Renew Your Cars AC Ducts With A Mist And Cabin Filter Service

Vehicle air conditioning has been around almost as long as we’ve had cars and has gone through many improvements. The air delivery system has changed (initially cooled air ‘filtered’ down from the headliner). The refrigerant gas has changed (ozone destroying R12 has given way to R134a).

More recently, manufacturers have started adding a pollen filter (also called a cabin filter) upstream of the blower. In some models (like Porsche), this filter contains activated charcoal. This filter removes road grime, dust, and pollen from the air. An AC mist service or car cabin filter service is designed to disinfect the vehicle air conditioning system.

How Do Odors Occur?

These improvements are cool and all, but why does my auto AC still smell like dirty socks? The answer to this is mold and mildew. All air contains some water vapor in it. This vapor can often condense out as water drops when you cool it. This is fine and dandy, but not when it happens within the maze of vent ducting behind your vehicle’s dashboard.

The problem with this is that the water has nowhere to go. So it sits in the vents providing a lovely warm moist environment. This is perfect for fungi and bacteria. Your newly cooled air passing over the fungus plantation in your dashboard creates that smell we all dislike. Not only does this air smell bad, but it could also be bad for your health to breathe it over the long term.

The other predominant AC odor is from cigarettes. Smoke penetrates your vehicle’s corners and can often create a residue inside the vents. Don’t stress – no matter the odor type, at Foreign Affairs Motorsport, we always have your back.

How Do We Remove Them ?

The first step to an AC mist service is to remove the old cabin filter. Once that is done, we have a special machine that creates a mist of sterilizing particles. The odor won’t be eliminated unless these penetrate deep into the ducting.

The way we do this is to set your vehicle’s AC system to recirculate. This means that air is drawn in from the passenger’s footwell instead of outside the vehicle. By placing our machine in the footwell, the system is forced to draw the sterilizing mist into the entire AC system. All the doors and windows are closed. The concentration of mist particles builds up inside the vehicle, effectively ‘zapping’ any mold, mildew, or bacteria.

Once finished, new cabin air filters are installed.

Will It Damage My Interior?

The mist doesn’t damage the interior, but just to be sure, we’ll cover your front seats and steering wheel in protective plastic. Components of the mist will also penetrate the foam in the seats, making them smell fresh.

How To Maintain Your AC?

This treatment is most effective on a fully functioning AC system. If your AC isn’t blowing cold or isn’t blowing at all, for that matter, check out our helpful guides on AC system servicing We recommend doing at least one AC vent service per year, preferably at the end of winter when high moisture levels will have accumulated inside the system.

Car Cabin Filter Service In Pompano Beach

You can choose between the interior of your vehicle smelling like a dirty barn or cool crisp air flowing from the vents. What is it going to be?

If you have any questions regarding your vehicle AC system, pop into our Pompano Beach shop and chat with our friendly ASE-certified team. Or, request an appointment to get your ac mist service scheduled today.