Mildew and Moldy Smell

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Mphillips

I have tried some of them in the past, I'm currently trying some of the others. The problem is I only know if they work when it rains...no rain means I don't know if they are working.

I can't recall if this has been asked. Have you checked to see if any of the floorboard carpeting is wet .. ??

When it rains and gets wet, does the car have to be moving or will it get wet on the inside with the car just parked outside in the rain...??


humfrz

[Mphillips]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I can't recall if this has been asked. Have you checked to see if any of the floorboard carpeting is wet .. ??

When it rains and gets wet, does the car have to be moving or will it get wet on the inside with the car just parked outside in the rain...??


humfrz

I've checked all the carpets, under the seats, and taken apart the trunk. Can't find any water or damp spots. The smell happens whether or not the car is moving. It always happens when it sits still, and sometimes while I'm driving (the car usually sits before I drive it), but when i went on a trip to Florida I drove through a storm and the smell started. That's the only encounter I've had without the car sitting beforehand.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Mphillips

I've checked all the carpets, under the seats, and taken apart the trunk. Can't find any water or damp spots. The smell happens whether or not the car is moving. It always happens when it sits still, and sometimes while I'm driving (the car usually sits before I drive it), but when i went on a trip to Florida I drove through a storm and the smell started. That's the only encounter I've had without the car sitting beforehand.

Well, the smell is most likely coming from a mold that is growing inside your car. So, if you get rid of the mold, the smell will go away.

Now, you can either kill it (bleach or Lysol type products) or make it die of thirst.

The logical approach is to kill it then rob it of moisture, so it won't come back.

Back in the day, I picked up this old GMC truck that was "infected" with mold (yep, the green stuff you see on the shift lever and steering wheel). I must have used a half dozens cans of Lysol and a quart of bleach to get rid of it.

Then I replaced the weather stripping around the doors ...... and the mold stayed away.

So, step one ...... get rid of the mold (follow suggestions offered by others).

Then find out how the excess moisture is getting into the vehicle and stop it.

Happy mold hunting.


humfrz

[Mphillips]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Happy mold hunting.


humfrz

I shouldn't have to mold hunt in a brand new car. If it is this bad 8 months in, what will the quality be in 3 years? I dont feel like it's crazy to want them to fix it. If you buy a gallon of milk or loaf of bread and it has mold in it, you dont keep it in hopes that the mold will go away, you want the store to make it right...if the car were used, I'd suck it up and deal with it.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Mphillips

I shouldn't have to mold hunt in a brand new car. If it is this bad 8 months in, what will the quality be in 3 years? I dont feel like it's crazy to want them to fix it. If you buy a gallon of milk or loaf of bread and it has mold in it, you dont keep it in hopes that the mold will go away, you want the store to make it right...if the car were used, I'd suck it up and deal with it.

Well, now, Matt, I agree with you, that you shouldn't have this problem with a relatively new car.

However, you do and you’re running low on options.

After 5 dealer trips, it appears they are not going to “fix/correct” it.

You can check the lemon law language and see if it might be eligible. I suspect your car/the condition, won’t qualify.

Back in the day, we called it the “giggle test” …… your honor, I spilled catfish bait in my trunk, now the whole car stinks ……. I want the manufacturer to replace my car……..!

If this were a widespread defect in the manufacturing of the car ...... why haven't we heard more about it ... ??

Hey, we are on your side, but I think your problem is relatively unique and it going to be up to you to fix it.


humfrz

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Mphillips

I shouldn't have to mold hunt in a brand new car. If it is this bad 8 months in, what will the quality be in 3 years? I dont feel like it's crazy to want them to fix it. If you buy a gallon of milk or loaf of bread and it has mold in it, you dont keep it in hopes that the mold will go away, you want the store to make it right...if the car were used, I'd suck it up and deal with it.

Now that you know that dealership is disrespectful and was never working on the car, why not go to a different dealer?

[Mphillips]

Originally Posted by FRSBRZGT86FAN

Now that you know that dealership is disrespectful and was never working on the car, why not go to a different dealer?

I am, I was supposed to this last time, but I decided I wanted to do the camera thing

[rixter145]

Did you figure it out? I also have similar problem. Bad smell when it rains

[WNDSRFR]

My car is the same. Another thing I noticed is it seems to "hold" smells for a long time. If I bring a pizza home in the car, I can still smell it the next day. Maybe it has to do with the small volume of the interior.
As far as the moldy/musky smell when it rains, I noticed it only smells when I'm wearing shoes (I hardly ever wear shoes when driving). I think what happens is the tread of my shoes transfers a lot of water to the floormat and for some reason that causes the smell. The smell is not immediate and it doesn't last a long time. But it does seem to happen anytime it rains and I'm wearing shoes.

[radroach]

I had mildew for awhile because I ran over something on a highway and it put a hole underneath the passenger side, so anytime it rained I'd get water ingress in there. I bought two types of flex seal and sealed it, no mold problems since.

But sometimes when I spill water or want the car to be extremely fresh, I put a damprid bag in there:

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by WNDSRFR

My car is the same. Another thing I noticed is it seems to "hold" smells for a long time. If I bring a pizza home in the car, I can still smell it the next day. Maybe it has to do with the small volume of the interior.
As far as the moldy/musky smell when it rains, I noticed it only smells when I'm wearing shoes (I hardly ever wear shoes when driving). I think what happens is the tread of my shoes transfers a lot of water to the floormat and for some reason that causes the smell. The smell is not immediate and it doesn't last a long time. But it does seem to happen anytime it rains and I'm wearing shoes.

Ya know, they got shoe powder you could put in your shoes .......


humfrz

[DandoX]

Originally Posted by Mphillips

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

In the manual it says to always turn off the AC/heat circulation to off before you park while the car is still on. If you keep that on all the time mold can grow in the vents themselves. I suggest you just not use the air circulation (only use air from outside to the cabin) for a month or so and do your best to air things out. I have a strong feeling this smell will go away. My wife's car does the same thing when it's wet out and keeping air circulation off does the trick.

[Silver Supra]

I did not see this thread until it was bumped today, since I recently joined.
After reading all the posts, I suspect the car had standing water of some sort before purchase (could have been an inadvertent spill or other) that was left long enough to grow a bit of mildew and mold.
There may, or may not, be an obvious leak, since it may just be high humidity that is enough to activate the smell again (usually higher when it rains). I have had this problem in a used car, and had to really search to find the mold/mildew, and then had to use good cleaners to get rid of it. It usually is found in a spot that has at least one absorbent surface - like carpet.
If there is mold, all the other measures mentioned will not get rid of it, even if they lessen the effects.