I have officially joined the Audi community today.
I must admit that in the few hours of reading through the treads on this forum, I'm very happy to find such a great knowledge base.

But to my point. Tonight we brought home a somewhat shiny 2002 A6 2.7t with 115k on the clock. It's actually aged well and it ran smoothly the 120miles back home.

There are some little things that have come up like the failing turning signal (from reading on here it appears that the emergency signal switch may be the culprit) and the driver-side rear window does not open/close.
The timing belt has yet to be changed so that will be a priority for my mechanic and I.

The thing that is most annoying/disturbing is the smell coming out of the HVAC. I realize that the previous owner was an overweight middle-aged female (so the nail polish stain on the carpet is no surprise) but the smell is irritating.
The cabin filter is quite dirty (I've already ordered a replacement) but i'm not sure that is the problem (i put my nose near it and i don't believe the smell is emanating from it).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I may be dealing with here and possibly offer a suggestion on combating this problem?
Thanks guys!

 

What kind of smell?

 

Its a stale, almost sweaty smell... I've left the windows open and it doesn't help. Now the garage is picking up the smell too...
It's weird, I've tried turning the heater on and the smell goes away. When the AC is on the smell is subdued too.
But when the AC is off (cold air on) it starts to smell once again.
I'm afraid to ask, but could it be mold?

 

May be mildew from moisture in the HVAC system if it sat for awhile. I have had vehicles in the past and with the engine running sprayed lysol in HVAC air intake which pulls it through the system and can effectively kill the offensive smell. Take your filter out though if it is a new one.

 

+1

Mildew is probably the culprit. I have the same problem when I run the ac then let the econ fan blow... smells for a few minutes. I need to clean it as well.

 

I didn't have lysol but did spray some clorox disinfecting spray into the hvac intake. New filter should be in soon too so hopefully I can manage this situation.
Is there anything else (i'm thinking industrial type aerosol cleaner) that I can circulate through the system to deal with this?
Thanks!

 

New cabin filter w/charcoal should help. My wife's jetta got the same wired smell but after we replaced the cabin filter and let it run for few days then it's all gone.
+1 for Lysol but it's only short term solution.

 

Let me know how you make out with the rear window fix. Mine tilts and then sticks. I have to manually straighten it and hold it to get it to close. I believe it is a broken window guide and I have not been able to find them for the rear windows.

 

A/C smells are nothing new and I am sure it is dew to Mildew( ha ha) . go to any A/C shop and they should be able to sell you some type of decontaminant. You will also want to make sure your drain holes from the A/C are clear and that water is exiting while unning the A/C .. if your carpet gets wet when you run the A/C for any length of time this could be your culprit.

Sounds like the window guides are shot from the rear. Audi should be able to supply you with new ones but take the window frame out to verify.
Getting the rear door panel off is easy , two screws at the top of the panel front and rear and pull up . undo the doo handle mechanism and a couple of wires and you are there for inspection.

Just did the fronts with the new pink clips and it was about an hour job total.

I am getting ready to do my timing belt too .. was gonna get a kit from Blauparts unless people have other suggestions

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look into a disinfectant asap. The new cabin air filter came in so I'll be replacing it today.
The window issue seems tougher than I thought. It doesn't appear to be a mechanical issue as the window isn't moving at all. I've taken the front door apart to look for broken wires but didn't see any. The rear window switch is not the problem as well (switched it with the rear right and it worked).
Would the vag-com be able to pinpoint the issue - assuming it is an electrical problem? I've never used the tool (mine is being shipped from china as we speak).

Next on the docket is the timing belt. The car has 115k and i don't think the timing belt's been replaced. I've also looked at the Blauparts kit as it's most affordable and completed.

Any suggestions?