GearHead_1
Long Time Member
^ Swanicyouth, I know for a fact that a cabin filter can hold a mildew, sour, foul smell and that was a real problem for me. The only reason I`m bothering to make this point is because this vehicle was brand new. I ordered and purchased it, it was delivered to me in the plastic. It took forever to get the vehicle in my hands. It`s a long story but I just but ended up ordering a second one. They both showed up the same week. My father bought one and I bought the other. I`m convinced the car sat at the manufacturers plant in some holding lot, windows up, in the hot sun for a couple of months waiting for a recall procedure that was determined to be be needed before mine ever left the plant. Previously delivered vehicles revealed a problem, mine was built but not shipped.
It is a vehicle that never had the new car smell though some people said that`s just the way a new car smells. I knew better. It didn`t smell exactly like a stinky A/C evaporator, more of a vinegar smell but you get the idea. I tried both Meguiar`s and Dakota`s odor bombs and virtually every over the counter and spray fragrance available to make it better. It just didn`t smell right, nothing lasted more than a day or two. I put up with the smell for months and finally replaced the cabin filter, it looked brand new, no discoloration, no dirt build up in the crevices, the vehicle has less than 3000 miles on it as I type this. Installed a new $15 filter, problem solved. Now I didn`t take a big whiff of this filter, I didn`t want to be breathing some deadly spore but it didn`t stink at arms length. No one will ever convince me that the filter wasn`t the cause of this problem, it was as apparent as night and day. I`ve changed literally thousands of air intake filters that held strong fuel smells, this is particularly the case with filters that sat on top of the carb. or throttle body. I`d be truly surprised if you can tell me you haven`t seen this in your travels.
This all said, I won`t argue the fact and believe someone could surely make the case that having the filter itself was the problem. Had it not been there, it couldn`t have retained the odor.
It is a vehicle that never had the new car smell though some people said that`s just the way a new car smells. I knew better. It didn`t smell exactly like a stinky A/C evaporator, more of a vinegar smell but you get the idea. I tried both Meguiar`s and Dakota`s odor bombs and virtually every over the counter and spray fragrance available to make it better. It just didn`t smell right, nothing lasted more than a day or two. I put up with the smell for months and finally replaced the cabin filter, it looked brand new, no discoloration, no dirt build up in the crevices, the vehicle has less than 3000 miles on it as I type this. Installed a new $15 filter, problem solved. Now I didn`t take a big whiff of this filter, I didn`t want to be breathing some deadly spore but it didn`t stink at arms length. No one will ever convince me that the filter wasn`t the cause of this problem, it was as apparent as night and day. I`ve changed literally thousands of air intake filters that held strong fuel smells, this is particularly the case with filters that sat on top of the carb. or throttle body. I`d be truly surprised if you can tell me you haven`t seen this in your travels.
This all said, I won`t argue the fact and believe someone could surely make the case that having the filter itself was the problem. Had it not been there, it couldn`t have retained the odor.
