madcrazy10

My car is getting serviced at the local dealer. Once of the issues is that when the A/C is turned on there is a very pungent smell when it first comes on, lasting 10 seconds or so. Everyone in the car can smell it.

When I asked the dealer to look into it he called back & pretty much says that's not under warranty and it'll be over $200 for a vent flush.

You guys agree with this or should it be covered under normal 4 year warranty?

Kobi's Q

I'm not sure, but did they say what was causing it to smell? To me that has a lot to do with it, for instance if something got the condenser dirty ie smoking in the car that wouldn't be covered under warranty, but if it is do to an old oil leak that dripped on the condenser because of shotty work at the dealer than the should cover it. So for me it would boil down to the root of what is causing this smell.

Bob Petruska

for milions of A/C's where high humidity exists. Mold grows in the evaporator area, spraying in mold killing solutions is one way of helping but not guaranteed. I eliminate the problem by always using recirculation mode which keeps the interior air drier and minimal condensation. Also running the temp on high (heater mode) for a few minutes after using the A/C each time helps kill off the mold.

The dealer is correct that this is not a warranty issue. Workmanship did not cause this issue, it's the climate where you live.

Does the A/C drain work correctly? Puddles under the car when sitting.

Seach the web for A/C odor and you will see how common it is.

madcrazy10

Yeah after looking at it from their side I relented & could see that it isn't an actual defect but a possible maintenance issue.

Although, when I went to pick the car up I was pleasantly surprised that they actually did the work under warranty. They replaced the cabin filter (somewhere behind the glove box) and also did the vent wash with that solution to kill the mold/bacteria. I was pretty surprised and very happy he got it done for me in warranty. I don't know if they checked the drain plug.

Also, I have a 2011 2.0T, and was experiencing very bad hesitation during acceleration & abrupt shifting. I had a transmission software update done shortly after purchasing the car but the hesitation & abrupt shifting came back eventually. I heard there was a newer update & while it took a lot of researching/looking on their end they said they found the newer update for my car. Now it's all smooth & no more whiplash as my car comes to a stop to shift first as I try to accelerate. I have the TSB# somewhere on the paperwork if anyone would like it.

scrmorling

Sounds like you've got a pretty good dealer. What a great way to build customer loyalty - especially if they got Audi to pay for the work. Steve

zeus48

Change the cabin filter once a year. It will help to keep mold from growing on the old filter. My wife's MINI had the same issue.

DennisMitchell

Yes, please share that TSB#. I would like to check if done on my 2011 A4. Thanks

madcrazy10

According to the paperwork the TSB was 2032812/4

Hope this helps as I really had bad hesitation due to gear shifts. Even coasting down a hill it the shifting would be very abrupt. Everything is smooth now. I just hope this update sticks as the first one the problem came back eventually.