STRANGE SMELL

[08blueskunk]

well this is for my winter beater Jeep. I just took ownership, it was pretty messy inside, i cleaned it vaccumed it and wiped and cleaned all surfaces, But now i noticed a funky smell somewhere in the car...I cleaned everything but i don't know where it would be coming from , Now the interior smells like cleaner and rotten feet. Does anyone know anything product wise to clean carpets that has a good deoderizer? it has leather seats that are spotless so it shouldn't be coming from the seats...The car isn't leaking anywhere so unless someone left a window down and it got rained on, i don't know how to get rid of this smell...I hate the smell of frbreeze, that would be a combo from hell right now...

 

[timeless2]

Is the carpet under the dash near the firewall damp? IE, could you possibly have a coolant leak (heater core)?

 

[08blueskunk]

Is the carpet under the dash near the firewall damp? IE, could you possibly have a coolant leak (heater core)?

No thats the troubling part everything is dry in the car, that was the first thing i checked...I would think if it was leaking coolent i would smell antifreeze, this seriously just smells like old wet shoes. Not like a rotting mouse or anything ( i have delt with that on 2 occasions.)

 

[timeless2]

Did you check under every seat and in between the backrests and the seat cushions?

I'm stabbing here--hard to help with a smell question over the 'net.

 

[08blueskunk]

OH i know...I appreciate it, yeah i seriously checked everything...I folded all seats down was under all of them, all around the seat when i was vaccuming them, I was under the front seats, I pulled out carpeting in the rear "spare tire well. You name it...nothign showed signs of dampness or even signs that it had been wet before? All the Carpeting looks like new once i clean the trash out of the car and revealed it.

I mean it would be unusual for the leather seats to be "ruined" they are in mint condition...If they showed signs of wear tear and abuse then i would blame the seats...My only thought is it is coming from the carpets and they need a good strong shampooing extra strength cleaning?

 

[timeless2]

Give it a good, deep cleaning and shampooing. I'd also condition the leather while you are at it. Doesn't hurt to keep those seats looking in decent shape.

As a last resort, you could take it to a detail shop and have it fogged.

 

[08blueskunk]

what does fogging do?? never heard of it.
Any brands of shampoo to reccomend?

I asked my brother (who i got the car from) he said he had some old shoes in the back for awhile that he knew stunk it up, but he hadn't driven it so never noticed it...untill he cleaned it out, but i can't imagine that smell lingering for as long as it is??

 

[timeless2]

what does fogging do?? never heard of it.
Any brands of shampoo to recommend?

Fogging is done by completely filling the vehicle interior with an odor absorbing & neutralizing gaseous compound. It is typically done to remove the odors from tobacoo, pet urine/feces, etc. Dealerships do it all the time and then claim a car is from a non-smoker, heh.

As for the products and methods (related to interior cleaning), check these guys out.

Removing Car Odors and Stains

 

[MustangLX-5.0]

While your at it,turn the blower on and take a whiff from all the vents.Turn it on low speed then slowly adjust the temp from hot to cold.Since it's been sitting it's possible the smell could be coming from the evaporator coil.