The air conditioning in my friend’s Tesla Model 3 has had a terrible smell for months. The car is only 15 months old, so I wanted to try replacing the cabin air filter to see if it will improve the situation. After buying a new set of filters for $30, we spent about an hour installing it.
The old filters were absolutely filthy. My friend said she does not usually use the A/C while she drives so we are not sure where all the dust came from. To remove the old filters, we had to pul out the panel under the glovebox, then the panel at the right of the center console. The instructions that came with the new filters were confusing so we watched a few YouTube for further instructions.
The nasty smell disappeared right after we changed out the filter. Now two more friends, one with a Model 3 and the other with a Model Y, are also experiencing this problem so I asked them to purchase new filters, and we will help them do the filter swap.
Life with chronic diseases 