What works on gray plastic on xterra

[fitzpat]

Last winter we went camping on Mount St. Helens and it snowed like crazy! Well, as we got into my Xplorer to go home, we were extremely wet and smelly. We couldn`t turn on the heater because it would instantly fog up the windows, I mean the defroster with the A/C going was barely doing the trick. Well, we never had a problem with smell in the interior until then, and I can`t seem to get rid of it. I just shampooed the seats and carpet, but was afraid to do the headliner. It didn`t solve the smell problem. What can I do to make it smell better? Thanks

[Jngrbrdman]

I did a car last August where the owner had let a gallon of milk break open in her trunk. She let it sit in there for at least a week in the July heat before she called me. Talk about a rancid smell!!! Believe it or not I got the smell out with Fabreeze. That crap is amazing. I used that and Prestone carpet cleaner and she tiped me over 50 bucks for getting the smell out. I don`t know if it was the Prestone or the Fabreeze but since you say you have already shampooed your carpets and stuff then I would imagine the Prestone won`t help. Give it a shot. Can`t hurt anything. I think they even make it specificaly for automobiles now.

Try some Meguiar`s Odor Eliminator on the headliner, and Ozium for the rest of the interior.

[32TUBB]

I`ve also had success with Fabreeze.

It`s inexpensive and you can pick it up at any of the x-marts.

[YoSteve]

fabreeze makes an auto-fabreeze, don`t know if it`s any better though

[rmccall6]

Check out AtmosKlear. Its a patented odor eliminator thats not a cover up scent so it has no scent of its own. It works extremely well and it inexpensive....works a helluva lot better than Febreeze (works ok but leaves behind a smell). I then follow up with a shot of Ozium new car smell. (run a search for "car smell" for the web adress for atmostklear)

[CJ from Granite Bay, CA]

I have used Febreze (correct spelling) many times, for the autos, kids shoes and their football gear. Works great.

[fitzpat]

I tried the Meguiars Odor Eliminator, and now the car

smells like hairspray. I`ll try all the suggestions here,

thanks.

[cahlroach]

Fabreze - its amazing!

[jr weeks]

But it seems to get a thumbs up from my customers as a pleasant smell they don`t mind, even like actually.Won`t work on all odors, but a decent product for the money.

[Jngrbrdman]

You just have to be careful you don`t go overboard with Fabreeze. It has sort of a soapy smell or something and it can be pretty strong if you don`t use the right amount. I say just shake the bottle around in the car and drive for a week with your windows rolled down. :D Or not... Just a couple squirts under each seat and all over the floor on the drivers and passengers side should do the trick. Do a couple shots on the seats too. That always helps.

[CJ from Granite Bay, CA]

Information from the web. Maybe this will help.



Smells come from one basic thing...moisture. Moisture creates mold and mildew. Spilled mustard is wet and, if it could only totally dry, it wouldn`t smell, but there is always some humidity in the air, and that is why the smell keeps coming back.

That is why you don`t use lots of water on an interior. A bad smell like pet urine soaks into your carpet. If you use hot soapy water on it, you dilute the problem, but spread it over a larger area. Once the smell is bad, then it coats everything inside the interior. The dash, seats, carpet, (and here is where you have to think like a smell) even under the seats, dash and on the headliner! Yes, that smell may be coming from above your head!

You must also determine how deep the smell is. Smells on the headliner will be surface only unless it has gotten wet somehow. But smells on a carpet can be down past the padding underneath. If the smell producing problem is on the surface, don`t make it worse by soaking the entire area and spreading to deeper and wider. Use your capet cleaner in a small area and if the smell is deep, soak only that area with something to kill mold/mildew and neutralize smells. The stain from most spills is just nap deep, the smells can be much deeper.

DC CarCare has a product that can get deep into carpets/seats etc and get rid of smells. It`s called Odor Wand. This product has almost no smell of it`s own and can kill bad odors on contact...they won`t come back.



SUPER TIP: To really make your car smell fresh, continue thinking like a smell and don`t forget to deodorize the heat/vent/air conditioning (HVAC) system. Spray Odor wand in the air intake with your system fan on high and cycle it through the differnt modes. Mold/mildew can get into these area`s and cause a bad smell every time you turn on the system.

[volfan]

Bought a used 2002 nissan xterra nobody has taken good care of the gray plastic on bumpers and sides. what works best?

[imported_Luster]

Bought a used 2002 nissan xterra nobody has taken good care of the gray plastic on bumpers and sides. what works best?

Welcome to TID!

Any dressing that you would use on rubber, vinyl or plastic will work on the lower cladding of your Xterra.

The only problem is that those types of dressings wash right off the first rain or car washing.

I`ve used Zaino Clear Seal with good results, but it`s pricey.

Meguiar`s is now testing a new plastic/vinyl dressing that apprears to be more permanent, but not on the market yet... (soon we hope)

Mother`s Back to Black and Meguiar`s Trim Detailer are also very good. Although I haven`t tried it, I`ve read really good things about Black Wow Trim Restorer.

[Tuck91]

I really like Meguiars All Season Dressing, and as Bill mentioned, Gold Class Trim Detailer.