over time. 2, it will make your car smell good as you are spraying. haha

Oh, make sure you get a lysol that has a smell you like, because it is really strong! lol

 

and run the heater while your at it for a new days to a week...

 

The clip in vent freshners have worked for each of the 3 cars I've owned. But to each their own.

Yeah spraying Febreeze or Lysol or something like that would help I imagine. Never tried it though.

 

lysol didn't really help cover/remove the skunk smell that i hit it just added to the smell that was already there bleh

 

Make sure your A/C drain is not clogged up. There is a drain underneath that drops the condensation onto the ground... you know all those puddles in parking lots in the summer? If the condensation doesn't drain, you will get mildew on the coils. There is a professional product for cleaning the coils called FrigiFresh. VWs are well known for building up stinky mildew on the A/C coils. The coils in our xD's are supposed to have an anti-microbial coating on them... but maybe that isn't enough.

Again, check the drain... make sure it isn't clogged.

 

well, I put a cabin filter in, cleaned out the housing it goes into, I'll check the a/c drain, but so far, no better smell. I"m not using the recirc button at all at this point.

 

just an update, took it to a dealer today, after reading online a lot about it, seems that the a/c evaporator is the culprit. For some reason they had to call an area tech rep to see what to do about it and now I have to wait. The smell is unbearable at this point. I did all I could myself, with cleaning out the vents, put a cabin air filter in...

 

The problem is a mold that grows when you keep the A/C on recirculate. It is okay to use Recirculate to cool the car down faster or when you drive through smelly areas, but most cars and especially Toyotas have this issue. When I had my 2000 Celica GT-S people on the Newcelica.org complained about the very same issue.

The resolution back in 2001-2004 was Toyota had a disinfectant foam they used to kill the mold. I am not sure if it is available today, but you might want to ask.