AC condenser drain plug 2012 Passat

tonyman · Sep 8, 2013

I just bought a used 2012 Passat TDI SEL and its a great car. Unfortunately the previous owner was a heavy smoker. I've gotten most of the smell out and replaced the cabin filter (it was gross) but the AC still blows a stinky. On a recommendation from a friend I bought a can of spray designed clean the AC. It's called Kool-IT and it's designed with a hose to insert in the AC drain under the car. Apparently you empty the contents into the AC via the drain and then let it run out. Unfortunately, I can't find the hose. In fact, after running the car with the AC on during my 45 minute commute, I see NO water dripping under my car. I've read threads where the water is actually leaking into the car, but that's not the case for me - I hope. I've searched around and found similar posts for older Passats but none for mine.

Anyone out there know where to find this hose/port? Also, if there's no water dripping under my car should I be concerned?
Thanks in advance for your help.

vw_norm · Sep 8, 2013

tonyman said:
Anyone out there know where to find this hose/port? Also, if there's no water dripping under my car should I be concerned?
Thanks in advance for your help.

underneath the car, its under heat insulation that protects the tunnel from the exhaust heat. I located it when I had the center console out for mods a few months ago. If you remove the side cover for the center console on the passenger side - one screw at the front, slide back and down to disengage the clips that hold it in place, you'll see the drain tubing at the firewall going through a grommet.

tonyman · Sep 11, 2013

Thanks

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for the tip. I pulled out the side of the console and found the hose - and a ton of cigarette ashes. I don't know how they found their way in there.

I crawled under the car to find the outlet but it looks like I'll have to remove the plastic covering to get to it. I'll put it on jack stands for that operation.

Do you think it's normal that I don't see water dripping under the car after driving with the AC on? I'm hoping that its hitting the heat shield and dissipating.

Thanks again.

Lightflyer1 · Sep 11, 2013

The higher the humidity the more water you will see.

tonyman · Sep 12, 2013

It is not very humid here (Northern CA) but my other cars all drip water (2011 Jetta TDI and 2001 Chevy Silverado).

I went to the dealer today and the service folks were no help.

Thanks

Lightflyer1 · Sep 12, 2013

You could get an exploded diagram and see if the collection tray is accessible from the cabin filter. If so inject a little water in there and see where it drips from. If you don't get an answer here.

vw_norm · Sep 12, 2013

Lightflyer1 said:
You could get an exploded diagram and see if the collection tray is accessible from the cabin filter.

Like this? #30 is the drain hose:

tonyman · Sep 14, 2013

Thanks for the diagram. I've tracked the hose on the interior and can see where it exits from the inside. I still can't find it on the outside. I just bought a set of stands so that I can get under the car and start removing the plastic. If I find the hose coming through the floor or the firewall I'll take a picture and post it.

Thanks again

tonyman · Sep 14, 2013

Found it!

The moral of this story is: don't buy a used car from a smoker if you don't like the smell of smoke.

I could see the water dripping now that I've learned to turn off the recirculating feature on the AC. The drip was in a weird place based on where the outlet tube is on the inside of the car so I started to remove stuff.

I removed the large plastic pan that goes from the front wheel to the back wheel under the car on the passenger side. The outlet was still not visible so I removed two weird friction nuts and pulled down the foil covering the center of the chassis. I could pull it away just enough to see the outlet about 8 inches up the side. You need small hands to access the space but I managed. I took pictures but I don't know how to post them here.

I inserted the tube in the outlet (that was the hardest part), emptied the can of cleaner as per instructions and the car does smell better. I think it would make more sense to do this operation from the inside of the car.

I hope you guys never have to do this.

Thanks again for the help.

DerekS · Sep 14, 2013

tonyman said:
The moral of this story is: don't buy a used car from a smoker if you don't like the smell of smoke.

I wish you luck trying to rid your car of the dreaded nicotine smell. It not only gets unto the AC system, but it also infiltrates the upholstery and carpets. You might want to remove the carpets and have them steam cleaned.

There is almost nothing worse than the smell of cigarettes when it comes to reducing the re-sale value of a car. Hopefully, you factored this into your purchase price for your 2012 Passat.

vw_norm · Sep 15, 2013

tonyman said:
I inserted the tube in the outlet (that was the hardest part), emptied the can of cleaner as per instructions and the car does smell better. I think it would make more sense to do this operation from the inside of the car.
Thanks again for the help.

I guess that I wasn't too clear in the original post. What i should have said after finding the drain tube after pulling off the side of the center console, was to pull it out of the grommet into the car and do the cleaning evolution from inside over a tub or something to catch the nasties. Then you simply insert the tube back into the rubber grommet. I give you credit for crawling around under the car, though.

tonyman · Sep 15, 2013

I bought the car for $22,500. It's the SEL model and was about $4,000 below blue book (if that means anything any more). After investing $210 in a pretty thorough detailing designed to get rid of the smell, it's almost gone. The AC was the last part and so far the Kool-it seems to have worked. If I have to do it again, I won't buy a car from a smoker. Too much trouble.

tonyman · Sep 15, 2013

Thanks for the credit;-)

After crawling around and finishing the work I came to the same conclusion - working inside the car.

Something weird/disgusting that I left out of my last post: when I pulled the large plastic pan off the car a decomposed rat fell out. Looked like it had been dead a while. Maybe my car is haunted!

BPofMD · Sep 15, 2013

A better way to get rid of cigarette smell is to let an Ozone machine run inside for 12-24 hours..... I believe you can rent them by the day.... not too expensive either.

But then you would have never found the real cause for the smell.... a dead rat!

Burgermeister · Jun 20, 2017

tonyman said:
The moral of this story is: don't buy a used car from a smoker if you don't like the smell of smoke.

I could see the water dripping now that I've learned to turn off the recirculating feature on the AC. The drip was in a weird place based on where the outlet tube is on the inside of the car so I started to remove stuff.

I removed the large plastic pan that goes from the front wheel to the back wheel under the car on the passenger side. The outlet was still not visible so I removed two weird friction nuts and pulled down the foil covering the center of the chassis. I could pull it away just enough to see the outlet about 8 inches up the side. You need small hands to access the space but I managed. I took pictures but I don't know how to post them here.

I inserted the tube in the outlet (that was the hardest part), emptied the can of cleaner as per instructions and the car does smell better. I think it would make more sense to do this operation from the inside of the car.

I hope you guys never have to do this.

Thanks again for the help.

This is exactly what I need to do on my 2013 Passat - I'm happy you figured it out! The smell from the vents without AC smells terrible like extremely bad BO - and after the AC runs that moldy mildew funk.

Could you send or post the pictures of how you managed to find the drain and remove the pan?

Rico567 · Jun 20, 2017

DerekS said:
I wish you luck trying to rid your car of the dreaded nicotine smell. It not only gets unto the AC system, but it also infiltrates the upholstery and carpets. You might want to remove the carpets and have them steam cleaned.
<snip>.

We got a '78 Buick Skylark from my father-in-law whose age and dementia dictated he finally had to give up his keys. He had smoked in there for 7-8 years, and despite multiple scrubbings / shampooings, never did successfully eliminate the smell. Even one of those "stick-up" air fresheners couldn't completely cover it up. Kids learned to drive on that thing and drove it to school, finally got rid of it when the whole rear bumper assembly had about rotted off. The car was reliable enough, but never one of GM's best efforts. Sold it to a kid at the NAPA store for a few hundred bucks.

VeeDubTDI · Jun 20, 2017

If you want to rid your car of its odors, buy one of these: Enerzen Commercial Ozone Generator 4500mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer Sterilizer (Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JAP733I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_twEszbE6REAKN

While ozone is a pollutant and is hazardous to your health if you're exposed to appreciable concentrations of it, it does a fantastic job of oxidizing odors, mold and bacteria! Put it in your car with the windows up and the climate control on recirculate (so that the ozone makes its way through the HVAC system), and let it rip for 30 minutes. Then air the car out for a couple of hours. After the residual ozone smell wears off, it will smell clean.

Warning: only use in unoccupied spaces. Let the space completely air out before people or animals return.

AC condenser drain plug 2012 Passat

tonyman

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vw_norm

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tonyman

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Lightflyer1

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tonyman

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vw_norm

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tonyman

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DerekS

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vw_norm

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