Long story short, my seat covers, headliner, carpets, dash pad etc. was all replaced at DMC 8.5 years ago. I’ve noticed an old musty boat smell in the car pretty much for the last two years I’ve owned it and finally said enough is enough. It was water leak tested last year at DMC, and they fixed some leaks around passenger window. I thought the rear parcel shelf foam and under rear window might be culprit, so I spent a couple of days removing it with a paint scraper and Goof Off. Surprisingly, I don’t think the car is any louder inside. The smell more or less remains, and it appears to be coming from in between the headliner on the doors. Any solutions, or replace again? These have fiberglass backing as well unlike originals. Here is a photo.
You could have a problem inside the heater box causing the odor. You can try cleaning it by taking the fan motor out but to really do a through job you have to remove the box and disassemble it to clean it. In the meantime there are sprays you can try.
You could have a problem inside the heater box causing the odor. You can try cleaning it by taking the fan motor out but to really do a through job you have to remove the box and disassemble it to clean it. In the meantime there are sprays you can try.
Yeah, they checked the cabin fan assembly and cleaned out plenum chamber, and it didn’t look bad. I’m just surprised that a replacement headliner piece could have an old musty odor smell to it. I’ve stuck my nose almost all around the inside of the car and that is the worst place by far.
You could have mildew above and in the headliner, especially if you had leaks. You can also have something "growing" inside the roof box under the Tee panel. The soundproofing does give off an odor too but you removed it. You can also remove the seats and pull the carpet and see if that helps. You can also look inside the doors and make sure the drains aren't plugged up. On some cars I worked on, they were a biological hazard! Critters lived and died, ate the wiring, pulled the stuffing out of the seats and made nests, mildew and mold, etc. If the car was stored outside for an extended period it also collects leaves, pine needles, pollen, all kinds of stuff. If the car was ever in a flood then you can find all kinds of weird stuff in nooks and cranies. It might take pulling the whole interior to find and fix this.
You could have mildew above and in the headliner, especially if you had leaks. You can also have something "growing" inside the roof box under the Tee panel. The soundproofing does give off an odor too but you removed it. You can also remove the seats and pull the carpet and see if that helps. You can also look inside the doors and make sure the drains aren't plugged up. On some cars I worked on, they were a biological hazard! Critters lived and died, ate the wiring, pulled the stuffing out of the seats and made nests, mildew and mold, etc. If the car was stored outside for an extended period it also collects leaves, pine needles, pollen, all kinds of stuff. If the car was ever in a flood then you can find all kinds of weird stuff in nooks and cranies. It might take pulling the whole interior to find and fix this.
Car was stored inside and not flooded, so we will see. It doesn’t appear to be the headliner carpet material but between the gap where the backing would be. Though it is whatever DMC was selling in 2012 as a replacement.
Have you checked to see if condensation from the evaporator line may be leaking onto your passenger side carpet? That's another culprit for creating old mildew smells.
No leaks or wetness on carpets or underneath them that I can see. The source of smell to me is these black foam strips on back of door headliner pieces. I’d like to remove them but heard they help support door skin? No mold or mildew between stainless on doors where headliner pieces go either. They are out of car and have been sprayed with Lysol spray, which I’m sure is available in every corner drug store but a little hard to come by in a pandemic. We’ll see if this works. Also, check out the random puncture dent on driver’s side?
No leaks or wetness on carpets or underneath them that I can see. The source of smell to me is these black foam strips on back of door headliner pieces. I’d like to remove them but heard they help support door skin? No mold or mildew between stainless on doors where headliner pieces go either. They are out of car and have been sprayed with Lysol spray, which I’m sure is available in every corner drug store but a little hard to come by in a pandemic. We’ll see if this works. Also, check out the random puncture dent on driver’s side?
I think those black strips just help with rattling.
No leaks or wetness on carpets or underneath them that I can see. The source of smell to me is these black foam strips on back of door headliner pieces. I’d like to remove them but heard they help support door skin? No mold or mildew between stainless on doors where headliner pieces go either. They are out of car and have been sprayed with Lysol spray, which I’m sure is available in every corner drug store but a little hard to come by in a pandemic. We’ll see if this works. Also, check out the random puncture dent on driver’s side?
Lysol may mask it, but if you really want to rule out the foam I'd suggest just replacing it. You could probably find a roll of closed-cell foam like that at a packing/shipping retailer, or make your own from some pipe insulation or weatherstripping at your local hardware store. It would really just need to be something about the same thickness that you could cut to fit and attach with some spray adhesive.
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Originally Posted by David T
