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Awful smell with wiper fluid + fan on

3K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  The Evil Twin 
#1 ·
Hey all.. lease was up on my '11 Laredo X, picked up at '15 Granite Altitude on 11/10 (haven't had a chance to get any good pictures yet). I've found that whenever I use the wiper fluid with the interior fan on there is a god awful smell that comes inside, with the fan off the the smell doesn't come through. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? And, no, I did not attempt to smell the reservoir, honestly didn't even think about it til I was typing this up. Fluid has been topped off once but never fully depleted either.
 
#2 ·
No, haven't noticed it, however since you are spraying wiper fluid onto the windshield and there is a fresh air intake just under it, it would not be surprising...

Checked for cracked/leaking hoses/nozzles just for grins?

What brand of fluid? They don't all smell the same, and I suppose you could spice up one of the milder smelling ones with your favorite fragrance next time you get one of those 20-25% off emails from 99 Perfume...
 
#4 ·
your cabin (a/c) filter needs changed. use a good charcoal/hepa (or nearly so) infused one for best odor knock down. another way to prove it's the cabin filter is to while smelling it turn on recirc and it will go away (or mostly so) as it is bypassing this filter and drawing only from within cabin.
 
#5 ·
your cabin (a/c) filter needs changed. use a good charcoal/hepa (or nearly so) infused one for best odor knock down. another way to prove it's the cabin filter is to while smelling it turn on recirc and it will go away (or mostly so) as it is bypassing this filter and drawing only from within cabin.

Why would he change the filter? The vehicle is only one month old.
 
#8 ·
It's very easy to mix up Radiator Fill with Wiper Fill on the WK2 GC. By any chance could someone have put antifreeze in the wiper fill !!


That might stink if someone did.
 
#9 ·
It's very easy to mix up Radiator Fill with Wiper Fill on the WK2 GC. By any chance could someone have put antifreeze in the wiper fill !!

That might stink if someone did.
Oh man.. That would just suck
 
#12 ·
Most likely its the stale washer fluid from Detroit MI that has sat in there for eternity. Best bet is to siphin as much out as you can and then put new stuff in. Actually, it is the rubber hoses and reservoir that make it smell. Offgassing into the fluid.
 
#15 ·
The car wash def didn't take care of it. I'm trying to run the fluid down now but it's hard now that she's finally clean! I'll keep you all updated, I'm sure you're all palpitating just wanting to know!
 
#16 ·
Well, no surprise I suppose but the culprit was in fact the stock washer fluid! Once I finally ran it dry and replaced it with some 50/50 mix of prestone de-icer and winter rain-x fluid the smell is gone. Thank the gods, it was embarrassing any time I had passengers in the car to try and clean the dirt off.
 
#19 ·
Is the windshield already treated with something? I never use rain x but the water beads off
 
#20 ·
I've used the rain-x fluid in all of the wife and I's vehicles (including my '11 WK2) and never ran in to an issue. I'll keep an eye out for the low fluid warning though!
 
#22 ·
I have had issues with:
- Rain-X washer fluid which leaves a smear with each swipe of the blade.
- Rain-X coating working great on the highway, but also smearing at low speeds when using the wipers.
- Smearing with each swipe of the blade after going through a car wash or even washing my car by hand using a combined wash/wax product. I can fix this by cleaning my windshield with glass cleaner to remove the silicone wax.
- I seam to recall years ago trying Rain-X blades, having smears, and promptly throwing the new blades in the garbage.

The common culprit is silicone. Nasty stuff on glass in my opinion and experience.

I have relatively good luck by using $10 Michelin stealth blades from Costco, which I replace every 9 months. I clean the glass and blades with Stoner after going through car washes or washing the car by hand. I use Petro-Canada's -40 windshield washer fluid which does not have any silicone in it.
 
#23 ·
Huh, interesting. No problems for me. I do use Bosch blades (get them at a massive discount) but don't know if that makes the difference. I'm pretty OCD about clear glass too. Drives me berserk when I get windows tinted and can't clean them for a couple days.
 
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