Mildew and Moldy Smell
 

Hello everyone, I just joined this awesome site after months of using it here and there for small issues and whatnot, but now an issue has come up and I'm not sure what to do. I bought my car back in April of 2015 and have loved almost every minute of it. That was until the first time it rained...the cabin smelled like an old basement and all of the windows had condensation. The first thing I did was hop on here and read up. The car has all of its plugs, it isn't the cabin air filter, and the AC unit is fine. So I took it to the dealership (who sprayed it with a hose for 10 minutes and said there were no leaks). So I thought it was a one time thing. Since then everytime it rains or snows it gets much more intense, now its to the point where the smells makes me want to vomit after about 30 seconds. I've taken it to the dealership 4 times for this issue and as it has been raining have scheduled another appointment at a different dealership for #5. My question is has anyone else had this problem? Also should I possibly file a lemon law claim as the car is currently undrivable and if it continues will be unsellable (which I couldn't sell this car to anyone the way it is because I am way to honest) if the second dealership can not fix it?
Thanks, Matt

I had this issue with the gross wet towel/mildew smell every time it rained, but seems to have went away on it's own.

I thought it might be related to this: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ight=deciduous

The area where the left windshield wiper motors/stalk goes, there's like a hole there that collects leaves and other stuff and I think if that gets full of leaves and water it probably starts rotting and then that smell gets sucked into the car's cabin air intake since I believe that's close to that location.

Just checked, nothing.... I think I just got the smelly kid in class.

Are any of the carpets wet or damp? Have you tried checking the trunk (in the spare tire area) for dampness. I once had a little pool going on back there in an old car. Water was somehow getting in between the trunk seams. It smelled awful...like straight up butthole.

I had it fixed and air dried it. The smell went away after a while. Luckily it was summertime when this happened. Windows were down all the time.

If you can blast the heater on high when the engine is warm (coolant temp at operating temp, set the car to recirculate. Spray Lysol (Entire bottle) disinfectant into the foot wells where the intake is on recirculate evenly on both sides. Close the doors windows up with the car running still and heater on blast, spray the lysol into the intake for the a/c at the bottom of the windshield:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lysol-Disinfectant-19-Ounce-Canisters-3-Count/dp/B003M5JR9K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455656607&sr=8-2&keywords=lysol+disinfectant+spray"]Amazon.com: Lysol Disinfectant Spray, Crisp Linen, 19-Ounce Canisters, 3-Count: Health & Personal Care[/ame]

Next you're going to have to get any moisture out of the car overnight or if you don't drive the car for awhile put this in the passenger side:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/DampRid-FG50T-Hi-Capacity-Moisture-Absorber/dp/B0029EGUNG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455656628&sr=8-2&keywords=damprid"]Amazon.com: DampRid FG50T Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber, 4-Pound Tub: Dehumidifiers: Posters & Prints[/ame]

The goal here is to remove the cabin humidity and kill any bacteria still in the a/c. You're going to have to blast the interior with the disinfectant and let it circulate throughout the cabin via the a/c system and kill any bacteria and mold as it does so, the damp rid dehumidifies the cabin because water can condensate easily and cause a major issue with fabric. Also if you can park the car in a garage or under cover during the damp rid step that would be great.


Otherwise there is most likely a non climate control related leak that is collecting, soaking up and sitting. If you can take it to another dealership do so, if not lemon law because 4 times is way too many times to deal with incompetence.

^ ....... that is a great plan!


Now, how did the moisture get into the car ..... ??



humfrz

I have taken the interior apart (including the trunk) and there is no moisture anywhere. Last time it happened I put the car in a garage opened up both doors and pointed industrial heaters on each side and it still came back. I'll try the Lysol thing tonight, hopefully that works....

i had this phenomenon on my previous acura. its from condensation sitting after using the AC compressor when you turn the car off. I had read if you turn the ac off and blast the fan on high before you shut the car off, it could help reduce the moisture collected in those tubes that supply the vents. also similar to the idea of the triplet FAN above, they have stuff at autostores you spray in the spots he indicated that help reduce or remove the mildew.

But shouldn't it do it even when it isn't raining if that's the case? Like if the moisture levels in the air are high? Or fog?

Try this out. I used it because my car started to smell like a locker room in hs after PE class, and from all the food I bring to work.

Used it once a few months back and been non-smelly since! Beware, it smells like a doctor's/dentist's office for a few hours. Just spray it before you go to sleep and when you wake up to go to work, voila!

Can be purchased at your local autozone/o'riley for 3-4 dollars.


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Ozium-Eliminator-Sanitizer-Freshener-ORIGINAL/dp/B000CSWCAG"]Amazon.com: Ozium Smoke & Odor Eliminator Air Sanitizer / Freshener 3.5oz ORIGINAL: Automotive[/ame]

That's my main issue!

Bababooey is correct...its condensate accumulating in the blower case. It's unrelated to rainfall. The evap coil is always condensing moisture out of the air as it passes over the coil.

The procedure described above for treating it with Lysol will probably resolve it.

That's what I'm saying. If it is unrelated to rainfall, then it wouldn't just happen when it rains...

I started hanging damprid hanging moisture absorbers in the back seat and my car smells much fresher, so far in a month they've collected a lot of water in each bag.