KingNasGS4

iTrader: (22)

Hey guys, I have a GS about a year and a half, the previous owner was a smoker and when I first got the car, the smoke smell subsided. But the car would always have a humid musky smell when you first open the door to get in after it being locked up all day.

I took out the floormats, and used my carpet cleaning shampooing vacuum on it.... It took out a LOT of dirt. I did that repeatedly until the water being sucked out wasn't terribly dirty. and afterwards I used the vacuum's hand tool to manually do the carpeting. It's a big difference and it looks very clean. BUT that darn humid must smell is still there. I used many different deodorizers and everything.

What should I do next?

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

remove seats and clean the carpets and ur headliner also. clean and condition your seats, door panels, side panels, and whatever else could absorb the smell. then replace ur ac filter.

embolism

and if that doesn't work then try So2Pure by Carpro. It's less than $20

pretty sure a detail will cost you more than that

KingNasGS4

iTrader: (22)

Did all that aside from remove the seats. I got as far under it as possible.... IDK what to do at this point. I think I will just take it to get professionally detailed

KLF

Find a place that has an ozone-based deodorizer. It takes several hours, but I understand it works the best of any treatment.

Other than that, tear out the seats, carpeting, door panels, headliner, throw it all away. Replace.

It's a shame that someone stunk up a nice car like that by smoking in it.

Justin2JZ

Yeah re wrap the seats

RuninRoach

the ozone cleaning treatment works great.....

wife accidently left diaper in car over the weekend two weeks ago...i didn't even get on the forum...went straight to the detailer for full ozone treatment and went for oil change after that (unrelated to the smell) and changed out the cabin air filter at the same time...

No diaper smell so far, except when the baby's at it again in the car!!! i mean, seriously seems to be her favorite place to do it....must be the nice and warm car seat.

KingNasGS4

iTrader: (22)

Ozone treatment it is then. So most detailing places use this method ?

Infamous 1

iTrader: (20)

There could more to your musky smell. The gen2 gs are infamous for a AC condensor leak because the drain gets clogged. It then leaks onto the passenger and/or driver side carpet(s). Being that it is now summer, i assume you are running the ac a lot more causing a leak and adding to your musky smell. Then next time you vacuum your interior, feel your carpets to see if they are damp.

Did your smell happen to go away in the winter time?

More info on this can be found in the gen2 gs section.

RuninRoach

sorry but the clogged pipe should have occured to me earlier too. I had that clogged pipe problem in my civic a few years back, but the smell only came when you turn the aircon on and would go away after the ac spun up and was working.....

The pipe is a much cheaper fix...cost me about $30 to get a mechanic to find it and clean it with pressure can. Couldn't really afford an ozone treatment back then as it used to run about 200 here in HK per application.

aka paco

iTrader: (15)

my GS had a previous smoker as well and it took awhile for the smoke smell to leave but i was let with a slight musky smell as well, I changed out the Cabin filter and it slowly went away, I don't notice it anymore at all..

Greg@DI

Removing the smell and residue from a smoker can be challenging but it's definitely possible. First off you have to plan on cleaning virtually everything and doing it right the first time. Give a quick vacuum picking up the most obvious and heavy debris. Wiping down all the interior pieces with the 303 Cleaner and Spot Remover will remove smoke residue that has built up everywhere in the car no matter how hard it is to see. It's a great formula that is very gentle and easy to work with. Take your time and do every section of the dashboard, console, trim, doors, arm rest, etc. working the product and towel into every crevice, corner, etc. Now remove the mats and spray down the mats and the carpets with the 303 Cleaner and Spot Remover and agitate them with a medium to firm bristle brush. The brush is critical here because you need to get in between the fibers, so work it in multiple different directions. If you are getting a lot of debris up work it in one direction to be vacuumed up. If you have fabric seats repeat the process there working top down. If you have leather seats clean them as well, we recommend the Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil and Prestine Clean. Don't forget to thoroughly clean the glass, I generally like the Stoner Invisible Glass or the Chemical Guys Window Clean. Use at least 2 - 4 microfiber towels (DI Microfiber All Purpose Towel) for a thorough job. I generally clean with one towel and just buff off any residue with a separate clean towel. If they are streaking replace the towels with fresh ones for best results. Now I start spraying the Chemical Guys Sofast Odor Eater on the carpets and wiping down the interior with it. It helps kill any remaining bacteria that can cause the bad smell. It has a pleasant smell that it leaves behind for a couple of days as well. Lastly I use the Einszett Klima Cleaner AC Odor Remover to remove odors trapped in the AC filter and vents. Simply spray it in the vents and the formula penetrates the entire system leaving it odor free. Many people will skip this step and the first time you turn on the AC you get that smoke smell again. It's well worth doing as it really makes a difference and it's the perfect finishing touch. We have all these products at www.DetailedImage.com and we're offering 20% off through 6/24 with the coupon code summer20011. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Dryer sheets under the seats.

Rykster

I had a Mazda RX-7 with the same problem, previous owner was a smoker. I used Febreze on everything. It worked pretty well, but the car had a strong "chemical" smell that was initially extremely overbearing.

RuninRoach

here's an idea i submitted to febreeze but no response.....a febreeze bomb like they have those insect bombs......

pop the can roll it into a room (shout Grenade), and walk away for a few hours.