AC/Heater system

[milkyjoe01]

I have the start of a slightly whiffy AC/heater system but strangely it only occurs in certain circumstances, mainly upon 1st ignition & mid range temp, so i want to spray an anti-bacterial product into the intakes so can anyone advise me as to where the intakes are for the heater/AC recirculation system. When u press the recirculation button the air stops coming in from outside & starts drawing from the cabin to stop outside fumes/odours from entering the cabin but for the life of me I cannot find where the recirculation intake vents are. My car is a 2004 A3 2.0 TDi 8P. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[leshkin]

I just did this on my A4. Bought an AC antibacterial treatment from Halfrauds and instructions said to place the canister behind front passenger seat, which needs to go completely forward, so I guess the intakes are under the seats?

Anyway, ac smell is gone and the car is a much more pleasant place to be in.

 

[milkyjoe01]

I have replaced the pollen filter with an activated charcoal filter 2 days ago, the previous 1 was a standard pollen/cabin filter. It's the start of bacteria. It's the smell of flowers that are over a week old. I have been advised to get an AC cleaner bomb which i did (Normfest Viro One Shot from ECP) & it didn't resolve anything & after doing a little more research i have come across varied opinions as to where to place it. Some have suggested pushing the passengers seat all the way forward (Halfords Air Bomb Cleaner) & others have said push it all the way back (the air bomb that i used) that's why i would like to know exactly where the recirculation intake is so that i can place it facing that. Also there's conflicting info regarding what HVAC settings to use with it being the dual zone climatronic system, obviously recirculation on but some say AC on & others AC off. It's a minefield of info out there!! The smell is only mild but i can see if it's not taken care of soon it will get worse & for some strange reason it's at it's worst immediately after start up!?! I am perplexed!! A block diagram of exactly how the HVAC system works & where the airflow goes would be very helpful but i don't know where to find 1. Searched but unable to find for my car. Has anyone had this problem & resolved it? If so, can you advise me as to the exact method you used & which air bomb you used. I was also wondering if i should take the pollen filter out before i use the air bomb otherwise might it absorb some of the ant-bacterial agent? Any help is much appreciated!!

 

[leshkin]

It is a pain for sure. Have you tried doing something like this video? Sounds like it could work in theory.

 

[hollows wife]

recirculation intake is behind glove box ,big flap on top of heater fan , best way to clean heater/aircon is to get one with the long pipe on it ,open bonnet remove rubber trim seal up against plastic shield for windscreen, carefully lift it up some and in there you can see intake for fan unit . put aircon on ,close windows and spray the aircon cleaner with pipe on directly into the fan intake ,put pipe in as far as possible without fan actually catching piping and spray full can in there. once done leave car running for 5 mins then open windows to vent car .

 

[milkyjoe01]

The guy on the video says to turn your A/C on whereas others say turn it off, i.e. Econ button on, there's so many conflicting opinions out there it makes my head spin!! Have you or anyone you know had this problem & successfully used a particular type of method whether it be the air bomb inside the cabin or the external spray like what was used in the video? If so, can you explain the exact procedure used, vent openings, fan speed, temp. setting, re-circ. on/off, etc? Thanks everyone for your time & effort, especially leshkin for the video & hollow for the intake location, i know time is precious & it's amazing & reassuringly comforting to know there's still people out there who go out of their way to assist others in need!! Warm fuzzy feeling kicking in!!