Car smell

[strangler]

Hi, so I recently posted that I just bought a used 2004 4runner. I don't like to smell of the car, not sure what the old owner did. What can I do to completely fix the smell? I tried cheap air fresheners but they are only temporary. Do I have to change the air filter to also fix this problem?

 

[K.C.]

My dad has a 2003 Camry w/ cloth seats, after awhile, it smelled like armpit haha. He bought the car brand new too. He use to baby it, but I want to say (3) years later, he didn't care anymore, he went finishing w/ the car & didn't keep it top notch. Anywho...since I had cloth seats, I poured baking soda on anything that had carpet & cloth, let it sit in the hot sun for a few hours & then vacuumed it. It took away most of the smell, but I still smelled it again on a hot day, so I repeated the same procedure on a different occasion.

I learned this trick from a magazine, they said if you have cigarette smell on a wool jacket, this is the way to get the smell out.

My close buddy told me to cut an apple in half & place it face up in the car, when it's hot out, and the apple will absorb all the smell.

Air fresheners & febreze only hide the smell temporarily. Just like cologne, you still need to shower.

Give these (2) tricks a try, you have nothing to lose, it's inexpensive & you won't ruin anything further.

 

[Mike07SE]

One time yeeeaars ago I had a Ford Contour and at the same time I worked for a building contractor. Needless to say the interior (cloth) started to get a little funky plus a smell. Went out and rented a steam cleaner from one of the grocery stores, and me and a buddy of mine each steam cleaned out our cars. Needless to say I was quite surprised at how much it pulled out of the seats and carpet and gave the car a renewed fresh smell.

 

[LexKing]

Check the Cabin Air Filter first

I also recently purchased a very clean 2004 4Runner. I noticed a slight dirt smell when the a/c was on. The first thing that I checked was the cabin air filter. That was probably the nastiest filter that I have every seen. It was obvious that the previous owner had never changed it. I hope this helps!

 

[4boer]

According to Seinfeld there is nothing that will get out the smell

 

[A10MileHusker]

According to Seinfeld there is nothing that will get out the smell

Beat me to it! :lmao:

 

[Mike07SE]

Hah! Great episode, looked like the bum wouldn't even take it at the end.

 

[audiqtr]

Actually, my 08 has a typical smell I don't like in it. It is just the way it smells. My friends's 4runner has the same smell as well. I checked myself and my upper lip, so it is not me...lol

It is not a bad smell, but not a good one either....Hard to explain...

 

[RHINO-99]

Re: Check the Cabin Air Filter first

I also recently purchased a very clean 2004 4Runner. I noticed a slight dirt smell when the a/c was on. The first thing that I checked was the cabin air filter. That was probably the nastiest filter that I have every seen. It was obvious that the previous owner had never changed it. I hope this helps!

Same issue here. My 06 is clean as you can get but previous owner may have been allergic to deoderant because I have an odd B.O. smell that I cant seem to get rid off.

Where is the CABIN AIR filter? Thanks

 

[LexKing]

The cabin air filter is behind the glove box lid. Here is a link to the maintenance forum that has pictures: http://tinyurl.com/8feb7h
It is an easy process and takes about 5 minutes. I hope it helps!