hi ,im just wondering if anyone has or knows someone that has experienced the following on a 2012 fiesta which I have.

when you turn the demister blowers on (without air conditioning on)I get a real foul acrid smell coming from the vents .its just not a nice smell at all .its not like burning its hard to describe ,but has anyone else had this?

I may take it back to the dealers it shouldn't be doing this should it .

this smell by the way happens in all locations so its not something from outside coming in for sure.

hers hoping someone may have an idea

kevin

Its not something I have experienced, but as it is a burning smell I would take back to the dealers.

thanks btmaldon .it def inetly isn't a burning smell ...............mystery it is

is this after using the aircon? as sometimes it makes the pollen filter damp and this can cause odd smells.

you can get spray that you spray on the pollen filter which takes the odour away.

Sorry. I read it wrong. Is it a rotten egg type smell?

Lift up your bonnet and have a sniff of the windscreen washer bottle. If that smells OK you might just need to change your pollen filter.

replacing the pollen filter will definitely get rid of the smell.

do you park under tree's alot sometimes leaves can clog the pollen filter and trap dampness.

_{thanks guys ill pop down to the garage tomorrow and geta new pollen filter}

well according to the garage ,the windscreen washer bottle smells and they think this is the problem .

trouble is to remove ,wash out and refill and do a debugging of the air con system will cost 80 pounds !

crikey ,I just wondered if I can do it myself but for the life of me I cant see the water bottle let alone get it out .

any ideas?

someone said spray disinfectant down the air vents in the car as one way of debugging .does anyone know if this will work ?

any help appreciated

best regards

kevin

The washer bottle is in the wheel arch as for the disinfectant trick not a clue. I always use screen wash that smells rather strong. Does the smell occur after using your washer jets

_{i don't know why they think how the washer bottle can affect the air in the ventilation system but it does apparently ,and to answer the last question i don't know but i know there is a smell from the washer bottle itself.}

_{still trying to see if the original dealerwho sold me it 3 months ago will do anything about it but like all these things after sales care is a thing of the past it seems .}

_{waiting for the sales manager to call me ..reckon im in for a long wait..}

I think it is a bumper off job to get the bottle right out of a Fiesta. You could try siphoning out the current fluid and then running through a few bottles of good quality windscreen wash fluid. It might be that it previously didn't have washer fluid in and just plain water. This can cause a build up of mould which causes a stink.

You could try cleaning the bottle without removing it. But first, I'd be getting my nose to the washer bottle and giving it a good sniff myself.

Even washing up liquid (foam to fill it) then thoroughly rinse out using a hose, letting it overflow to remove the suds. Then you could try some sterilising fluid just to finish it off. May also be worth using the washers too -just to purge those too. Empty the bottle again (syphon most of it out and finish off with the washers)

Then top up with screenwash. For a few fills, go for a strong/concentrated mix. I like the Lidl stuff - supposed to be lemon scented...it's a bit odd, but for a fiver for 5 litres (might be £6 now) and down to -60, I don't care what it smells like. That and the 50:50 mix is quite good at cutting through road grime/spray

I use the Halfords anti smear wash.

It's an awful pink colour but has a strong alcohol smell to it and keeps the wash bottle spotless.

Flushing a wash bottle with Miltons helps to keep it muck free and smelling clean.

^{I had a few cars where the bacteria had set in to the washer bottle. Fortunately they were easy to remove and wash out. I have got a pump and container that I could use if it happens on the Ford with a very narrow pipe attached.}