Technical Bulletin
Model(s)

Year(s)

Eng. Code(s)

Trans. Code(s)

VIN Range From

VIN Range To

2000-2019

All

All

All

All

All
(except Routan)

Condition
87 18 12 November 13, 2018 2005566 Supersedes Technical Bulletin 87-18-09 (V871809) dated August 20, 2018
to modify metadata.
HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
Unpleasant odor is coming from Heating and Ventilation system. Odor mainly occurs after vehicle has been sitting
(unused) at least 5 hours and within 20 to 60 seconds after vehicle is first started.
Note:
This Bulletin may only be applied as “one time only” for vehicles with the complaint and within 12 months
of the original vehicle in-service date as stated in the Warranty Policy. (See section 1.3 General
Guidelines/ Start of warranty period)
Any future complaints will be at the expense of the customer.

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
Note:
The condition of the evaporator is a normal characteristic caused by outside influence via environmental
conditions. This procedure is not to be claimed under factory warranty and only to be claimed under 1SP
within the first 12 months of the original in service date for customer satisfaction purposes only.

Page 1 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
Contaminants are effectively neutralized using the AIRCOMATIC™ II Ultrasonic Climate System Cleaner (VAS
6189A) or AIRCOMATIC™ III Ultrasonic Climate System Cleaner (VAS 6189B) and AIRCO-CLEAN™ Ultrasonic
HVAC Treatment (30208). All other cleaning methods are no longer permitted.
There must be an original customer complaint of specified odor symptom on repair order for this Technical Bulletin
to apply. Adding this procedure on to another procedure is not permitted.

Tip
If vehicle is a Touareg or Phaeton with 4 zone climate control, the rear A/C unit is to be treated as well. Repeat
procedure for rear A/C unit.
Cleaning the Air Conditioning System:
Tip
 No one must be in the passenger compartment.
 Observe the instructions on the cleaner and the cleaning fluid
 The vehicle must not be exposed to the sun
 Remove the pollen filter in the passenger compartment (if equipped)
1. The vehicle should be cool, if necessary cool it down with the air conditioning to about 72°F
2. Dry the evaporator by running the ventilation (air conditioning "OFF") at the highest blower level for about 30
minutes.
3. Remove the activated carbon filter or pollen filter according to the repair manual. Close the cover on the AC
duct without filter.
4. Open all vents, align them to the passenger compartment and select them with the control panel.
5. Leave the air conditioning switched off. Set the fan speed to level 1 and switch on the recirculation so air is not
brought into the vehicle. Run the engine during the complete cleaning process or switch on the ignition and
connect a battery charger.

Page 2 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
6. Remove the neck (long black pipe) of air conditioning cleaner VAS 6189A / VAS 6189B and fill with a bottle of
cleaning fluid part number 30208 (observe instructions on bottle).

7. Place the air conditioning cleaner on the floor underneath the passenger glove box and point the neck towards
the front of vehicle (see illustration).

8. Route the cable of cleaner through the side window to the outside. Close the side window and connect the
power cable. A self-test starts; when a green arrow lights up the unit is operational.

Page 3 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
9. Start the cleaner (VAS 6189B / VAS 6189B), the warning light "Cleaning" comes on. Close all doors and
windows.

10. After about 15 minutes the cleaner switches itself off automatically.
11. Open all windows and doors.
12. Continue to run the ventilation for another 10 minutes.
13. Remove the machine from the vehicle.
14. Install new activated carbon filter or pollen filter.
15. Switch on the air conditioning and run in recirculation air mode until condensed water is discharged under the
vehicle.
Tip
By leaving the controller in recirculation, this allows cleaning agent to be flushed from the ventilation duct work.

Page 4 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
Warranty

Note:
This Bulletin may only be applied as “one time only” for vehicles with the complaint and within 12 months
of the original vehicle in-service date as stated in the Warranty Policy. (See section 1.3 General
Guidelines/ Start of warranty period)
Any future complaints will be at the expense of the customer.
This is not to be claimed under factory warranty and only to be claimed under 1SP within the first 12
months of the original in service date for customer satisfaction purposes only.
 This procedure will be allowed only once per vehicle within the first 12 months of service and within the limits of
the New Vehicle Warranty
 There must be an original customer complaint of the specified odor symptom on the repair order for this
technical service bulletin to apply. Adding on to this procedure is not permitted.
 Subsequent applications should they be necessary will customer’s responsibility.

To determine if this procedure is covered under Warranty, always refer to the Warranty Policies and
Procedures Manual 1)
Model(s)

Year(s)

Eng. Code(s)

Trans. Code(s)

VIN Range
From

VIN Range To

2000-2019

All

All

All

All

All
(except Routan)
SAGA Coding
1SP 1)

Claim Type:

Damage
Service Number:

HST

Damage Location

--

--

Code
8760

0049

Parts Manufacturer

444

Labor Operation 2): 4 Zone Climate Control

87603099 Maximum A-time = 135 TU
Page 5 of 7

© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
Labor Operation 2): 1 or 2 Zone Climate Control

87602999 Maximum A-time = 70 TU

Labor Operation 2): Pollen Filter Replacement (if equipped)

See Elsa

Causal Part:

Select Labor Operation 8760XXXX

Outside Material: A/C Treatment
(maximum Sublet amount) :

Part No: 30208

Per 1 Bottle = $22.33
Per 2 Bottles = $44.66

Diagnostic Time 3)
GFF Time expenditure

01500000 = 00 TU max.

NO

Road Test

01210002 = 00 TU

NO

01210004 = 00 TU
Technical Diagnosis

01320000 = 00 TU max.

NO

Claim Comment: Input “As per Technical Bulletin 2005566” in comment section of Warranty Claim.
1)

Vehicle may be outside any Warranty in which case this Technical Bulletin is informational only

2)

Labor Time Units (TUs) are subject to change with ELSA updates.

3)

Documentation required per Warranty Policy Procedures Manual.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Description

Part No:

Quantity

Air Conditioning Treatment

30208*

1 bottle (1 or 2 Zone Climate
Control).
2 bottles (4 Zone Climate Control)

Pollen Filter

See ETKA

1

*AIRCO-CLEAN™ Ultrasonic HVAC Treatment available by the case (Qty. 12 - 100ml bottles), part number
VAS6189/1.

Page 6 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.

Technical Bulletin
Tool Description

Tool No:

AIRCOMATIC™ II Ultrasonic HVAC Cleaning System

VAS 6189A*

AIRCOMATIC™ III Ultrasonic HVAC Cleaning System

VAS 6189B*

* Call Volkswagen Tools and Equipment Program, Snap-On® Business Solutions (SBS) at 1-800-892-9650.

Additional Information
All part and service references provided in this Technical Bulletin are subject to change and/or removal.
Always check with your Parts Dept. and Repair Manuals for the latest information.

Document Control Revision Table
Instance Number

Published Date

Version Number

Reason For Update

2005566/24

11/13/18

V871812

To modify metadata.

2005566/23

8/20/18

V871809

Add new models and
new model year
applicability.

2005566/22

10/5/17

V871707

Add new models and
new model year
applicability.

2005566/1

10/23/1997

V879701

Original publication.

Page 7 of 7
© 2018 Volkswagen Group 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 Volkswagen Group 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.