How do I get rid of foul smell in my car?
 

Hi Guys,

I'm new in here and this is my first post. I have a 2010 Civic MT 1.8V. Not sure when the new car smell disappeared but now everytime I turn on the fan , there is a funny smell but goes away after sometime and if I turn on the aircon, there is another not so good smell but also goes away in time.

I've replaced the cabin/pollen filter already twice as per honda casa during the 30km and 50km maintenance cycle but still the smell remained.

I tried car perfumes but as per Honda, these made the smell worse at it traps in the filter and then blows when the fan activates. So I don't use car perfumes now.

Does anyone have the same experience before and can give suggestions?

Hope to hear from you guys.

Much appreciated.

omski

How do i get rid of foul smell in my car
 

You may wonder why my car which is only 1.52 years old has reached 50km maintenance already it is because I live in Calamba, Laguna and work in Quezon City , 130km back and forth 5 days a week. :)

I'm trying charcoal just today, but there maybe a better way to get rid of the smell. Also , where can I buy cheaper cabin filter? it's Php 2400.00 in Honda, so expensive for a paper filter...

what does it smell like?

dirty air? coolant? oil?

Hi ,

It smells like dirty air or plastic ( I don't know the smell of coolant ) but smell is not oil.

When I turn on the AC, it smells like wet carpet for a while but dissappears so I just open the windows for sometime then close them again when the smell is gone.

I see some ionizer plug in cigarette lighter socket, are they effective?

thanks much.

Omski

never open the radiator cap when it's hot(or when car is running/warmed up), but open the cap and smell it. It smells sweeter when it's hot.

if it smells like wet carpet, do check for that in the foot rest area on the passenger side or below the driver pedals. Make sure nothing is wet on the carpet. If it is you have a trim leak somewhere or possible cracked heater core or heater core hoses...

Bacteria in a/c evaporator
 

You are in a humid location I suppose. At 50k km, you need to get the evaporators checked/cleaned. Not only you remove the foul smell, you also extend the life of the a/c system.

Another vote for checking the drainage box/carpet in the passenger footwell.

I remember reading something a couple years ago that talked about mold growing in the air venting of cars that live in humid areas. The solution was to pull the cabin air filter, turn the a/c on high, then spray something like Lysol into the air vent intake (probably near the windshield). The thought was that it would kill the germs that are thriving in the dark, damp areas you can't get to.

Anyway, I'll take a look around and see if I can track it down, but it might be worth your time to do a Google search for it, too.

Thanks for the tip bro, I'll check this one. Cheers!

Thanks for the suggestions as well ChristianL , worth to try this. Cheers!

thanks again inthezoneac! appreciate your replies. cheers. -omski