AC Refresh??

I'm at the dealer for service. They are recommending an "A/C refresh" for $90. Worth it? I'm guessing not.

 

What does their “A/C refresh” include? I am hoping it’s not a fancy name for a cabin airfilter replacement that takes less than 5 minutes. I know there is some cans you can use to clean the evaporator and the air vents that I have used before. I only use it when needed which is every few years when my ac is on the air coming out smells like dirt, even with a new cabin filter.

You have a 2021 so I really doubt your ac needs to be recharged yet, unless something is damaged in which case a recharge would just be temporary.

 

Probably the foam agent sprayed into the evaporator box. If you don't smell anything bad with the A/C on you are fine. You can buy the stuff off Amazon and do it yourself for a lot less.

 

Cabin filter was separate (they did that for free). The refresh is more of a cleaning, not a recharge. They said it gets rid of mold and mildew, but I decided not to do it. If things start smelling funky later then I'll probably do it myself as @Arries289 suggested.

 

Ah so they are probably doing this. https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota-AC-Refresher-Kit/69278112/00289ACRKT.html
For $90 thats not bad but you could definitely do it yourself. That’s what I do to clean the dirt smell out of my ac system. Again though I would just do it yourself if your ac ever gets stinky, no need to do it if it’s currently fine.

 

$90 to de-stink an AC system resulting from poor design. Have never had the smell issue in any car other than Toyota’s over the last 30 years.

 

Great stuff, https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/climate-control/

 

I have noticed with all of my Toyotas that while running the AC on cold that it has an odor (that is until I lost my sense of smell to COVID, now certain things all smell exactly the same to each other, but that's beside the point). My wife's Sequoia had the same thing and we tried the foam spray refresh. It seemed to last for a little bit but then came back after a couple months. I think the main issue is running the recirculation when it comes on automatically while running the AC. I made a concerted effort on my Tacoma to turn it off every time I run either heat or AC. If that comes on, I turn it off as part of my startup routine. I will say that for me prior to my COVID infection I had not noticed the smell in my current Tacoma. I don't know if it is coincidence, or if my efforts have paid off. But that is what I do and will continue to do so.

 

you can buy a can of that stuff for $10 on Amazon

 

I was just thinking about this … and thought to search the forum, glad someone else posted this. I was at the dealership in late May for a complementary oil change and they always recommend something to spend $$$ on. This was it. The AC refresh, cabin filter replacement, etc.

I declined. But figured I’d look it up.

Seems like bullshit added charges for unnecessary things that take a couple minutes. While I’m happy with my 2021 Tacoma and appreciate some of the benefits of the new truck and warranties, etc, this way of doing business is frustrating. Seems like it’s not unique to my area.
good luck out there.
Cheers.

 

I was just looking for the ac refresher kit online when I saw this thread. It's about $35-$40 and I think my local dealer has it in stock.

$33 GENUINE TOYOTA APPROVED S.E.T. SERVICERITE AC EVAPORATOR REFRESH KIT 00053-00008

https://www.amazon.com/GENUINE-APPROVED-SERVICERITE-EVAPORATOR-00053-00008/dp/B07D3B5JTZ

 

MOC makes this. is tube of liquid injected into the low side ac port and actually works. your ac will instantly blow alot colder. we sell it at my work too. its a one time use and worth it in my book living in TX. alot places call it the arctic blast shot

 

Bro you have a 2021, change the cabin filter and be done with it. Don’t let the dealership rake you over the coals

 

i did the a/c refresh. used a $15 can of kilma cleaner pro. sprayed it up the drain hose and my a/c was refreshed 20 minutes later. already installed a new cabin filter and cleaned all the leaves out so didn't need to do that.

now i just gotta take it to the dealer to get the leaky evaporator housing fixed.

 

Turn on heat once you get home after work… leave it on high 2 mins until vents get hot, also turn off ac around a mile before getting home and turn off recirculating…

I have been doing this every other day and I have no issues with smell…

 

I just turn off the air recirculation when having the ac on, never had a smell afterwards.

 

This is what I do and it works, but never had to do this with another car in my entire life other than my Tacoma.

 

Nah, maybe just the cabin filter. My 06 Tacoma smells like my 12 year old GSD

 

Like I said before. When you get in and start the truck reach over and turn the A/C on and the heat on all the way with the fan on high. Let it go like this for a couple minutes then reach over and turn the heat to cool.

But if you have the money to blow go ahead with the A/C refresh. No need to though.

 

After 1 summer my 2021 had a "feet" smell every time I used the AC. I skipped the part in the owners manual that said to turn recirculation off 5 minutes before reaching destination. This allows fresh air in the system and will prevent bacteria growth.

I needed the AC refresh done. I first sprayed lysol in the vents while AC running on full blast to try and disinfect/kill the bacteria, then I ran the AC refresh up in the evaporator and after I was done, no more smell. I've been turning off recirc ever since 5 mins before getting to my destination and have not had the bad smell reoccur.