# smelly A/C vents? anybody use Frigi-Clean ? (remove odours)



## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

i was watching a Motorweek ( 



 ) tv show last week and mechanic Patt Goss reccomended this BG Product called Frigi-Clean to freshen up the bad stinky smells coming out of our dash vents . My only hesitation is about drilling a small hole in the EVAPORATOR CASE . Drill too deep and you may ruin the evaporator itself!. These are the products i am talking about....https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/climate-control/bg-frigi-clean/......im thinking of buying the frigi clean and or the frigi charger. HAS anybody used these products or a similar air cond /dash vent air freshener cleaner? here is a youtube video of a similar cleaner with instructions on how and where to drill on a toyota tundra ...just to get a better idea . https://youtu.be/bwov0zcVldk ..............and the frigi clean company website technician showing how to use their product.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Smells like product placement to me...but if you want to try it, when you figure out the how to, let us know how you did it. Near as I can tell that truck video how to is useless for the XTrail. As for the later spray into the fresh air intake, I think all it would do is clog the cabin filter, whose purpose is to prevent leaves and crud from getting into the duct work in the first place.
Are you sure odours are coming from the ducts? Often times its wet carpet that can get a little funky. Follow your nose it should give you an idea where the smell is coming from. My bet is water got under the footwell carpeting and into the under-padding. Easy to pull them up and bend them back to get some air in there, and even sprinkle some baking soda.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

mmmm....I have been watching Motorweek since the tv show was new and they always have Pat Goss's Garage segment for 2-3 minutes. Yes, of course they will plug certain products but usually it's in the name of do it yourself repairs or mechanical advice. But enough about that tv show, i did a Google search regarding musty vent odours and many say it is caused by mildew in the evaporator and whatever tubes and lines that are associated with it. Here in Vancouver we get tons of rainy days (looked it up...161 days a year and some years can easily go towards 200 days)...so with a lot of rain here we tend to get dampness>>mildew, a lot of foilage/vegetation debris and depending on the owner of the vehicles, cigg smoke drawn into the ventilation system. So it is not smelly interior carpets or a dirty diaper left under the seat, but what is needed is a good ventilation system cleaning. I've done the baking soda , vacuuming and leaving windows open thing on many vehicles ive own....it tends to just temporarily mask any odours, but that does not address ventilation smells. My Xtrail is not horrible stinky by far, i am just researching a cleaner and am asking if anybody here has used the Frigi Clean or any similar product (and what their results were). If it's only say..$8-15 for a can i may give it a try. Oh by the way, i was reading online that some people use a can of LYSOL disenfectant (sprayed it in the outside fresh air hood vents) and was advised that the Lysol is corrosive to the vehicle's system, to avoid doing that.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

If the cabin filter is in place and has been replaced regularly over the years I think its impossible to get that kind of debris over the ac condenser as seen in his video. And the method shown in the other video won't work for our cars. Further the air coming from the outside is filtered by the cabin filter. Maybe I am missing something, but I have taken out my blower motor assembly and reinstalled it. I have also removed the cowling under the hood where the fresh air intake is. I know where the evaporator is, and I have no clue how you would use the stuff. Moreover how healthy can it be to be breathing the chemical remnants of this procedure.
The stuff seems to work by getting sprayed all over the evaporator, maybe there is something you could remove to get the foam in, but I don't think this is an easy and risk free diy. If the Vancouver climate makes it a widespread issue, I would think you would have shops that specialize in doing this and it might be worth paying them.

This stuff wont clean the evaporator, but I would be more inclined to try it for stinky vents. Its available at Can Tire for what that is worth.

http://www.autos.ca/auto-product-reviews/product-review-emzone-car-cleaning-products/


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## chadn (Jan 28, 2010)

I get that musty odor every once in a while. It's usually when I have the A/C on and then turn the x-trail right off. I think the smell is caused by moisture on the cooling fins in the A/C system. 

All I do to prevent it is to turn off the A/C a couple minutes from home and adjust the temperature setting to the middle. When I get home I have warm air blowing out the vents and then no musty odor later on.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I tend to do the same thing Chadn. But for anyone wanting to replace the evaporator here is a great video how to. Note how much fancier the Japanese interior is compared to ours. But in Tony's defence it does show they can get a little grungy.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

that japanese video was mind blowing on how much work has to go into getting at and removing the evaporator! The one he pulled out was just gross....can you imagine what our 2006 Xtrails would be like after 11 years? I now understand Quadraria why you were insisting the clean wont work on our Xtrails. But apparently , from other vehicle forums and some youtube videos, it may work just fine on other types of cars and trucks. As i mentioned, i figured if a can of cleaner was maybe $8-15 i would give it a try and learn something new. I did email a metro Vancouver distributor of the Frigi Clean products and got a reply that unfortunately they dont sell directly to the public, just to automotive shops and im guessing by the box. And yes, i'm sure there would be lots of shops here in metro Vancouver that offer air cond recharge or a refresh cleaning...but i dont want to spend $100plus an hour plus material. So i guess i let things be as is.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

..i forgot to mention, i do regular cabin filter changes in my vehicles...i did it every 6 months in my 04 honda civic Si. When i traded my Civic in on this 06 Xtrail i have now (that was late last Fall 2016) i right away went over the Xtrail to check what the Goofs from Lucky8 Used Autos did and didnt do before handing me over the vehicle: dirty engine oil, very dirty cabin filter, later i changed the spark plugs and noticed they coulda been changed too, dirtyish engine air filter too. The cabin air filter looked like it may have been the original as it was really dirty with all sorts of vegetation debris .


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Tony,
It occurs to me that you may be able to access the evaporator core housing through one of the front footwells, and then you could possibly drill a hole in it. Would just point out there is a risk of damaging the evaporator and any sensors around it. There does appear to be one sensor that you could possibly remove so as to spray through its hole. But again its not something I am going to try on mine.

Here is a similar type product on Amazon

Amazon.com: Lubegard 96030 Kool-It Evaporator and Heater Foam Cleaner: Automotive

This one you spray through the ac evacuation tube. Not quite sure where that is but should be in the service manual.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

i decided i will NOT go near my evaporator . I dont really want to chance drilling too far into it or drilling thru a a`an incorrect area and having a complete evaporator failure...especially after watching that japanese video and all the labour time needed to get at it if i destroy mine by accident....$$$$$$$$$....plus the cost of a new evap. My vents dont even smell or emit a stink...i just thought if it was a cheap easy simple thing id give it a try. I'm content with hanging a 79 cents pine tree air freshener from my rear view mirror. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a8/c2/aa/a8c2aad16d703baec4ba6f4ee7064c6d.jpg


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

i forgot ....i use this ionic air freshener in my bedroom. I bought it a few years ago for about $90-99 or so. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41MxchmF01L._SY355_.jpg I bought it because i have allergies to dust and grass, sometimes i get 5 minute sneezing fits if a room is too dusty or too much pollen in the air. Description : No Filters to Replace. Proven to be Safe & Effective.

Just wipe clean the metal collector plates when dirty. You'll be amazed by how much is removed from the air! (Right)

Most Effective Way to Destroy Harmful Micro-Organisms. No air purification technology is more effective than a germicidal UV lamp when it comes to destroying germs, viruses, bacteria and fungi (such as mold), which can lead to illness.

Circulates air-cleaning negative ions. Found by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to be 99% effective against airborne dust & particles.Proven Performance - Nearly 100% Effective in Clinical Particle Removal Tests. 
Achieved a 99.5% removal rate of particles in a large chamber. This is not just hype, as test results are patter00ned closely after real-world conditions.

No Replacement Costs. Just wipe off the metal collector grid. Saves you hundreds in replacement filters over the life of the unit.

The built-in, independently-controlled fan effectively moves the air, increasing air-cleaning efficiency.

Costs Just Pennies a Day to Operate. Uses less electricity than a light bulb, saving you hundreds more over the life of the unit, compared to most air purifiers.

Whisper Quiet. The HF-210 is quiet, especially if the fan is turned "off". ....So, i will just run an extension cord and toss my air purifier into my Xtrail onto the front or back seat and let it run for an hour or two next Sunday in my driveway. I remember about 5 years ago when i was working in a mechanical shop, the shop owner had used vehicles he wanted sold....some had mildew inside and just stank of smoke or musty air....he hooked up a similar device overnight in the vehicles (along with some interior cleaning, bleach wipe down, etc) and it greatly helped clean or neutralize the many odors that were present.


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