Every time I turn on my air it smells terrible, especially when it has been sitting overnight. The service guy mentioned this is an issue that Infiniti is trying to deal with but did not seem that conserned. He suggested air fresheners. Should we find where the smell is coming from? My lease is up in a couple of months and if I have mold and mildew growing in my car, I will seriously consider not pruchasing it. Does anyone know how big of an issue this is? Is there any way to fix it? What have others done? I was ready to sign the papers to buy it two months ago, but now I don't know.

Turn your blowers up full blast and use some lysol or there's another product specifically for this issue that you can buy in an auto store.

You might also check to see if your in-cabin air filter needs to be changed. It's behind the glove box.

The issue seems to be that moist air stays in the ducting when you shut off the car. One possible solution, other than maintenance, is to turn off your A/C, but not the blower a minute or two before you stop the car. Though this is annoying, it should fix the problem.

You first need to be able to identify the exact cause of the odor in order to fix it properly. Take your car to a professional detailer for some doederizer suggestions. Worse case scenario, walk away from the FX when your lease ends.

I really think it might be your cabin filter. Have you ever had this replaced? It is recommended every year or 15,000 mi. Whomever you talked to may not know that the most common sause of a smell is leaves inside the compartment near the battery. If you remove the cover where the battery is located and shine a flash light in there and see if there are any leaves or crap in there.

c`heck the drain also. if condensated water stays there it will smell. sometimes dirt and debris keeps the water in.

I would take it back to the dealership, tell them the car smells and you will pick it back up (and drop off their loaner) when it doesn't smell anymore.

SteveTheTech wrote:I really think it might be your cabin filter. Have you ever had this replaced? It is recommended every year or 15,000 mi. Whomever you talked to may not know that the most common sause of a smell is leaves inside the compartment near the battery. If you remove the cover where the battery is located and shine a flash light in there and see if there are any leaves or crap in there.

FX is known for this -- that's why they came out with an activated carbon cabin filter.

This might solve your problem as the above mentioned.

SteveTheTech wrote:I really think it might be your cabin filter. Have you ever had this replaced? It is recommended every year or 15,000 mi. Whomever you talked to may not know that the most common sause of a smell is leaves inside the compartment near the battery. If you remove the cover where the battery is located and shine a flash light in there and see if there are any leaves or crap in there.

Hello I just bought a 05 FX35 and loving everything about it except the first 2 minutes when turning on the air conditioning. The warranty expires until Sept 09...is this cabin filter covered under the warranty? Before my warranty expires is there anything else that you or anyone else can advice me to do to inorder to take advantage of the warranty while I still have it? Also I am planning to buy an extended warranty and have not made up my mind between buying through a third party (which may be cheaper) or through infiniti? Any advice helps! Thanks in advance.

First Off Congratulations on the new to you FX and Welcome to Nico.

The incabin filter is not covered under any warranty, nor is your engine air filter. Both are recommened to be replaced every year or at 15k increments depending on their condition.

If you are getting a strong odor you may want to look into using something like Oust in the intake vent with the interior vents closed to fill the heater box with deodorizing solution. This can be done quite easily by removing the battery cover and with the mode set to fresh air and bi-level spray about 1/2 a can behind the battery directly into the intake section of the box. Once you see it start to come out of the front part of the cabin shut the car off and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the chemicals to do their thing. Replacing the microfilter is actually pretty easy, below I have attached a link to a DIY article on this.

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An extended service contract is a great idea, in the unlilely event that you have a problem with your car the Infiniti Elite warranty covers just about every non maintenance item. Some of the third party ones do not cover some of the advanced electronics and pricey little things inside these cars. The best advise I can give you is to do some research and weight your options. You may be able to save some cash in the short run with a third party contract but verify their coverage and read the small print. Some require a deductable others require a seperate charge per line of covered repairs. That is how many of these companies retain their profitability.

Good Luck and enjoy your FX. If you have any other questions concerns or issues please feel free to post them up here, if they get missed (and sadly sometimes they do) you can contact me.