[AngeloUCF]

Hi does anyone know where the location of the fresh air intake duct is on a 2019 X5? I couldn't find it under the hood. I want to spray some sanitizer in there since my wife's car has a mildew smell when it starts.

PS I tried replacing the cabin filters (which need to be replaced) but amazon sent the wrong size so have to go through the dealer.

[dowdy85]

Same smell issue. Curious where it is?

[timmahh]

Under the cover at the base of the windshield? That's where the cabin filters were previously located.

Is your recirculation setting not set to auto? Any activities that somehow generate excess moisture in the vehicle?

[AngeloUCF]

Originally Posted by timmahh

Under the cover at the base of the windshield? That's where the cabin filters were previously located.

Is your recirculation setting not set to auto? Any activities that somehow generate excess moisture in the vehicle?

I didn't see anything under the hood aside from drainage ducts. The cabin filters are under the glove box so maybe the air duct is really low and I missed it or its hard to see. Was hoping someone here found it.

It's my wife's car and yeah she drives in the rain, parks in a humid garage etc so it's almost expected. I'll check the circulation settings thanks for that suggestion.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by AngeloUCF

Hi does anyone know where the location of the fresh air intake duct is on a 2019 X5? I couldn't find it under the hood. I want to spray some sanitizer in there since my wife's car has a mildew smell when it starts.

PS I tried replacing the cabin filters (which need to be replaced) but amazon sent the wrong size so have to go through the dealer.

Here is what I found in realoem.com, it appears the fresh air, well there really isn't any "fresh air" in cars anymore like there used to be as its all brought through the "system" and filters but none the less, it appears to come from the cowl area along the firewall below the windshield.

I'm sure it buried under plastic covers and protected from the rain but if you can find the air intake plastic housing, item #1 in the pic, that should be the entry point. If you are having issues with smell, it could be in any part of the duct work. Doesn't running the A/C take care of it?

.

[MystroX5]

I did this last year. Air intake is under the passenger side windshield under a black plastic cover. Pop the hood and you will see it. With the current Covid issue, cars are sitting for extended periods of time so getting a stale smell on start up is very common. Most times it works itself away with more use. A quick spray of Lysol directly in the fresh air intake is a good idea for any car that has been sitting.

You can also spray your cabin filter with some Lysol and it will freshen it up.

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...t=Cabin+filter

[AngeloUCF]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Here is what I found in realoem.com, it appears the fresh air, well there really isn't any "fresh air" in cars anymore like there used to be as its all brought through the "system" and filters but none the less, it appears to come from the cowl area along the firewall below the windshield.

I'm sure it buried under plastic covers and protected from the rain but if you can find the air intake plastic housing, item #1 in the pic, that should be the entry point. If you are having issues with smell, it could be in any part of the duct work. Doesn't running the A/C take care of it?

.

Ah, the blue line helps as I couldn't figure out the orientation when I found that earlier. I will take a look when my wife gets back. Yes the smell goes away after a few minutes, but it's a weird almost sweet smell and it drives me nuts.

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I did this last year. Air intake is under the passenger side windshield under a black plastic cover. Pop the hood and you will see it. With the current Covid issue, cars are sitting for extended periods of time so getting a stale smell on start up is very common. Most times it works itself away with more use. A quick spray of Lysol directly in the fresh air intake is a good idea for any car that has been sitting.

You can also spray your cabin filter with some Lysol and it will freshen it up.

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...t=Cabin+filter

Thanks, I used that thread to try to replace the filters before I figured out they were the wrong size, but didn't consider spraying them or the intake area down from within the car. I will do that as well.

[Qsilver7]

As mentioned in my reply over on BimFest...look into teaching your wife how to use the park ventilation feature where the HVAC blower will run for up to 30 minutes when she turns the engine off.

This will help dry up some of the moisture that is a perfect scenario for bacteria and mold to form (it's like a lovers lane for them) and help prevent some of that AC start-up funk. Putting the car away hot & wet...is like throwing wet towels in a gym bag. When you open that bag a day or so later...you're going to be hit with the FUNK...this is some of what your wife is smelling by the way the vehicle's AC is being used, then parked in a dark garage with no air circulation.

I'm sure ID7 has this feature if you delve down into the CLIMATE section of iDrive. You can quickly access this feature if you save it to one of the eight programmable buttons.

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

If you select/initiate the immediate park-vent feature...the HVAC blower will run for up to 30 minutes after turning the car off...which can help dry up excess moisture/condensate and prevent/de-escalate the growth of mold/bacteria. I have one of my 8 preset buttons to initiate this feature. On my 2013 (see pic below)...the CIC iDrive would only let me save the page were I can quickly select the ventilation feature...on my 2014 X5 with the 1st iteration of NBT iDrive (see 2nd pic below)...it let me save the actual initiation of the feature and turns it on when I press the programmed button.

[AngeloUCF]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

As mentioned in my reply over on BimFest...look into teaching your wife how to use the park ventilation feature where the HVAC blower will run for up to 30 minutes when she turns the engine off.

This will help dry up some of the moisture that is a perfect scenario for bacteria and mold to form (it's like a lovers lane for them) and help prevent some of that AC start-up funk. Putting the car away hot & wet...is like throwing wet towels in a gym bag. When you open that bag a day or so later...you're going to be hit with the FUNK...this is some of what your wife is smelling by the way the vehicle's AC is being used, then parked in a dark garage with no air circulation.

I'm sure ID7 has this feature if you delve down into the CLIMATE section of iDrive. You can quickly access this feature if you save it to one of the eight programmable buttons.

Ooh being able to make it a 1-button move when she turns off the car would be great. I think she'd actually remember to do that.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

As mentioned in my reply over on BimFest...look into teaching your wife how to use the park ventilation feature where the HVAC blower will run for up to 30 minutes when she turns the engine off.

This will help dry up some of the moisture that is a perfect scenario for bacteria and mold to form (it's like a lovers lane for them) and help prevent some of that AC start-up funk. Putting the car away hot & wet...is like throwing wet towels in a gym bag. When you open that bag a day or so later...you're going to be hit with the FUNK...this is some of what your wife is smelling by the way the vehicle's AC is being used, then parked in a dark garage with no air circulation.

I'm sure ID7 has this feature if you delve down into the CLIMATE section of iDrive. You can quickly access this feature if you save it to one of the eight programmable buttons.

I think we now only have prevent.

[Fuzzy Master]

For anybody who spends a lot of time in their car or for anybody thinking of replacing their cabin filter, you may want to consider something like this;

https://pureflowair.com/

I haven't done so yet but i am planning to replace mine for the fall or at the latest before the winter, when I will likely be spending much more time in my car on a daily basis.

[AngeloUCF]

I would order replacement filters from them but they're OOS. Have you used them before?

[Fuzzy Master]

I haven't personally purchased from them yet, but a friend has used them recently and was pretty happy with the filtration, but was even happier that they were less expensive than OE filters.
Supposedly they do a better job of absorbing moisture, so if true then it should reduce the mold/mildrew potential.

[Mixelplux]

Originally Posted by AngeloUCF

Hi does anyone know where the location of the fresh air intake duct is on a 2019 X5? I couldn't find it under the hood. I want to spray some sanitizer in there since my wife's car has a mildew smell when it starts.

PS I tried replacing the cabin filters (which need to be replaced) but amazon sent the wrong size so have to go through the dealer.

Have u ever resolve this? I have the same car with same problem. Tried everything I could without taking apart the car. Same vehicle

[AngeloUCF]

Originally Posted by Mixelplux

Have u ever resolve this? I have the same car with same problem. Tried everything I could without taking apart the car. Same vehicle

Unfortunately I don’t remember but it did go away. I asked my wife and she said she thinks I replaced the in cabin filters. Good luck!