smelly car

[toonman]

I recently obtained an old Jaguar XJS which had stood in a garage for over three years. Bodywork and mechanics have been sorted but I cannot get rid of a musty/mouldy smell from the interior. I've tried reconditioning the leather with various branded products including Connolly's. I've removed the carpets and steam cleaned the footwells. i've attacked the carpets with the steam cleaner and well known chemical carpet cleaners. Once the initial effect wears off the smell returns. Any advice will be gratefully received.

[smudge]

Loads of 'mothballs' hidden under the seats maybe? After all that's what people used in the olden days, before central heating & with plenty of mouldy damp rooms!

[Fitzer]

Sounds like the smell might be coming from the headlining, I once removed (mostly successfully) the smell of tobacco from a car by scrubbing the headlining with a solution of sugar soap (from any store that sells paint). Try it on an inconspicuous area first just in case it reacts badly with the material.

[bluedolphin]

could be from the vents in the heating system...might need to check the hosing that channels the warm/cool air into the car....could be mould has grown in there...happens to my partners car sometimes...have to drive with the windows open and the heater on full blast till it dries out.... Good Luck.

[bluedolphin]

Perhaps a small animal was living under the bonnet during the 3 years (has been know to happen) and what u are smelling now is its pee which may have leaked into the heating system/tubing....got this from an article about a guy who left his 4wd in a forest while fishing for a few days ....only way to keep the little critters at bay from his car was to take a pee himself around his car (on the ground!!) and being a carnivore the smell scares away the little offenders....

[TommyC]

I had exactly the same problem with an old Ford that I loved as soon as I saw it. What you need to do is, while we have some decent summer sunshine (if it comes back), try to leave the car standing for as long as possible in bright direct blazing sunshine all day, with all the doors and windows closed, to raise the temperature and really "bake" the inside of the car intensely. Do this for several days in a row if you can. Then the next few days, do the same but with the sun-roof or window open to let the evaporating moisture in the air out. The exiting dampness will take the musty smell with it, and after that just keep it well-aired with as much fresh air as possible, especially on very hot days with the windows open. Ohh.. And just make sure you remember to let it cool off a little at the end of the day, before you sit in it and touch the wheel..!!

[tapeworm]

Have you tried FEBREEZE It worked for me when my dog had an accident on a long journey