andynoel78

Hi all:

For the past month or so, i've noticed a rather unpleasant odor in the cabin of my '11 GS450h, which was brand new in April (it was a demo vehicle, never sold or titled). I've never had food in it, never spilled anything, and prior to a month ago, it still had the new car smell.

I can't tell where it's coming from. It isn't a moldy smell at all, but rather something like a dead mouse. Simply put, it smells like hot garbage that's been sitting in the garage for a few weeks.

I put my nose to every surface, to the rugs, leather, dash... can't find the source. I took out the cabin air filter in hopes of finding the source, but the filter was very clean and i didn't see any debris in there. I tried to stick my nose in, but i couldn't smell anything.

I "think" it's coming from the A/C/Heater vents, as when running if i put my nose up to the vent, i can really smell it.

What do you guys think i could do? I really need to find the source of this smell... Are there any schematics for the duct-work for the A/C inlet? Maybe there's something trapped.

I've always run it on "recirculate" mode, preferring to cycle inside air rather than take in outside air. So my "thinking" as that if there was a dead animal in the duct-work for the outside air, i wouldn't be smelling it, no?

Thanks in advance for any input!

pwrusr

iTrader: (10)

Hmm, have you checked if the HVAC is blocked? I know there was a TSB on it but not sure if it fell under 2011

andynoel78

How do i go about checking that?

pwrusr

iTrader: (10)

file:///C:/Users/pwsng/Downloads/hva...kage%20(2).pdf

usually you'll notice under the rear carpets damp or wet

andynoel78

Hmm... I just felt around the carpets, and there's definitely no moisture. Put my nose up to them, and no smell at all.

The smell i'm smelling is definitely not a mold/musty smell. It's not the rotten egg smell either, or any "typical" A/C smell.

It smells more like a dead animal or rotting garbage. Very unpleasant.

2008gs460

Turn off the A/C and see if the smell isn't there anymore. If it is, well, then buy that AC refresher kit from Toyota and see if that does anything for you.

If the smell is still there and is particularily obvious when the car is hot then look under the car and see what may have melted onto your exhaust. I have had a plastic bag fuse to my exhaust that was pretty bad.

masboy

iTrader: (30)

could it be a plastic burn smell? it possible a plastic bag got stuck around ur exhaust.

andynoel78

Damn, I just played around with the A/C switch and there's no difference ON or OFF. I've been playing with it for a few hours now and either my nose is getting desensitized or the smell is fading. I can smell the odor in the car, but at the moment i can't say it's coming through the A/C vents or not. I don't know which way is up!

And the exhaust is clear. The smell is definitely confined to the interior.

I'll do more playing around with it tomorrow after the car's been sitting in the sun. I notice it most in the evening after the car's been cooled down after being out in the FL sun.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

Have you changed the cabin filter? If not, you'll be surprised at the nastiness that has accumulated and could he stinking up your air.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

if you use the AC, check the evap water drain tube. it might be clogged. if you use your ac, dont leave it on recirculate and turn it off before getting home. it might not be draining and building up

ZaxF

iTrader: (3)

If it's that rancid, there could be a small dead animal stuck underneath your car. Wife had a squirrel bound up in her VW EOS that we nearly sold due to the same issue (we sold it for an RX anyway, but after I found the carcass). I feel your pain. You're not also missing a cat?

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I would start with the cabin filter theres a secret trick to getting it out without breaking the flap door. Look inside, smell inside see if its coming near there. If theres hay or some sort of nest, know that you have some animal has visited your car. Find it and clean it out.

Next thing I would do after you remove the odor causing problem. Buy a can of dakota odor bomb (new car smells nice) from any detailer shop online. At night, place the can over cardboard and flip on the fogger and let the chemicals fogger abosrb until morning. Youll have a new car scent for a month or two. This is what used car dealers use to remove odors. The Dakota will remove it all!

Marklouis

Have you had your hybrid system checked out lately? Back-up battery systems give off a terrible odor when they start to go bad at times.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

You could always try the AC refresher kit that Lexus offers... start there,, if that doesn't work then head to dealer...

LexLova

I think it's just something with 3rdGen. I replaced my cabin filter with this and it def got a lot better but sporadically you can still smell the crazy odor.