White Powder Coming From Air Vents

[Mooly]

Thanks for updating the thread, and its interesting to know there is now a bulletin for this.

Let us know how it all goes.

 

[Jezclax]

Just to add my thanks for this - think I might be starting to have this issue. I keep my aircon on full auto the whole time, usually set at 20 degrees and windscreen. 

Or it might be that I haven't cleaned the inside of the car for a long time  

[jgodfrey]

The powder is very white and does not look like normal dust at all really. Shows up quite well against the black dashboard!

I was quite impressed with the dealership (Jemca Reading), they seemed to be very honest and transparent and didn't in any way try to fob me off, admitted instantly what they thought it was. I'm wondering if my issue was linked to the a/c service in August. My a/c was working very poorly before that and has been much better since. It could be that the increased performance has dried the evaporator out and lead to it breaking down, especially if it was damp from lack of a/c use or poor performance beforehand.

I'll let you know the outcome once its all fixed. 

[jgodfrey]

On ‎19‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 10:32 AM, jgodfrey said:

The powder is very white and does not look like normal dust at all really. Shows up quite well against the black dashboard!

I was quite impressed with the dealership (Jemca Reading), they seemed to be very honest and transparent and didn't in any way try to fob me off, admitted instantly what they thought it was. I'm wondering if my issue was linked to the a/c service in August. My a/c was working very poorly before that and has been much better since. It could be that the increased performance has dried the evaporator out and lead to it breaking down, especially if it was damp from lack of a/c use or poor performance beforehand.

I'll let you know the outcome once its all fixed. 

So as a bit of an update on this; the Toyota warranty refused the claim on the grounds that the evaporator was suffering corrosion and this is not a mechanical failure. A bit disappointing considering I only bought the car in April with a 12 month warranty with the expectation that this would cover the repair if something did go wrong. After phoning Toyota head office they have agreed to pay for the part and half the labour, leaving me to pay £290 in total. So a semi-reasonable outcome, although I do feel this should be covered by the warranty!

[Mooly]

That is disappointing.

One thing though... I would expect the issue to be less pronounced when the AC is on all the time because the evaporator by its very nature will be wet through with condensation (moisture continually removed from the incoming air) and that I would have thought would minimise any particles by allowing them to flush out through the evaporator drain. 

If you go ahead then please let us know how it all works out.

 

[jgodfrey]

Quote

 

All fixed. The evaporator has been replaced and it took the garage just over a day to do it; the dashboard and heater matrix had to be removed so its a pretty big job, plus the a/c had to be regassed. The white ash seems to have gone for good so lets hope this is the end of it! The cost to me was £286, but I think it would have been about £1000 without any contribution from Toyota. Jemca Reading did a good job and as a small bonus the dash rattles seem to have gone :-)

[Mooly]

That's great. I'm pleased its all worked out. 

You're probably about right with your estimate. Back in 2001 I had an Audi and the evaporator in that developed a leak. I was quoted £560 for the parts and 15 to 20 hours labour. I said thanks but no thanks and came back to Toyota.

[conman33158]

I got into my car this morning and noticed white power all over the dash and seats. I assume it started while driving home late last night but didn't notice anything as it was dark. Anyway, got into the car this morning and noticed the white power so turned the fan up to 4 and nearly got blinded by the amount of power that came flying out of all the vents. I ended up getting out of the car and opening the doors and leaving the fan on full until it cleared and boy it left some mess, you'd have thought there were a few coke dealers partying in the car.....lol. I had actually thought someone had put washing power into my system as this is what it looked like, smelt like and felt like. Anyway, such a cleaning match to get rid of all the power, I can only assume this has come from a previously used cleaning agent AC or otherwise which is now becoming dislodged and blowing all over the place. I've parked the car up for tonight so I'll get another check with it in the morning and watch if any more stuff comes blowing out tomorrow. Just for information purposes, I use my AC all the time, winter and summer but I have only owned the car about 6 months and the AC was not working when I got it but I got it regassed and it worked again no problem.

I think I'll just keep blowing it out and hopefully, the power will eventually stop over time. Just not very nice getting a mouth full of unknown power every time you turn up the blower.

[Mooly]

That sounds pretty severe tbh and it will be interesting to know if it settles down or not. The cold evaporator will be wet with condensation most of the time. I wonder if that could freeze under certain conditions (car left outside in sub zero temps) and worsen the problem by causing more flaking off of the coating.

 

 

[jgodfrey]

Sorry to hear you have this problem too. Mine is now cured after replacing the evaporator. The problem started in late autumn / early winter about 3 months after an a/c service. I think it was probably just age related deterioration but this could have been exacerbated by the service or poor maintenance before my ownership. Mine actually got progressively worse before the repair.

[conman33158]

The freezing would make sense as the car was frozen solid that evening I got into it as I had to defrost the windows to drive to Belfast. I had driven about 60 miles then it started just before I arrived home. It's been fine so far, just the odd speckle which is probably remnants left in the vent system but definitely not as bad as the first time although we have not had any more frost since so not looking forward to the next time.

[Mooly]

Interesting. The freezing idea was just a theory but one that seemed remotely plausible. Hmmm !  Lets hope it stays OK from now on. 

[johnnyzd]

Just raising the topic guys. Aluminium oxide is the powder. Have the exact same issue with mine and was hospitilized a week before with chest problems and eyes infection = exactly what aluminium oxide does. Was driving with that for a bit over 8 months.

I got a quote to replace the evaporator unit for 1100 pounds, hopefully that would actually do the trick.

[Mooly]

Interesting. It also makes you wonder how widespread this issue really is.   

[EricT]

Hello everyone, consider looking up white rust, there is something rusting and this is what the white particles are. 

[Infiniti]

On 8/23/2013 at 11:27 PM, chiefchappers said:

Since I used the air-con clean canister spray, the white powder drastically reduced and has now stopped. Whether the spray has dampened down the powder and is just masking the issue, I do not know. Again I shall monitor further.

Hey! I appreciate it has been 7 years! I just wondered whether the aircon cleaner had resolved your issue? Did you find you had to reuse every few months? Did the problem begin again or did you find another solution to the issue? 

 

Thank you!

[FROSTYBALLS]

3 minutes ago, Infiniti said:

Hey! I appreciate it has been 7 years! I just wondered whether the aircon cleaner had resolved your issue? Did you find you had to reuse every few months? Did the problem begin again or did you find another solution to the issue? 

Chiefchappers last visited the club in 2016 so you may not receive a reply.

[Slasher_uk]

My 2014 auris hybrid has just started with the white powder out of the dash vents, does anyone know if the is covered by the relax warranty 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Relax terms and conditions attached. The evaporator is covered, though not sure whether the precise issue (white powder) is included. Presume you need to approach a Toyota dealer/Toyota GB.

Toyota Relax TCs - 25.05.21_tcm-3060-2286757.pdf

[Slasher_uk]

25 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Relax terms and conditions attached. The evaporator is covered, though not sure whether the precise issue (white powder) is included. Presume you need to approach a Toyota dealer/Toyota GB.

Toyota Relax TCs - 25.05.21_tcm-3060-2286757.pdf 103.62 kB · 1 download

Thanks, as I’ve said in this post it is booked in with my local dealer on Friday so I will mention the problem and see how things progress. 

[inteli7]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:47 PM, Slasher_uk said:

Thanks, as I’ve said in this post it is booked in with my local dealer on Friday so I will mention the problem and see how things progress. 

How did the process go with yours? 

 

My 2014 Yaris Hybrid, with almost 20,000 miles, also started doing this, and I wrote to my local dealer.