That old car smell

[turbopete]

Any ideas how to freshen it up without ruining the original upholstery?

[Billdogg]

Febreeze.

[Project TNX]

Originally Posted by turbopete

Any ideas how to freshen it up without ruining the original upholstery?

The smell is from mold and bacteria, I don't think it can be removed without replacing stuff. The afore mentioned post may cover it up quite a bit but it's just a bandaid.

[okboo]

Try pulling out the original carpeting and power washing it on a lower pressure setting. Original carpet has a rubber backing, not jute, and will dry out nicely, then reinstall. Most of the time the odor is from the dirty carpet, mold and mildew that a vac will not remove. It needs to be washed. Good luck.

[turbofish38]

It's going to be almost impossible to get rid of. Here's what I did on my 82 Regal. It was owned by an old dude who loved cigars and hated soap and deodorant. Pulled the entire interior. I power washed the carpet like okboo. I soaked the headliner with powdered carpet cleaner. The one made for pet smells. I would have replaced it but there was nothing wrong with it. The front seat had a blanket over it and that soaked up most of the stink on the front seat. I soaked it down with the powdered carpet cleaner. For the back seat I pulled the trim covers off and washed them in the washer in cold water and detergent. I dried them on low heat. That was a lot of work but the deodorizer wouldn't lift the stink.Oh and soak down the foam with the powder cleaner. Now I pulled the entire interior which meant all of the hard plastic trim. You know that insulation mat behind the door trim? Get rid of it and replace it with one that hasn't absorbed the stink. Scrub down the plastic with Pine-Sol or Lysol desinfectant. The only part I couldn't get to was the insulation under the dash. The only reason I went through all of this work was because the car was low miles and the interior was almost in mint condition. On a hot summer day you can still smell a trace of the BO but if you never smelled it when it was really bad than you wouldn't even know it was BO. Like I said it's almost impossible because there is just so many parts that absorb the stink.

[1 QWIK 6]

baking soda in a pie tin. You can also try OZOME it kills smells quick. Might take a few days but worth the try.

[aminga]

I'll agree with Eric It is hard to get rid of but over on the Meguairs detailing forums some have had success with an ozone generator. If you can find a detailing shop with one that might work.

[turbofish38]

I never thought of a ozone generator. I bet that it's supposed to be an Ion Generator. I used one at work for the longest time and I was always amazed at the crap caught in it's filters. And I was reading where it's standard equipment in a few cars now. I think Toyota/Lexus have a recall going on for the Ion Generator installed in the Camry/Avalon sized cars.

[MY T FAST]

i don't get it, i LOVE the way my WE4 smells. my dad has a 69 chevelle and i have always loved the smell of it too. kinda old, musty, rustic smelling. man, i love it. so i'm gonna keep my old stinky interior

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by MY T FAST

i don't get it, i LOVE the way my WE4 smells. my dad has a 69 chevelle and i have always loved the smell of it too. kinda old, musty, rustic smelling. man, i love it. so i'm gonna keep my old stinky interior

Same here. I like going to junk yards and opening up old 60's cars that are sealed up. I guess it reminds me of my first car I had in the mid 90's, which was a '68 Fairlane. This whole time, I thought I was the only one that liked it

[turbofish38]

I like a certain smell in my cars. Kind of like patina on old paint and chrome parts. It should smell of old vinyl and fabric. Not BO or Human in any way.

With that said I have a 75 Cosworth Vega that I am owner numero duece. I picked it up 100% complete right down to the Goodyear radials with the chords poking out. From what I can tell from the title and other bits of paper I have it appears the wife got custody of it in a divorce and was responsable for putting most of the 40K miles on it. I found the car lingering on the lemon lot of a Dodge dealer back in 1981. The reason I say a women drove it last or used it as a DD anyway was the fact that it smelled like the inside of a girls purse. Everybody hated to ride shotgun with me and that car because the smell just overwhelmed you after sitting in it. And I did everything to try and remove the Chanel #5 stink from it. 30 some years later and it still smells like that. I have this theory that some smells are like aromatherapy. Ever notice how you can drive fast when you smell like oil or tranny fluid? I tell you it was hard to drive that car at it's limit anyway. (Insert your own Tim Allen caveman grunts)

[turbo39151]

Use some simple green to clean up the dirty spots and then use some fabric softener sheets under the seats and and on the floor.

I personally use the GAIN brand. Just a few sheets will really deal with most odors. After they wear out it's cheap and easy to replace them.

[TurboBob]

if the smell is in the AC, you can get a mold/mildew killer at the dealership, or use a lot of lysol into the airvents between the hood and the windshield (outside the)

The biggest issue is to identify the source of the smell.

BTW, hows the mufflers?

Bob

[regal-nut]

have sex in it that will fix the old smell for a day or two lol

[TLIMITED]

Originally Posted by KevinB

Same here. I like going to junk yards and opening up old 60's cars that are sealed up. I guess it reminds me of my first car I had in the mid 90's, which was a '68 Fairlane. This whole time, I thought I was the only one that liked it

I looked at a 87 T Type for sale in my area that some friends told me was cheap.I went to look at it and noticed a terrible smell.Got to checking aroung and about 6 years ago the car was found with a dead body in the trunk that had been there for a week.The guy that had it for sale had pulled the interior twice and pressure washed it,still smelled bad after 6 years and cleaning.The car will not sell because of this and can be bought cheap but not cheap enough to part out and make money.If anyone can deal with this smell let me know and I'll try and turn you on to it and the car!!!!

[usetaboost]

Every regal I've had has had that smell. Even my pretty blue limited, you could still smell the faint "odor" Me personally I like it. Old car smell, new car smell, nothing like it , there might be something else... ! Well...sometimes

have sex in it that will fix the old smell for a day or two lol

Hell yeah, don't be afraid to break it in! Mine was broke in before she even got a ride in it. I new getting my car was a good idea. Saves gas that way