Advice on odor removal?

wolfe · 06-27-08, 04:38

I notice when I first get into my car that there's a slight odor. I can neither pinpoint what type of odor it is, nor where it's coming from. It's been present since I got the car, and I've managed to lessen it but still notice it. The closest description is kind of a damp smell. Sniffing all the fabric surfaces of the car, none of them really smell of it.

I've disinfected the A/C evaporator, cleaned the seats, dash & door trim thoroughly, used a bissel little green on the carpets, sprayed Ozium through the A/C, and used febreeze on the carpets and headliner. The odor is still there unfortunately. There was a damp smell from the A/C but that seems to have gone with the disinfectant.

If possible, I'd like to get rid of the odor permanently, rather than have to keep spraying something to mask it every couple of weeks as I'm doing now.

What would be my best course of action, considering I can't tell where it's coming from. Should an ozone machine treatment kill it off for good?

Other info that might affect recommendations - seats are leather, headliner is some sort of material that I think will pill very easily if scrubbed. There are also curtain airbags - (don't know how affected they would be by steam cleaning the headliner etc.)

Thanks very much for any advice.

evenflow · 06-27-08, 05:37

Everytime I extract my carpets my car smells like Meguiars APC 4:1 I love it.

I suggest extracting the carpets/seats.

ryan87500 · 06-27-08, 06:49

I would wash the car, spray underneath and then check the carpet to see if it is damp at all. It is possible that there is some water getting in causing the damp/mold smell.

I had this happen to a car of mine once. The dealer found a lead and fixed it but it still smelled so we removed the entiror interior of the car and took out the carpet and washed and hosed it down outside and let it dry in the sun for a few days. The car never had the smell again.

Obviously the above method is drastic but it is fun to do.

wolfe · 06-27-08, 07:14

Thanks for the suggestions. Does extract mean use the ozone generator?

Good idea on the leak test, hadn't thought of that.

RZJZA80 · 06-27-08, 07:33

how effective are sprays like ozium and febreeze for a car?

BigJimZ28 · 06-27-08, 07:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by RZJZA80

how effective are sprays like ozium and febreeze for a car?

they will cover up the smell for a little bit
but do nothing to solve the problem
it sounds like the OP has water getting into the car or bought a flood car

if it was me I would start ripping it appart till I found the source

salty · 06-27-08, 08:48

Finding the source is key. Have another smell of all the carpet areas. Turn on the air and smell. Smell trunk including the spare tire area. These are the usual areas.

wolfe · 06-27-08, 08:48

The water leak thing has me a bit worried now. Here's some more info that might be relevant, if anyone can take a look and see if I might be able to rule out a leak I'd appreciate it.

- The Car had no obvious signs of flood damage (no rust on the seat runners or bolts, no dirt etc. up under the dash or in the speaker grilles. It was a certified pre-owned vehicle and I think (hope!) flood damage would have disqualified it from this, assuming the dealer was scrupulous.

- It's parked in the sun all day, and I've never had issues with condensation on the inside of the windows. (a previous car I owned did have a leak, and would fog up on the inside when parked in the sun on a hot day).

- The odor doesn't seem any worse after I've driven it in the rain.

- The floor carpets don't smell any more strongly and don't really smell like anything close up.

Thank you again for all the advice.

Jscort98 · 06-27-08, 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty

Finding the source is key. Have another smell of all the carpet areas. Turn on the air and smell. Smell trunk including the spare tire area. These are the usual areas.

+1 My trunk leaks and water gets into the side of it from time to time. Might check under the carpet where the spare tire is and where the tools are to make sure there isn't any water in there.

David Fermani · 06-27-08, 07:28

Keep in mind that if there is a water leak and your fabric is contaminated, if you make a claim with your insurance company, they'll replace any and all fabric on your car. There's no messing around with mold these days.

Quality Leather · 06-30-08, 05:12

I saw a product at the Mobile Tech Show called odorscience.net. It worked on one of the cars in the parking lot. I haven't done a search here to see if anyone has tried it yet, but it could be of help in your case.

Binzes · 06-30-08, 06:09

Have you tried using an Odor Bomb?

I agree that finding the source of the smell is what you need to do. Try pulling up the center console, dash footwell panels, rear seat, etc. Anywhere that there might be hidden mold. Clean the **** out of those areas and see if the smell remains.