strange odour in car

delthedriver

Can anyone help please the interior of my 2002 Saab 93 is starting to smell as if a bag of rubbish has been left in it for a week (it hasnt!). I have cleared everything out of the car hoovered it and aired it, I had to outside powerwashed in case it was something under the car but the smell is there every morning when I first use the car. It seems to disappear after I have used the car for a while but always comes back. I am now starting to wonder if there is something going wrong with the catalytic converter.

bazz26

Could be a build up of bacteria in the air vents. You can buy an air conditioning purifier like below, might be worth a try:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/CarPlan-Kleen-Air-Air-Conditioning-Purifier-/370580638572?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item564853cb6c

the magician

It could possibly be the pollen/cabin air filter .If it hasn't been changed they can get damp and musty smelling. Has it been changed(it tends to get forgotten about alot).


Are any of your carpets damp? that's another culprit for a stinky car.

zilog_jones

bazz26 wrote: »

Could be a build up of bacteria in the air vents. You can buy an air conditioning purifier like below, might be worth a try:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/CarPlan-Kleen-Air-Air-Conditioning-Purifier-/370580638572?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item564853cb6c

I tried stuff like that before and it left the car lemony fresh... for about a week. A better solution I found is to leave the aircon with the heat on full for a while. Don't forget the pollen filter either - I'd change it at least every two years.

But if the smell is definitely not coming from the ventilation system then I'd check for damp or dead things

delthedriver

Thanks everyone for your responses. I will check out pollen filters and air vents in the morning. Hopefully that will solve it