Recent content by Ruby Khan

Hi, What I am saying is that after lubricating the threads of the plastic housing, the fitment felt excessively tight at 65% of the torque spec. I suspect the lubrication lowers the K factor to the point where 15 to 17 Newtons/meter of torque exerts more clamping force on the threads than a 25...

Hi, Re: 2023 4 Runner Off Road Premium with 21,784 miles. We bought the 4 Runner when it was new. I have changed the oil in it several times, and did so again today. Each time I try to tighten the oil filter housing I hyper-worry about making it too tight. So I have given it my best guess ...

Here is an interesting article about certain Hyudais. The part I find interesting is the claim that Hyudai engineers finally identified the source of the smell and associated it with a particular production run that they realized had issues. Toxic Cabin Interiors: Why That New Car Smell Could...

I think I will give that a try. Thank you.

Hi, Just in case my reasoning about the cabin air filter was not an adequate explanation, I just walked out to the car and removed and reinstalled the filter. It had some small fragments of leaf matter caught in the folds, but overall, it still smelled fresh with a slight hint of a residual...

Yes, that is possible and has been suggested by others. Running the fan or AC helps replace the smelly air in the car. The air pushed through the cabin air filter smells clean and fresh. Thank you.

Stop by Moab next time, and you can smell for yourself. :-) Does your 2018 4Runner SR5 have the softex seats?

I think I can consider the floor mat experiment complete. It's been a couple of weeks with no floor mats, and the interior still stinks. It's hard to believe this is not a big issue for Toyota owners, but I guess it is caused by the intense heat and absence of humidity here in the southwest...

Hi, After removing the rubber floor mats and leaving the car sitting in the sun with the windows up for seven days, we were curious to learn if the smell had gone away. Our first impression is that the smell is much less intense than it has been, so the next step will be to air the car out...

The rubber floor mats have been removed. I double-checked for anything else that might be hidden in the car and contributing to the smell; the car was/is basically empty, like a showroom model. I put my nose to the floor mats and did not detect an obvious odor, certainly not the odor I am...

Hi, Thank you for this suggestion. Yes it came with rubber mats as well as a package of carpet lined mats. We put the carpet-lined mats in the garage as the rubber seemed suitable for our local habitat. This will be an easy experiment. We depart on vacation in the Ford Van tomorrow, so we...

I guess it would. It seems to air out when we drive it and accumulate when we park it for a while. I should try a very small air gap between the windows. We have all kinds of critters living nearby, so we can't leave too much of a gap. Plus, we have dust storms that come up, and I would not...

Hi, Judging from the varied experiences and anecdotes described here, I suspect the intensity of the odor is related to the extreme heat and intense UV my car encounters. I used to live in the southeast with 100% humidity and 100-degree air, but those conditions are not as intense as we now...

Hi, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. For what it's worth. We bought a new 20202 Jeep Rubicon in 2020, use it like a desert rat Jeep, and clean the interior once every 2 years, whether it needs it or not. The interior still smells like leather upholstery, which is of course an odor but not...

Hi, Thanks for the suggestion. I'll inspect this further, although people here where I live would "pray for mold" because that would be accompanied by some much-appreciated moisture. The air that comes out of the HVAC vents smells fresh and clean. The odor I speak of confronts us when we...