Musty smell from vent...2 months old

Turn AC off in the last mile of driving to prevent that smell.

 

I must say that I always keep the a/c on until right before I turn off the car, and have never had this problem. Knock on wood . . .

 

Mine has the same problem. And I always turn off the A/C long before parking the car.

Different car, but the same manufacturer. Toyota seems to have a problem with this. I bought the car in Feb 2013 and the smell started about a month ago. Dealer says they don't notice it. Hope you have better luck than I've had.

 

I was also getting that blast of musty air first thing in the morning.
Now I turn the AC off a few miles before the end of my trip- I just keep the outside air on till I turn the car off, it seems to work so far...

 

Like vinegar? Get an A/C duct cleaning spray.

 

The Prius AC system is powerful enough that I am always able to switch the AC system from recirculated air to incoming air. Is the problem found just if one uses recirculated air to the very end?

 

I've experienced it in other cars when fresh air was supposedly coming in. Recirculating is great for the A/C, but I'm allergic to pollen so I sometimes HAVE to turn off recirculating. Cleaning your cabin air filter, which is easily accessible behind your glove box, may help some.

 

I did this a few months ago...what a difference! Strange Smell from vents | Page 3 | PriusChat

 

Same here. The important part is not to leave it in recirc constantly. It's not the turning off the a/c that does the trick.

 

Dealer remedy is the same on a Gen 2 as a 3 I bet. Dealer stocks 2 spray can kit. One can has special hose attached. That can is spray microbial cleaner. You hook the hose to the ac drip hose under the car and spray the entire contents of that can back up the tube. It is foamy soapy cleaner. It fills the e-box under the dash and cleans the e-coils. Then it drips back out the hose as liquid. Result is nice smelling ac in car.

The other can is disgusting really strong old lady perfume you spray into the air dam under the windshield while ac is on. It will really stink up your car. I do not recommend using it. Its just perfume. Dealers use it as its stinky and people notice it and think they got something for there money.

Recommend you do this at least once a year to remove mold and keep the ac drip hose free of gunk.
DIY Over the counter is $25 for 2 can kit.
Dealer charges $100 OOW for kit & service.

It helps to switch to recirc and shut ac OFF but fan on high before stop as that will dry out the box a little.
Its the sitting with soaked coil and recirc door closed that creates mold.

 

Maybe was in a flood?

SPH-L710 ? 2

 

+1 here and all good advice. Here's a picture of Kool-It which is a spray mentioned that I used on my e-box which worked great. You should have seen the junk that came out of the drain tube! You can get this on Amazon.com for just over $12.

 

Thats the same stuff the dealer sells. $12 is great! Thanks alot for the info!

 

Would this work?
I used it on home AC coils once.
$5 at HD or Lowes:

 

For condenser not evaporator.

 

I must remark that my family moved to Orlando, Florida, and my father bought a 1966 Chevy Biscayne with a/c. We ran it on "recirc" all the time and never had a trace of a problem. Perhaps technological advance is at fault?