gurpal2000
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2013
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- Your Mercedes
- E350 Sport Avantgarde
Hi - W212 E350 2009.
Over the last 7 months of ownership and on about 6/7 occasions, I've noticed white "smoke" coming out of the grill between the parking LEDs panel and windscreen. This is inside the car. The AC is always on AUTO at 21C. This is typically what happens:
This morning it was a little foggy and the car was cold inside. I took the AC out of auto, and put it to 24C and maximum blast. Within minutes I started seeing small streaks of smoke. After a minute of driving, it got heavier and started running up the windscreen very slowly. I put everything back to AUTO. I don't know if this smoke is toxic.
If I switch OFF the AC, it stops - ie. no further smoke seen. Switch it back on, it starts again.
After about 10 minutes of total driving, the smoke "clears" up. But partly because I have the window open to get rid of the smoke!
It DOES smell - probably best described as: coffee, fags, burnt oil all mixed together. It's not hot smoke but then again there's not enough of it for me feel if it's hot or cold.
A few months ago I had the car serviced and mentioned this to Mercedes and what they suggested was for them to "clean out the air vents" etc. So they did that. But now this problem is happening again.
Read several forum posts where people are saying it's water vapour/condensation, an oil leak dripping onto exhaust manifold when the car is cold then burning and entering the AC, oil breather tube leaking, cat p!ssing in the air vents overnight (lol!). Just don't know.
I tried to take a video this morning with my phone, but I was on a motorway so couldn't risk unsafe driving and couldn't pull over either. No passengers with me to take a video. As I mention, I can't predict when it happens other than when it's cold in the mornings and I put the AC on. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.
Any suggestions appreciated on what to do next? I am concerned that it could be toxic smoke.
Cheers
Over the last 7 months of ownership and on about 6/7 occasions, I've noticed white "smoke" coming out of the grill between the parking LEDs panel and windscreen. This is inside the car. The AC is always on AUTO at 21C. This is typically what happens:
This morning it was a little foggy and the car was cold inside. I took the AC out of auto, and put it to 24C and maximum blast. Within minutes I started seeing small streaks of smoke. After a minute of driving, it got heavier and started running up the windscreen very slowly. I put everything back to AUTO. I don't know if this smoke is toxic.
If I switch OFF the AC, it stops - ie. no further smoke seen. Switch it back on, it starts again.
After about 10 minutes of total driving, the smoke "clears" up. But partly because I have the window open to get rid of the smoke!
It DOES smell - probably best described as: coffee, fags, burnt oil all mixed together. It's not hot smoke but then again there's not enough of it for me feel if it's hot or cold.
A few months ago I had the car serviced and mentioned this to Mercedes and what they suggested was for them to "clean out the air vents" etc. So they did that. But now this problem is happening again.
Read several forum posts where people are saying it's water vapour/condensation, an oil leak dripping onto exhaust manifold when the car is cold then burning and entering the AC, oil breather tube leaking, cat p!ssing in the air vents overnight (lol!). Just don't know.
I tried to take a video this morning with my phone, but I was on a motorway so couldn't risk unsafe driving and couldn't pull over either. No passengers with me to take a video. As I mention, I can't predict when it happens other than when it's cold in the mornings and I put the AC on. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.
Any suggestions appreciated on what to do next? I am concerned that it could be toxic smoke.
Cheers
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