Terrible interior odor
05-09-16, 07:10 PM
#1
Terrible interior odor
Owned my '95 SC for approximately eight years. A few of my suspected causes of odor could be....
1. Had a steady water leak in the interior floor board for a period of time. The sunroof drains were clogged and water seeped on the passenger floor board. However, the smell isn't very mildew like. Was always quick to dry up this area with spare towels, and made sure it was completely dry at all times.
2. A little less than two years ago, I purchased a very cheap faux TRD shift **** from Amazon. My hands always smelled like an oily gasoline type of smell, and my clothes started to reek. Got the feeling that the shift **** was borderline poisonous, so it hit the trash can.
3. Could be exhaust or power steering fluid burned under the hood and seeping in the cabin vents. Rarely smells in the morning, and usually sticks to my clothes a lot after the afternoon commute. Sort of potent when I get home which leads me to change out of everything. Commonly have to wash my hands, face, and wrists after my drive home. Doesn't mean the smell is completely gone even if I leave the car for months. Found myself garaging the car all winter, but it still kept the ratchet bombardier beetle smell.
Love this car, and hate it at the same time. Definitely not trying to get lung cancer over a vehicle that I drive once a week (sometimes twice a month). Part of me wants to find a donor interior and swap everything, or at least start at the carpet. However, replacing the interior is a pretty big job which would be regretted if the smell remained and it was something like an exhaust leak. I've sprayed everything in my interior with alcohol and windex, left the windows down for extended amount of time, etc. I have a spare black carpet that I've been meaning to install in case the smell is within the fabric. The headliner is a different animal as it's not as easy to ship or locate locally. Thought about spraying it with a 409 carpet cleaner mixture to help. If you wanted to know what the odor smells like, kind of a chemical/gas smell. Not really sweet, almost gives you a buzz like cigarettes on the longer commutes. Sticks to my clothes for hours afterwords. Air fresheners only mask it temporarily for less than a week, and have a combo effect of chemicals. Left baking soda on the carpet over the weekend, not sure if that did anything. Car does not have a cabin filter from the factory. A/C doesn't work and I rarely use the climate control. Keep in mind that I barely drive it.
Guess I'm searching for help or a few tips on what to do at this point. Located in Northern, VA if a detailer wanted to contact me.
1. Had a steady water leak in the interior floor board for a period of time. The sunroof drains were clogged and water seeped on the passenger floor board. However, the smell isn't very mildew like. Was always quick to dry up this area with spare towels, and made sure it was completely dry at all times.
2. A little less than two years ago, I purchased a very cheap faux TRD shift **** from Amazon. My hands always smelled like an oily gasoline type of smell, and my clothes started to reek. Got the feeling that the shift **** was borderline poisonous, so it hit the trash can.
3. Could be exhaust or power steering fluid burned under the hood and seeping in the cabin vents. Rarely smells in the morning, and usually sticks to my clothes a lot after the afternoon commute. Sort of potent when I get home which leads me to change out of everything. Commonly have to wash my hands, face, and wrists after my drive home. Doesn't mean the smell is completely gone even if I leave the car for months. Found myself garaging the car all winter, but it still kept the ratchet bombardier beetle smell.
Love this car, and hate it at the same time. Definitely not trying to get lung cancer over a vehicle that I drive once a week (sometimes twice a month). Part of me wants to find a donor interior and swap everything, or at least start at the carpet. However, replacing the interior is a pretty big job which would be regretted if the smell remained and it was something like an exhaust leak. I've sprayed everything in my interior with alcohol and windex, left the windows down for extended amount of time, etc. I have a spare black carpet that I've been meaning to install in case the smell is within the fabric. The headliner is a different animal as it's not as easy to ship or locate locally. Thought about spraying it with a 409 carpet cleaner mixture to help. If you wanted to know what the odor smells like, kind of a chemical/gas smell. Not really sweet, almost gives you a buzz like cigarettes on the longer commutes. Sticks to my clothes for hours afterwords. Air fresheners only mask it temporarily for less than a week, and have a combo effect of chemicals. Left baking soda on the carpet over the weekend, not sure if that did anything. Car does not have a cabin filter from the factory. A/C doesn't work and I rarely use the climate control. Keep in mind that I barely drive it.
Guess I'm searching for help or a few tips on what to do at this point. Located in Northern, VA if a detailer wanted to contact me.
06-11-16, 02:40 PM
#2
Try putting a deodorant soap bar in the car. Something like Irish Spring. Open the top of the packaging and place it under the seats. Just pick something that you like the smell. If it doesn't work at least it did not cost much.
06-12-16, 08:30 AM
#3
If you don't want to try to replace one odor with another, buy a couple packages of Arm & Hammer Fridge-N-Freezer odor eliminators. Toss them under the seats and see what happens in a couple days.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post