Hi,
I recently bought a 2020 Cadillac Escalade automatic with 19,000 miles from a dealer.
Every morning I start the car I get a strong vinegar smell from the vents. I took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't duplicate it. The dealer did evacuate the AC system and recharge but that didn't help the problem. I did a little research on the internet and it indicated that it is an air conditioning issue or mold. The problem mostly happens in the morning when the car is cold.
I also changed the cabin air filter.
Thanks for any help on this issue
Mike Foster
[personal info redacted]
Please do not post personal contact information. No one from here will contact you that way, it would just attract spammers and scammers. (Personal information has been removed.)
Mold smells from air conditioning are common. You need to clean out the evaporator. Scotty has shown that in some cases spraying Lysol into the air intake can help kill off mold. There are also purpose-made cleaners that are sprayed into the evaporator drain and foam up to clean out contaminants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqR3p7ZvECs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XyTLdFuB6o
Do you have manual or automatic AC? I believe there are molds in your air box. Many automatic AC system automatically dry the air box to get rid of moisture to prevent molding. You can search YouTube on how to get rid of the smell once for good. The process is tedious but easy.
