Is there anything I can do about it. I don't want an air freshener hanging from my rear view. I have tried cleaning the leather. Febreeze maybe?

 

Can you tell us what it smells like? Such as; Tobacco, beer, spilled milk, vomit, musty from water intrusion, dirty diapers (ack!) rotted food, cat pee...

You'll probably have to start by shampooing all the cloth surfaces, and foam the headliner too (you don't want to get that wet though).

Febreeze is a start, and it can't hurt, but there are better odor eliminators out there that kill the microbial bacteria, which is typically the cause of the odor.

Last resort is activated oxygen, i.e. an ozone generator.

But I'd start by cleaning the carpet and headliner, or have a detail shop do it.

Knowing what /where the odor originated from would really help attack it.

 

It smells like a barn I guess haha. No specific place. This weekend I am going to clean the leather and shampoo the carpets. Can you suggest some other odor eliminators?

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...n-20/ref=nosim

That can be found at pet stores. If they don't have that brand they usually sell something equivalent, but the main thing is that it kills the microbial groth, which *most* of those pet odor products (and some auto deodorizers) are engineered to do.

Good luck.

Barn huh? Cows ,chickens, pigs and horses aren't such a pleasant mixture of smells. Double good luck!

 

Replace the cabin filter also...Help a lot

 

The problem can also be related to the A/C & Heating system. It might be worth taking it to the dealer if you can't figure it out on your own.

 

I second this... maybe take a look at the filter first... hopefully not many dead insects hehe

 

I've never tried this product myself but people have told me that it works great with pet smells.



http://www.meguiars.com/?car-odor-el...dor-Eliminator

 

Do you just spray that product anywhere?

I just changed my cabin filter today after having a cigarette smell coming from the vents since Sunday. I only have 8,000 miles on my IS350 and the cabin filter was pitch black compared to the new one I purchased.

 

For a quick fix, try the Lisol method. Lisol the vents outside the windshield. Next go inside the car and remove the in cabin filter in the glove compartment, spray it with Lisol on both sides. Put it back in and blast the fan for a few minutes. Should do the trick. If not, maybe it might be bad BO or you live in the countryside next to a cow farm. I dont know.

 

I have a question about the ozone/ionizer. Does it really get rid of odors? I've seen those Japanese ones where you plug into the lighter... but they are from 15 to 30 bucks. Not much, but I rather know if someone has tried it beforehand first. =)

 

I've done the ozone bottle spray, but that didnt do a damn thing. I did however notice the only time i get that nasty smell is either when theres water going into the outside air ducts or when its damp and humid in the morn, this nasty smell comes from the Vents, but when its dry, nothing.

 

Yeah that's the main thing too. There's a lot of water in the air in the morning, so when I go to lunch, it smells like crap. It goes away after a while, but it's like dead fish.

 

Never use those ionizers in cars. They create ozone which is bad for your lungs. Don't do it.

Lysol can work to kill the mold on A/C evaporator, but the alcohol smell lingers (tried that on my last car.) The best is to use heat to kill and dry out the mold. And not to use recirc unless absolutely necessary.