john1r
08-13-2010, 03:03 PM
Hi. I`m looking for advice on how to remove a bad odor from my car. Sorry for the long-winded post but here`s the background: I have a 2000 Nissan Maxima which about 2 years ago started to smell whenever the a/c was on (mildew smell). We brought it to Nissan and they replaced the a/c filter, cleaned out `something` and all was well for 2 years. Recently however we started getting the mildew smell again, though only occasionally (maybe once or twice a week and only when first starting the car).
It wasn`t a huge deal as it was just occasional but I recently had the car in to a local mechanic who was doing an oil change and I asked them to take a look at the a/c filter to see if it had gotten dirty/moldy/whatever.
When I got the car back, he said the filter was fine, but he went ahead and did some sort of spray car deodorizer (can`t find my receipt to see if they named the product) that is administered into the vents (actually somehow it goes through the glovebox or from under the hood). As soon as we got in the car to drive home we noticed an overwhelmingly bad smell (something like cat urine, not the mildew smell), but it was after hours and we decided to go home anyway and give it a few days to see if it got better. After a week of no improvement we brought it back and their initial reaction was, "wow, do you have cats or park somewhere that cats may have access to?" So at least they agreed that it smelled awful and didn`t smell like that when we originally brought it in. Anyway, they did 2 more cans of the deodorizer into the vents. This time the car ended up smelling like a floral fragrance, but at least the car urine smell was gone. We went back a few days later and they did 2 more cans of the stuff and it made it slightly better.
However, each time I get into the car there is still the distinct floral fragrance (not a pleasant one though), and perhaps even a hint of the cat urine smell is coming back. After driving for a few minutes the smell either goes away or I become used to it and no longer notice it until I leave the car and then come back.
I`ve tried febreze on the mats and seats, but I can`t really tell if they smell, or if it`s coming in through the vents (I`m guessing it`s not the vents since the car smells as soon as I open the door, not just after I turn it on and run the a/c).
So my question is: is there anything you can recommend that I use to clean/deodorize the mats and seats, and/or anything I can spray directly into the vents that might help?
Thanks!
It wasn`t a huge deal as it was just occasional but I recently had the car in to a local mechanic who was doing an oil change and I asked them to take a look at the a/c filter to see if it had gotten dirty/moldy/whatever.
When I got the car back, he said the filter was fine, but he went ahead and did some sort of spray car deodorizer (can`t find my receipt to see if they named the product) that is administered into the vents (actually somehow it goes through the glovebox or from under the hood). As soon as we got in the car to drive home we noticed an overwhelmingly bad smell (something like cat urine, not the mildew smell), but it was after hours and we decided to go home anyway and give it a few days to see if it got better. After a week of no improvement we brought it back and their initial reaction was, "wow, do you have cats or park somewhere that cats may have access to?" So at least they agreed that it smelled awful and didn`t smell like that when we originally brought it in. Anyway, they did 2 more cans of the deodorizer into the vents. This time the car ended up smelling like a floral fragrance, but at least the car urine smell was gone. We went back a few days later and they did 2 more cans of the stuff and it made it slightly better.
However, each time I get into the car there is still the distinct floral fragrance (not a pleasant one though), and perhaps even a hint of the cat urine smell is coming back. After driving for a few minutes the smell either goes away or I become used to it and no longer notice it until I leave the car and then come back.
I`ve tried febreze on the mats and seats, but I can`t really tell if they smell, or if it`s coming in through the vents (I`m guessing it`s not the vents since the car smells as soon as I open the door, not just after I turn it on and run the a/c).
So my question is: is there anything you can recommend that I use to clean/deodorize the mats and seats, and/or anything I can spray directly into the vents that might help?
Thanks!