tv

Mine smells awesome, rich leather and fresh. I like just sitting in it for that.

Reminds me of the seinfeld episode. Tomato Juice???

Daniel Dudley

My 89 smells like leather, but my 80 had mice in the blower . UGH !!! Much better now, but I still need to pull the carpets. I mean they had their own little universe in there. O-boy ! I saw the mothball thread, and I am for it.

MrLexse

Both of my S4's have that old world leathery smell when you open the doors, but the GTS is another story. It seems to have the old world "leather socks" odor. A strong musty smell combines with the nice leather smell to make a not so pleasant combination. It's not your imagination. Haven't had the time to sniff it out however, so if you figure out where it's coming from, post it.

pewter82

My 88 91 & 93 all had the same type of odor...and this struck me as odd but probably normal due to 3 of my cars having it. More precise would be that I think it came from the vents and the oil smell residue was on my hands after driving. I took it in stride as a small negative to a huge positive of owning a 928....oddly my 83 has no smell except for an old leather odor.

jason

IcemanG17

Bigs (Ash)
I've noticed that most 928's I am around have a unique scent....kinda like you describe...not really a bad smell, but just the way I expect 928's to smell? I think 911's end up with a strong oil scent (from leaks mostly)....

I always like the smell of my car after I condition the leather....(keep in mind there is alot of leather in even non-full leather 928's)....but it fades after a few drives?

drnick

my 88 smells musty, im convinced its coming from the air intake for the fresh air blower. i think you need to pull the bonnett off to get at this though so its a job for another time..

Randy V

Same here - just a very slight musty odor. I keep the windows partly open when it's parked in the garage - helps quite a bit.

Replacement of the pollen filter did help (I believe only present on '94-'95 models). Next step is to spray some Fabreze or similar into the cabin fresh air intake while running the AC. This helped a lot on my BMW.

Finally, cleaning the AC evaporator would also help, but it's difficult to get to. Mold tends to inhabit this area due to the warm moist environment. Turning the AC off for the last mile while keeping the blower on helps to reduce this problem.

perrys4

Take an altoids tin and punch some holes in it and fill it with coffee beans. Leave it in a sunny place in the interior. Even if the sun doesn't hit it, the heat will fill your car with the fresh roast smell of coffee......oops, forgot you live in Utah.

bigs

Nope. No fishy odor.

bigs

I like the Fabreze idea and the thought about really cleaning the vinyl thoroughly.

Has anyone tried just putting one of those fragrance cards in the car? I kinda like pina colada.

Or I even wondered about sprinkling a little "English Leather," "Russian Leather," or even "Elsha 1776" cologne inside the car. They all have a very nice, slightly sweet leathery fragrance.

What type of leather treatment do y'all use to get a nice aroma? I have Liquid Leather cleaner and conditioner as well as Leatherique Prestine Clean and Rejuvenator Oil.

However, since my front leather is only 2-3 months old, I hadn't figured on using any leather treatment quite yet. I did the rear seats early last fall.

Or perhaps Ron may be onto something. Maybe there is simply an aroma characteristic of older Porsches and I shouldn't try to alter what God has decreed!

Ron_H

Yes, all old 356 models seem to smell the same. And even early 911s.

One trick I learned was to spray distilled vinegar on the underside of musty or mildewed carpet. I get sunroof leaks in my Rabbit in the rainy season, and spraying vinegar seems to neutralize the odors. I use it on the cloth seat covers also. Another trick is to pack the closed interior with baking soda in open containers, though this might take a long time to be effective. I personally hate the odor of Fabreeze, (like some people dislike trailer homes), or any cover up. I prefer to get at the root of the problem. If you use vinegar, and it lingers, use a portable steamer to finish the carpets.

I also crack my sunroof just a hair when the car is parked in the sun and covered out of the rain. Seems to offer an escape for hot air and pressure.
Mine is a driver though, and I spend so much time searching for Smokey I can't remember when the last time was I noticed the funky odors.

The best solution is to have an attractive female passenger wearing perfume. Oh, sorrry, if that's not one of the choices. At least for me it trumps all the others.

marton

I had that smell problem with my 81s about 4 years ago when I bought it.

I waited until my wife was out and then threw all the carpets into the wash machine. I have the full leather interior and I also cleaned and fed the leather.

Car has smelt fine since.

Marton

JG928S4

I had an allergist show me a trick on my early 911. He had me run the car w/the blower on full, took a lysol dissinfectent spray from the outside of the car near where the blowers sucked the air in from above the hood and sprayed. It stopped my sneezing(from when I lived in CA bad allergies). He said you get lots of stuff, mold included, building up in the vents w/time that are a source of the odors you are breathing whenever you are in the car. I never have an issue in my Audi that has the micron filter at the cabin air intake. Clear as mud??

heinrich

good idea

ROG100

My smell went away - solution - stopped eating beans