Mold and Mildew in 1996 850

JEBond · Post by **JEBond** » 05 Feb 2003, 18:27

Any suggestions on how to get rid of recurring mold and mildew smell in a 1996 Volvo 850 GLT (non-turbo)? The dealer quoted a cost of about $800 to tear into it and clean it. Even if I did this, I'm afraid the smell would return. It started after I'd driven the car less than 15,000 miles. The car has the optional pollen filter, which I change once or twice a year.

Post by **matthew1** » 05 Feb 2003, 21:31

Any idea where mold is located?

JEBond · Post by **JEBond** » 06 Feb 2003, 13:18

Per the dealer, it's coming from the airconditioner's radiator like-device. I believe it's called the heat exchanger. Apparently it's hard to get to.
A contributing factor is that I'd kept recirculation on a lot. The pollen filter, installed by Volvo after purchase, doesn't seem to work. A lot of air (and pollen) gets around the filter. I've had many other cars and usually leave recirculate on because of allergies, but have never had this mold or mildew problem on any other car.