francars

I started checking the interior and looks like comes from vents I think. I will look into it and look at those drains (Thanks Ferd)

The interior leather does not smell, the mats/carpet don't either. I hardly use the AC or Heater but still if the vents or the drains are plugged that might be the issue

jdog

If it is coming from the vents then you may have a mild case of mold or mildew from the AC/heater system.
One thing that you never want to do is leave your interior fan turned off all the time. By leaving the fan at least on low you will always be moving the air and thus keeping things dry and free from dampness.

Go to NAPA and buy a can of AC spray that attacks the mildew. You will have to spray it in the fresh intake vents and into the vents inside.
I can't remember the name right now but they sell it in a small spray can and it is in the AC/Temp control catalog.

Zurichgnome

I was listening to a local radio car show and one experts said that used cars come into their shop and have a foul smell (such as milk ) they get treated with pet stain/smell remover. As most of the smells are enzyme-based, these liquids kill at the source, rather than just mask the odor. I think Frebeeze does that as well but it's not as concentrated/intense.

Worth a shot.

Macster

You've gotten some good advice on what to look into, check for.

I can add that even if you find the cabin dry and the drains ok/clear that the smell can come from the cabin filter. Even though you checked it I have found that in order to eliminate what I experienced a couple of times as a sour or 'off' smell, the cabin filter has to be replaced.

It didn't look that bad but it smelled.

Also, check that someone didn't drop some kind of food (even a french fry) and it ended up under the seat.

I entered a BMW once that was owned by a couple that had a baby and I guess the baby liked to throw food around (or the parents lost a dirty diaper in the car...). The car's cabin smell amost knocked me out. The parents were I guess used to it. But oh my did that car stink.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Shark Attack

It is amazing what one FF will do

Chaos

Dump untreated charcol in a box,store it the car when home for a few weeks.

Targatoo

Jeep Cherokees had this problem. I think there must have been a fault in the design of the ducts that allowed moisture to pool. There was a fault in the design of the entire vehicle, but that's another story.

Anyway, I worked at Enterprise in the 90s. We had to buy aerosol AC deodorant and spray it through the systems of the POCs. It's pretty potent stuff and it worked.

Once you solve the problem, always turn off your AC a mile or so from home so it can dry out a little before you park it.

frisbee91

How about this?

JJ Henry

The best product I have ever used is called Auto Shocker. It's an odor eliminator, so it doesn't mask odors, it actually gets the smell out of the upholstery. It has worked on smoke, barf, food, & dog odors so it has to work for you. Find it at http://www.biocidesystems.com/auto3hslanding.html.

Kazual99

For what it's worth, I pulled the seats and carpet out of the car and used my carpet cleaner and let the carpet dry in the sun for 1/2 day.

j beede

Your problem is one of the reasons why I wouldn't buy a car remotely. I would avoid the use of scents to cover the odor--that's like putting on more cologne instead of showering. Is the odor in your ducts? Is the odor stronger when you run the interior fan? You might try a duct deodorizer like the one from IDQ, available at NAPA or O"Reilly. People who park their car after running the a/c on "max" or recirculate without drying the system first will almost surely experience smelly car syndrome.

BruceP

Following this thread with interest. My car never had any odours until I installed some pre-owned sport seats. They've got this 'old car' smell to them that becomes worse when the interior is sun-warmed. I'd love to get rid of it...

porschedog

My company makes a chlorine dioxide generating system that is EPA registered and is extremely effective at eliminating odor. The trick is to eliminate the cause of the odor and not just mask it.

One of the customers who buys it uses it to sanitize/deodorize cop cars being converted for use as cabs.

Hardback

I've detailed over 300 cars. Remove seats, shampoo carpet, use carpet extractor with high heat. While allowing to dry use an ozone generator to sterilize interior compartment. Ozone will remove a number of pollutants & replace cabin filter.

Or,

Take her to a serious detail shop and pay someone EXPERIENCED with the proper tools and patience to sort it out.

GoldenHands

Wiped my ride inside completelyclean, but still had a little smokers odor of the former owner. The dealer was kindly to put something in the AC compartiment and let it recirculate for 20 minutes. They have a really concentrated chemical suff for that. Now I dont smell anything anymore. Maybe they have the smae solution in the USA. I live in The Netherlands...