A8721132010146_1

87 Unpleasant odor is coming from the heating and ventilation system
87 21 13 2010146/16 May 4, 2021. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 87 number 20-05 dated April
29, 2020 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)
Year
VIN Range
Vehicle-Specific Equipment
A7
2012 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
A3
2010 - 2020
All
Not Applicable
Q3, TT
2015 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
A5, A5
Cabriolet
2010 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
A4, A6, A8,
R8, Q5, and
Q7
2010 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
A5
Sportback
2018 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
Q8, Audi etron quattro
2019 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
RS 6 Avant
2021 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
A6 allroad,
Audi e-tron
Sportback
2020 - 2022
All
Not Applicable
Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision
Date
Purpose
16
-
Revised header (Added model year 2022 and new model codes)
Revised Warranty (Remove test rides)
15
04/30/2020
Revised header (Added model years and refined model codes)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (Remove solution price, separate tables for
Parts and Tools, and updated tool number)
14
07/30/2018
Revised header (Added model years)
Customer states:
 There is an unpleasant, musty odor coming from the heating and ventilation system.
Page 1 of 6
© 2021 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.
 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.
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.
Page 2 of 6
© 2021 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.
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.
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. The 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.
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.
Page 3 of 6
© 2021 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.
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 the 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
A/C clean
8701 9999
210 TU
GFF
No allowance
0 TU
Road test prior to service procedure
No allowance
0 TU
Road test after service procedure
No allowance
0 TU
R8:
Diagnostic Time:
Claim Comment:
As per TSB #2010146/16
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.
Page 4 of 6
© 2021 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.
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
See ETKA
Fasteners, Bolts, Nuts, and Screws as needed See ETKA/ELSA
per the Repair Manual
VAS 6189/1
Airco-Clean® Ultrasonic Air Conditioning
Treatment (100ml bottle)
1 bottle (For models with a
single evaporator)
2 bottles (For models with two
evaporators)
Tool Number
Tool Description
VAS 6189B
Aircomatic® II Ultrasonic Climate System Cleaning unit
Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2010146) are subject to change and/or removal.
Page 5 of 6
© 2021 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.
©2021 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. The 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.
Page 6 of 6
© 2021 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.