Worst interior smell

KP090

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Hi guys,

I have a CLK 280 sport 2006.

the interior odour is soo bad that it lingers on my clothing and you get a whiff when you open the door.

it’s extra bad when you the blower is on without or without the AC.

someone suggested to me it might be a blocked evaporator drain that’s caused major mould.

I’ve tried those bomb sprays you put in the footwell and also a spray that you spray into the vents but it’s not really helped, only masks for a couple weeks max...

Apart from changing the cabin filter which was done less than 4K miles and looks still clean what else can I do?

thanks in advance
 

Blobcat

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Damp car smell is one of the worst, need to check your scuttle drains are clear. You might have damp under the carpets which won't go away until you stop it coming in.
I'd stop it coming in then use a dehumidifier to dry out the interior and then wash and dry the carpets - lifting them if at all possible to dry out the under carpet insulation (and to check no wiring is wet)
A good detailer should be able to clean and get the interior smelling better as well
 

00slk

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I had this problem in the last Jag I had, really became quite embarrassing and even I began to smell how bad it was after being accustomed to the smell. After a couple of the bombs in the footwell treatment it was still there but not as bad. Blocked drain holes and stagnant water lying in sections trapped were the source of most of it. Once all the drain holes were cleared and cleaned things become much more pleasant for the nose ;)
 
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KP090

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I had this problem in the last Jag I had, really became quite embarrassing and even I began to smell how bad it was after being accustomed to the smell. After a couple of the bombs in the footwell treatment it was still there but not as bad. Blocked drain holes and stagnant water lying in sections trapped were the source of most of it. Once all the drain holes were cleared and cleaned things become much more pleasant for the nose ;)

I think that’s exactly what I need to do, get it into the garage and get them to check out the drains, the guy who said to me about the evaporator drain being blocked said exactly the same thing about dirty stagnant water having no where to go if drain is blocked.

It is embarrassing, I have spray myself each time I get out the car because otherwise I’ll stink! Lol
 

SL63 Mark

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Good luck with getting rid of your smell.

Our latest landrover smelt of Dog when we bought it, 9 months later the smell is starting to decrease. They had some big dogs.

Funny I didn't notice on the test drive.
 

A.J.

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Hi guys,

I have a CLK 280 sport 2006.

the interior odour is soo bad that it lingers on my clothing and you get a whiff when you open the door.

it’s extra bad when you the blower is on without or without the AC.

someone suggested to me it might be a blocked evaporator drain that’s caused major mould.

I’ve tried those bomb sprays you put in the footwell and also a spray that you spray into the vents but it’s not really helped, only masks for a couple weeks max...

Apart from changing the cabin filter which was done less than 4K miles and looks still clean what else can I do?

thanks in advance

Is it a damp smell ?? I once spilt a bottle of milk in a car and the smell was unreal and impossible to get rid of. Unfortunately the smell from milk gets progressively worse with age :(
 
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KP090

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Is it a damp smell ?? I once spilt a bottle of milk in a car and the smell was unreal and impossible to get rid of. Unfortunately the smell from milk gets progressively worse with age :(

its a really bad musty smell, like how a loft smells and it lingers
 
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KP090

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Damp car smell is one of the worst, need to check your scuttle drains are clear. You might have damp under the carpets which won't go away until you stop it coming in.
I'd stop it coming in then use a dehumidifier to dry out the interior and then wash and dry the carpets - lifting them if at all possible to dry out the under carpet insulation (and to check no wiring is wet)
A good detailer should be able to clean and get the interior smelling better as well

I did notice some damp in the footwells just now...

ive just sprayed some normfest into all the vents and also moved the filter from the enginge bay on the right hand side and sprayed into the fan while it was running so hopefully it masks the smell for a week or two till i get it booked into a garage to clear all the drains
 

Blobcat

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I did notice some damp in the footwells just now...

ive just sprayed some normfest into all the vents and also moved the filter from the enginge bay on the right hand side and sprayed into the fan while it was running so hopefully it masks the smell for a week or two till i get it booked into a garage to clear all the drains
Open the bonnet and clear out whatever you can see that isn’t part of the car... lots of leaves is the most likely culprit.
 
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KP090

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Open the bonnet and clear out whatever you can see that isn’t part of the car... lots of leaves is the most likely culprit.

The only thing i could see was a few leaves towards the side where the bonnet hinge was, the holes werent covered so im guessing its prob blocked evaporator drain
 

Rappey69

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Apparently a dead body is a smell thats impossible to ever get rid of from a car interior.
A greman friend told me about a porsche where the "owner was not discovered for a while".
Someone would buy the lovely car really cheap but then get rid of it asap...
Makes a little dampness not quite so bad?
 

Blobcat

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Apparently a dead body is a smell thats impossible to ever get rid of from a car interior.
A greman friend told me about a porsche where the "owner was not discovered for a while".
Someone would buy the lovely car really cheap but then get rid of it asap...
Makes a little dampness not quite so bad?
They tested that in Mythbusters with a pig, they did manage to sell the car afterwards.

I had someone clear out a very very recently dead persons place using my E-Class, I can’t say I was happy about it... car cleaned up though.
 

davidsl500

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A split litre bottle of milk in the back of a passat estate in the late eighties was fun. It was the last shopping trip the day before it was going to the dealer as a trade in. I didn't go back to that dealer again and often wondered how bad it smelt after a couple of days.
 

A.J.

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A split litre bottle of milk in the back of a passat estate in the late eighties was fun. It was the last shopping trip the day before it was going to the dealer as a trade in. I didn't go back to that dealer again and often wondered how bad it smelt after a couple of days.
I can imagine having experienced it myself.
 


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