I p'exd my Zafira A last weekend for a Zaf B from a garage 50miles away. We had noticed a strange smell when we test drove it the previous week but assumed that was because it had not been valeted yet as it only arrived for sale the day before. When we collected the car the smell was still there and we drove home with the windows open. We had to get back for the kids or would have made a bigger issue at the time & if it was not 50miles I would have taken it back the next day. Have asked the garage and previous owner who both had not smelt anything. The carpets were damp so I think they had been cleaned. I cannot trace where it's coming from as sniffing all the carpets and upholstery has not found it. Maybe coming through the air vents. Have sprayed the whole car with Febreze, sprayed the air intake outside and done 'shake and vac' on the carpets. Smells like stale pee or vomit. Have spoken to several valeters who say they would have to know where and what it is before they could do anything. One suggested a de-odourising 'bomb' ? Next step is to look at the pollen filter/fan inside. Filter was changed last year. Last owner says some de-odourising was done on the air con when it was serviced by Vauxhall.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.
Cheers, Mike
|
If it is the aircon ducting, it should be a 'sweaty sock' type of smell caused by bacteria growing in the condensed moisture from the aircon system after a long run using aircon. The way to help avoid this is to shut off the aircon a couple of miles prior to the end of the journey and just let the normal ventilation dry out the ducting.
There are aircon santization sprays available, what I have done in my cars is to pur the aircon on in re-circ mode, and copiously spray neutradol inside the car, close the door and allow it to work around the system. This works quite well.
Hope this helps
|
I've just removed and cleaned the pollen filter and had a good sniff round the fan and ducting but nothing seems stronger there. I guess any smell in the car would be re-circulated by the fan etc so all the ducts would carry the smell. I hate Neutradol but have done this with Oust and Febreze with the fan running.
I'll keep sniffing !
Thanks, Mike
|
I've just removed and cleaned the pollen filter and had a good sniff round the fan and ducting
Out of interest, how easy was this to do? Easy or possibility of snapped plastic? I guess pollen filter is behind the glovebox?
|
I guess pollen filter is behind the glovebox?
This any help?
www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?180...0
farm3.static.flickr.com/2585/4064343305_4edc129507...g
|
This any help?
DD - The things you locate are amazing and worrying at the same time!
|
DD - The things you locate are amazing and worrying at the same time!
This one was quite easy, compared to some of the things I locate. I put something like "zafira-b" pollen filter in google images and it was the 1st picture on the page.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/01/2010 at 12:41
|
|
|
|
Pollen filter :
10 mins no problem. Remove piece of lower horizontal trim with 2 half turn plastic fasteners, remove 4 self tappers and glovebox, disconnect light, remove heater duct by pulling to the left, remove fiddly silver clips on plastic housing, fold back door and there it is. Make sure the seal around the door is properly in its groove or re-fitting the clips will be tricky. Don't bend the clips as they will not fit later. Try operating the air re-circulation button when you are down there as its good to see how it works !
I've left out the filter (as I did on my last zaf) as it doesn't smell too fresh. I washed it out with pine disinfectant but it still smells stale. It helped air flow and de-misting before.
cheers, Mike
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Wife ? :-)
|
|
Not married but my partner wishes the same smell on you !!
|
|
:-).....didn't mean to be offensive :-)
|
if the underfelt under say the carpets have been damp a long time then this smells like babies nappies
its probably that the car was well wetted by the valeter maybe they even cleaned the seats with a lance and so you still have pockets of damp in the car that only a thorough drying out would resolve
one final thought,this car hasnt been flood damaged has it?
theres hundreds of flood damaged cars now appearing on the market mainly from the north west area
|
Yes, the carpets were damp so I assumed it had been valeted. Could have been the previous owners feet bringing in snow. Did find condensation on the inside of the rear light units so took these off and dried them in the house. Also lifted the carpets in the drivers footwell and it felt a little damp. However its not a damp musty smell, bit more like a care home.
No sign of flood damage as the car is spotless and the previous owner sounds genuine.
Last year he had a 'Scott air con purge' (what ever that is) and he said they de-odourised it too. Could be connected.
Checked behind the air intake grill by the windscreen and it's spotless. I think whatever it is has now spread everywhere so will be hard to mask/remove.
I need a new 'nose' to sniff now as I'm getting obsessed with sniffing !
Thanks for your response.
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
Have you checked for water in the sills? I heard water sloshing around as I drove in my 08 1.6 Zafira. There are drain plugs under the front doors (both sides). There was a large amount of water in the driver's side - several pints. From other forums, it appears to be caused by the drains at the bottom of the windscreen near the wipers getting blocked, and to affect Astras as well as Zafiras.
|
|
|
