unpleasant smells

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Mon 6 Jan 2003 14:40
unpleasant smells - Alan
Our recently purchased car has the smell of B.O. Anyone know the best cure.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 15:03
`unpleasent smells - doug_523i
Does it have air-conditioning?
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 15:06
`unpleasent smells - Dave_TD
Do you mean the interior of the car smells all the time?

It could be caused by a number of factors, either dust in the air system from a particularly pungent source, or debris/rubbish/half a pint of milk under the seats or under the boot carpet in the spare wheel well. Could be that the previous owner smoked a particularly dodgy brand of cigarette, could be that they always used to drive it back from the gym before showering!

Some of the people I carry around have incredibly acute personal hygiene issues, especially the refugees fresh out of onion lorries at Toddington! X-) The most likely solution for you will be to pay to have the car professionally valeted, including a wet-vac on the seats and the roof lining. Also change the pollen filter if fitted.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 17:17
`unpleasent smells - smokie
Had a Sierra once with a similar problem, turned out there were a lot of dead leaves creating a whiff and blocking some important drain outlets, which also left standing water under the bonnet which also starts to smell after a bit. Can't remember exactly where, but have a looksee under there...

Maybe try driving with the vents all open then all shut to see if you can tell if it's coming from outside the car or not.

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Mon 6 Jan 2003 17:26
`unpleasent smells - Cambridge


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Mon 6 Jan 2003 17:45
`unpleasent smells - UncleR
On both me previously owned XR2i and Escort Cabriolet I have suffered from the windscreen washer water smelling foul and making the interior smell. Replacing the water regualarly helped but the bad smell always returned. Probably not same as your problem but may be worth opening the resevoir lid and having a whiff.

Other than that, magic tree?!
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 19:21
`unpleasent smells - frostbite
I recently suggested to HJ that my practice of putting two or three drops of ordinary domestic disinfectant in the washer bottle - stops smells (other than its own), also fungal growth which clogs the pump/pipes/jets - could solve one of his DT correspondent's problem.

He rejected the suggestion on the grounds that it could damage paintwork, but I personally feel that no more than a teaspoonful in several litres of water is extremely unlikely to be harmful in this way.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 21:00
`unpleasent smells - andymc {P}
HJ is right - I did this on my first car, and over about a year the paintwork ended up quite streaked and faded, almost white (from original red) in some parts, most noticeably over the C-pillars. Fortunately it didn't really matter as the car (Pug 309) was on its last legs anyway and died age 14, largely unmourned. It's mainly because of the salt or bleach content of these liquids. You could always have a look at the contents description on a bottle of biodegradable, organic washing-up liquid - doesn't contain salt or bleach. Down To Earth is one, Ecover is another. My brother's been using these in his Karcher to wash his car for the past year with no visible effects so far. However, I'm not guaranteeing it wouldn't harm your paintwork or his!
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 21:33
`unpleasent smells - JamesH
Does your brother also use washing up liquid instead of shampoo to wash his hair!?

I was under the impression that washing up liquid (with or without salt or bleach) is designed to strip grease off dirty plates.

On a car it would surely take off the protective wax. There are many red cars that have turned pink through using Fairy Liquid!

James
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 23:28
`unpleasent smells - andymc {P}
I have no idea of the contents, if any, of his bathroom cabinet, nor have I any interest in his personal grooming regime. For all I know he uses car wax for toothpaste. The point I made is that ordinary washing-up liquid or detergent is bad for paintwork. From what I've seen, the other stuff doesn't seem to have done any harm even with frequent use over time, but in case I hadn't made this clear before, it still wouldn't be my choice ...
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Tue 7 Jan 2003 15:34
unpleasant smells - Mike H
Most of the other replies seem to be responding to your thoughts that the smell is BO. Could it be a faulty heater matrix and that what you are smelling is antifreeze? Is the smell there all the time, or does it start when the car gets warm?
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