Technical Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

Condition
Model(s)

All
(except Routan)

Year(s)

Eng. Code(s)

Trans. Code(s)

VIN Range
From

VIN Range To

2000-2023

All

All

All

All

Revision Table
Instance Number

Published Date

Version Number

Reason For Update

2005566/27

5/18/22

87-18-12

Update to model year
applicability.

2005566/26

5/18/21

87-18-12

To modify metadata.

2005566/1

10/23/1997

V879701

Original publication.

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.

Page 1 of 7
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

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.

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 AIRCOCLEAN™ 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)

Page 2 of 7
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

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.
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
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

9. Start the cleaner (VAS 6189A / 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
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

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)

All
(except Routan)

Year(s)

Eng. Code(s)

Trans. Code(s)

VIN Range
From

VIN Range To

2000-2023

All

All

All

All

SAGA Coding
Claim Type:

1SP 1)

Service Number:

Damage

8760

Code
0049

HST

Damage Location

--

-444

Parts Manufacturer
Labor Operation 2): 4 Zone Climate Control

87603099 Maximum A-time = 135 TU

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

Page 5 of 7
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

Select Labor Operation 8760XXXX

Causal Part:
Outside Material: A/C Treatment Part No: 30208
(maximum Sublet amount) :

Per 1 Bottle = $20.99
Per 2 Bottles = $41.98

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.

Tool Description

Tool No:

AIRCOMATIC™ II Ultrasonic HVAC Cleaning
System

VAS 6189A

AIRCOMATIC™ III Ultrasonic HVAC Cleaning
System

VAS 6189B

Page 6 of 7
© 2022 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 Service Bulletin

87-18-12 - HVAC, Unpleasant Odor

Transaction
No:

2005566/27

Release date:

5/18/2022

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.

Page 7 of 7
© 2022 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.