Damp Smell in R1S

[mclark2112]

Over the last couple of weeks, my R1S has developed a funk. Somewhere between BO and cat pee. Not overwhelming, but there when I open the door. It seems to get better after running the AC for a bit, or I go nose blind.

I assume it is water infiltration, but I haven't found any dampness anywhere. Does anyone know of any trouble areas I should look at?

It is only 18 months old, and this is the first time this has happened.

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[Mathme]

Check your carpets in the front foot wells...there's an issue with the AC drains getting plugged. I've seen several reports of the SCs replacing the carpet as a result.

 

[mclark2112]

It certainly has been overly hot and humid over the last couple weeks in the northeast.

 

[KBabione]

In our R1S it was primarily the driver's side well that would soak, but the passenger side got wet as well. I'm guessing you may have all-weather mats installed - they really hide the issue because you don't notice the soaked carpeting underneath. It came through our Chilewich mats and that's how I found the problem.

We were lucky to get an appointment at an SC (just two hours away) in just two weeks from when it happened last August, but I really limited use of the A/C while we used the car and put a fresh towel down under the floor mat each time we needed to use the car with A/C and then had fans blowing on it all night to dry it out. The mildew smell was pretty awful and they replaced the carpeting in the front in ours.

Good luck - it is, sadly, a known issue but I don't think there's any way for Rivian to catch it remotely (like they did with our 12V battery).

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Blocked AC condenser drain, and water accumulating in the floor matting is a known issue for certain vehicles. And there is an on-going service campaign for it. After a drive with AC running, lift up your floor mats and check the floor. The other cause is moisture build up in the HVAC ducts, and not letting the system to blow dry before shut off. The stagnant moisture then create habitat for mildew to grow. This can happen to any car. There are past posts showing how to DIY by spraying off the shelf products into the ducts, but with mixed outcome (and intended damage). Best to let Service deal with it.

 

[Matt D.]

Agree that it could be a blocked A/C drain. I recently had this issue addressed. Mobile service was able to come and replace the original drain with a new design. The old drain did not appear to be designed to allow much water to flow through and would get overwhelmed on hot and humid days.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Agree that it could be a blocked A/C drain. I recently had this issue addressed. Mobile service was able to come and replace the original drain with a new design. The old drain did not appear to be designed to allow much water to flow through and would get overwhelmed on hot and humid days.

Does your invoice/work order show how many hours of labor?

 

[Great Gatsby]

Get it to service ASAP (or implore them to tow it). I had the same issue with mine (musty leftover food smell) and I decided to hold off until the next appointment to get it addressed since I figured it was nothing urgent. Then one day on my commute the car bricked on me after the HVAC stopped working and the vehicle started beeping like crazy. I was left in the middle of a busy road with a car that wouldnt even let me put the hazards. Had to get it towed to the SC but like everyone said, is a leak caused by the HVAC box and service should be able to identity and fix it, assuming they arent too backlogged. Certainly something to worry about it as it could render your vehicle unusable.

 

[Matt D.]

Does your invoice/work order show how many hours of labor?

Invoice has it at 1.5 hours.

 

[mclark2112]

I bring it in next wednesday...

 

[Great Gatsby]

I bring it in next wednesday...

If the car starts throwing alerts and saying not to go through water and you hear the fans blowing a ton of hot air, I'd plan to go somewhere safe where the car can brick in peace. Hopefully it makes it until Wednesday though and you don't experience that!

 

[mclark2112]

Fortunately, I am 20 miles from the Trenton service center, and my commute takes me right by it. So I'm never too far. But there are no other symptoms, and I haven't found anything wet yet.

 

[KBabione]

Hmmm...Very odd that you haven't found anything wet in the front footwells...Ours was soaked!

Stupid question...Do you have kids who ride in the back? I'm wondering if there might be an old Wawa hoagie under a seat somewhere

 

[mclark2112]

Drive by myself, and haven't done much but commute for the last month.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Sometimes mine smells like this as well, but it's because I forgot to take my rock climbing gear out of the frunk.

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