I've had no luck on other forums trying to isolate, let alone treat, my old car smell. It's not a moisture related smell. It's hard to describe. Not a nasty smel either. It smells like other old cars I've been in, but much stronger. The interior is pristine and I've cleaned every surface, but the smell is strong. Any ideas? My current guess is that the seat foam is deteriorating. They look fine, but I've heard that they can get funky as they age.

 

I don't think I've ever noticed a smell in the 944.

Try Febreeze, or baking powder?

 

This smell laughs at Febreeze. It is nuclear.

 

Take the dead squirrel out of the a/c vent, that might help.

In all seriousness, though, I've always found that a couple of small saucers with white vinegar left overnight can get rid of any smell.

 

Shampoo carpets, blow dry (heat kills mildew not the soap) then some baking soda (leave for a couple of days, then vacuum). Finish off with some Odor X (again, blow dry).

 

Pull your door panels. I'm betting the cardboard at the bottom has mildew ...or just get down on your hands and knees and sniff em...;]
Hey, you wanted ideas...Bruce

 

Dryer sheets. put them under your seats, etc. As a side note, they also keep mice away.

Former flood car?

Ever see the Seinfeld when he gets that smell in his car, can't even sell it, and has it stolen? Funny.

, Bill

 

If it's mildew the only way to permanently get rid of it is to replace as much of the affected areas as possible. Most commonly this will be add padding under the carpet, foam peices under the trim, or carboard panels. In my detail shop I have succesly treated many cars that had large amounts of mildew damage/smell. Once the worst is removed the entire inside must be cleaned with a disinfectant specifically to kill mold. An ammonia/shampoo mixture will work if used catiously. Then put a large box fan in the door over night so air flows through the entire inside to completely dry it. The last step will be to take it to a detail shop that has an O3(ozone) machine where it will have to sit sealed up overnight with the machine running. This is the final step to kill any leftover mildew. Many places skip this step and eventually the smell comes back. In 10 years of using this proccess, I haven't had any customers with mildew smell that returned.

If the smell is something else then surely after this, that would be gone as well.

One last thing to check is make sure your HVAC drain tube is not clogged. If it is, then condesation that builds when using the A/C will collect in the tube and eventually(can be years later) grow mold around the heater core.

 

Greg not sure if this will help... I onced had a friend who's cat sprayed in the car it left a nasty smell they used petzyme to get rid of it. Most pet stores carry it.

 

The first thing you can try is put fabric softener sheets all over the car. If that doesn't work, take to a detail shop and have them shampoo everything with an enzyme.




John

 

inside or out of the car?

 

I have a similar smell in my car...smells kinda like a library...or how the pages of an old book smell.

 

Anybody ever tried "stinky be gone" from Griot's?

 

You gargle it.

 

**** off