87 Unpleasant odor from heating and ventilation system
87 18 89 2010146/14 July 30, 2018. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 87 number 15-64 dated June
24, 2015 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

All

2005 - 2021

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision Date

Purpose

14

-

Revised header data (Added model years)

13

06/24/2015 Revised Warranty (Updated for R8 vehicles)

12

05/18/2015 Revised header data (Added models)
Revised Warranty (Claim type specified)

Customer states:
 There is an unpleasant, musty odor coming from the heating and ventilation system.
 The odor usually occurs when the vehicle has been sitting unused for five hours or more.
 The odor usually occurs within 20 to 60 seconds after the vehicle is started.

Technical Background
Condensation, which is a normal condition in all A/C systems, can cause a musty odor.
If the odor is noticeable in the vehicle when the engine is not turned on, the cause may be mold and mildew in the
passenger compartment, and not be related to the A/C system. All other possible sources of the odor must be
investigated before this bulletin can be performed. Before proceeding, consider the following:
 The evaporator housing drain must be open and free of debris.
 The cabin must be sealed with no water ingress into the passenger compartment.
 The plenum drains must be clear and free of debris.
 The pollen filter must be clean and free of moisture.

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© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
Contaminants are effectively neutralized by the Aircomatic® II Ultrasonic Climate System Cleaner (VAS 6189A)
and Airco-Clean® Ultrasonic Air Conditioning Treatment (VAS 6189/1). No other cleaning methods are permitted.
1.

If the vehicle is equipped with an in-cabin pollen filter (such as in the A3, A6, and Q7), remove the pollen
filter element and reinstall its cover before proceeding.

2.

Start the engine.

3.

Adjust the following climate control settings
(Figure 1):
 Set the temperature to its lowest setting.
 Set the fan speed to its lowest setting.
 Set the airflow direction to the dash vents
only.
 Activate recirculation and ECON modes.

Figure 1. Climate control settings.
4.

Thoroughly shake a 100ml bottle of treatment
and empty it into the filling chamber (Figure
2).

Figure 2. Pouring the treatment into the filling chamber.

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© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

5.

Connect the outlet tube (Figure 3).

Figure 3. The connected outlet tube.
6.

Place the cleaning unit into the passenger side footwell, ensuring that the unit is as level as possible.

7.

Connect the unit power cord, and route it
through one of the windows, which should be
slightly open (Figure 4). All other windows
and the sunroof should be completely closed.

Figure 4. Window is slightly open so that the cord can pass
through.
8.

Turn the unit on and position the outlet tube so that the vapor is drawn into the recirculation air intake
(generally in the passenger side footwell area; see appropriate repair information for exact location).

9.

Close all doors. The atomized cleaning fluid will begin to come out of the vents. After 15-20 minutes, the
treatment is complete and the machine stops automatically.

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© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

10. If the vehicle is equipped with a four zone
climate control system with 2 evaporators
(such as Q7 and A8), repeat the procedure
for the rear A/C unit before proceeding. Use
the same A/C settings listed above. Position
the outlet tube toward the fresh air inlet vent
for the rear unit. The configuration of the Q7
is shown to the right (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Correct positioning of the outlet tube on a Q7.
11. After the procedure, air the vehicle out for approximately ten minutes.
12. Check the Aircomatic® manual for instructions for unit maintenance after each use.

Warranty
 This bulletin is allowed only once per vehicle. The vehicle must be within its first 12 months of service and
under NVLW.
 There must be an original customer concern of the specified odor symptom on the repair order for this bulletin
to apply. Adding this procedure on is not permitted.
 Subsequent applications, should they become necessary, will be the customer’s responsibility.
 Replacement of the pollen filter under warranty is not allowed within the performance of this procedure. The
pollen filter is covered only where specified at the appropriate maintenance interval.
When procedure applies to vehicles under warranty, use the following:
Claim Type:

1SP

Service Number:

8760

Damage Code:

0049

Labor Operations:

All models except R8:
A/C clean - All models with single evaporator

8701 2999

70 TU

A/C clean - All models with two evaporators

8701 3099

135 TU

R8:

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© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Diagnostic Time:

Claim Comment:

A/C clean

8701 9999

210 TU

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

0121 0002

10 TU

Road test after service procedure

0121 0004

10 TU

As per TSB #2010146/14

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Always check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins.
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

VAS 6189A

Aircomatic® II Ultrasonic Climate System
Cleaning unit

01

VAS 6189/1

Airco-Clean® Ultrasonic Air Conditioning
Treatment (100ml bottle @ $22.34)

1 bottle (For models with single evaporator)

Fasteners, Bolts, Nuts and Screws as
needed per the Repair Manual

See ETKA/ELSA

See ETKA

2 bottles (For models with two evaporators)

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2010146) are subject to change and/or removal.
©2018 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest
information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any

Page 5 of 6
© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Page 6 of 6
© 2018 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.