joeyvaz

So I picked up a 2006 and it is running great. One thing that is bothering me is that the driver's side seat belt smells horrible. I can't even describe the smell. I smelt the carpets and all other seat belts and the all smell like new car.

The seat belt isn't wet or anything, so I'm hoping it's just a smelly previous owner? I'm going to buy some Febreze or other smell neutralized to see if I can mitigate the smell.

any other thoughts or ideas?

Macster

Does the belt smell or is the odor coming from the general area of the seat belt anchor/latch?

If the belt smells something got spilt on it or the previous owner had a horrible perspiration/body odor problem.

You might be better off just having the seat belt replaced with a new one rather than trying to mask the odor with other odors.

ECS Tuning

That's a first, hopefully you can just give it a good scrub and neutralize the odor. If them smell doesn't leave then you might want to look into getting a new one as Macster said. PM me if your interested on getting a new one and I'll see what we can do.

joeyvaz

Thanks for the info. I will be working on it this weekend. Hopefully the previous owner didn't throw up on himself while being strapped into the seat, lol. Definitely is a smell on the seat belt especially where it crosses my chest.

I would definitely consider replacing it if I can't get the odor out this weekend.

Boeing 717

Ughghg nasty!!!

Travis

When I bought our new to us CS, it had a strong scent in the vehicle, similar to the spray car wash places use to put that 'new car' smell back in. Not sure how long this was going on, but on warm days, the smell was very strong.

If you've had kids throw up in a car like I have experienced, cleaning up the accident as fast as possible is key. For your seat belt, it may be a tough one to clean out given the time it's been on there.

I recently bought some odor neutralizer called, Zero odor off of Amazon. I gave it a try since after cleaning the leather and all panels didn't seem to make much difference. I sprayed the stuff on the headliner and then onto the seats, door panels, everywhere. At first, there was this funky chemical smell, but after a day, the scent is 75% gone.

You could also do the baking soda and water and soak the belt where the smell is strongest. Rinse clean and maybe that will kill the smell.

Good luck!

joeyvaz

Thanks Travis. I am going to try Febreze extra strength that has an odor neutralizer. I also have a product for puppy training that might work. It neutralizes anywhere they had an accident so they don't revisit the site to go again.

I'll try a few things before buying a new belt. Not sure how difficult it is to swap out or if the car will notice the belt was removed and throw a code or something. I don't think so, but who knows. I'll keep the thread posted over the weekend.

ProgRockJunkie

That would be hard to live with even on the ride home. One you know where it's coming from, would be hard to wear. I've found a strong solution of oxyclean is great for killing germs/odors, maybe applied with a toothbrush. I never really thought about it before, buy my cayenne is the only car in the garage that's had a previous owner. Maybe I'll do this as well for good housekeeping in the spring. Funny the things you never think of until someone else points them out. We all know how dirty people can be. Seat belt should be as obvious an item to clean as the shifter or wheel.

joeyvaz

Thanks for oxyclean and toothbrush idea, icspres! I'll add that to my arsenal for this weekend!!!!