Odor Removal Problem – Any Ideas?

My Detailing Guys

My Detailing Guys

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A couple of weeks ago I had a client contact me about having an odor removed from his car. Please bare with me as I tell the story. The car is a 2011 Buick LeCrosse (very clean). He took his car to the dealership to have a couple of scratches repainted on top of the trunk (exterior). Picks his car up and noticed the interior has a paint smell. The dealership told him it would go away in a few days, well after a week the smell was still present. The client took his car back to the dealership, they said they would detail the interior and run their ozone generator for 24 hours. He picks his car up and now it has an ozone odor smell. They tell him, the smell will go away in a few days. After a couple of days the smell was still there. He returns again to the dealership, and they offer to wipe down the interior and this time they placed about 10 air freshener tablets in the cabin and trunk. After having the tablets in for a couple of days, now the car has an overwhelming smell of these tablets, and he decides to remove the tablet from the car. He calls the dealership, and at this point they tell the client there’s nothing more they can do. They offer him to have the car detailed by a detailer of his choice, and they would pay for it, that’s where I come in.

When I arrived, he opened the truck and I could smell the strong scent of the air freshener but it had an apple “core” smell to me (not an rotting apple smell). I told him I would do my best to remove the odor. I did a complete deep clean (Steam & Extraction, using an APC) from the headliner, dash, leather seats, to the carpet, including the trunk, followed by running my ozone generator for 3 hours. After cleaning and before using the ozone, the smell was gone.

A couple of days later I did a follow up call with the client. The smell was back, much less in the cabin area, but the trunk was still strong. I went back to the client’s house and went through every inch of the car thinking the source was still in the car that I missed, I couldn’t find anything. Nothing smelled when I would put my nose on the carpet, seats, etc., but you could smell it in the air in the trunk compartment. This is the weirdest thing.

The client is a real nice guy, and I’m just at a point where I don’t know what else to do. I want to help this guy solve this issue.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Greg
 
Sounds like a job, and cause its in the trunk its a little harder to clean cause of the material why don't you use a steamer with a microfiber wrap around it with some APC but just be careful not to wet the material too much
 
Wow, you have done what I would do. Maybe try an odor neutralizing spray or bomb like the 2 Meguiars offers.
 
AG sells Dakota Odor Eliminator products. They have never failed me. For viral, bacterial, or mold contamination, Sporicidin is the weapon of choice.
 
I almost think this is all too much. ozone for 24 hours? What was the dealer thinking! Then a bag of air fresheners on top of that. Now your just chasing all the wrong they caused. One would think after the paintwork, a thorough cleaning would have worked. We have all smelled cars fresh from the body shop and it does go away. I have had issues with heavy cigars, smoke, and dogs but never fresh paint. If it were July you could open it up and let it breath. Good luck and be patient you will get it:-)
 
Try and find someone local who offers the DrivePur system. It has NEVER failed to eliminate an odor for me, even severe one. HD also sells an odor fogging bomb that has similar properties to the DrivePur chemicals. One in the cab, one in the trunk, and it might fix your problem.
 
I don't know, but if the car has a cabin air filter, maybe that needs to be replaced. With all the smells, I would think that it would have absorbed it, and keep recirculating it through the vents. You may even have to replace the filter twice.

Also don't know, but maybe a couple boxes of baking soda in the trunk to absorb the odor there.

Good luck!
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

jamesboyy said:
Sounds like a job, and cause its in the trunk its a little harder to clean cause of the material why don't you use a steamer with a microfiber wrap around it with some APC but just be careful not to wet the material too much
Click to expand...

I agree with you on dealing with the material in the trunk. The headliner and trunk area I used a product designed for headliners and trunk material, which has always worked well.

Thanks,
Greg

Natron said:
Wow, you have done what I would do. Maybe try an odor neutralizing spray or bomb like the 2 Meguiars offers.
Click to expand...

I've tried bombs in the past and haven't had much luck with those.

Thanks,
Greg

Mark Rancourt said:
I almost think this is all too much. ozone for 24 hours? What was the dealer thinking! Then a bag of air fresheners on top of that. Now your just chasing all the wrong they caused. One would think after the paintwork, a thorough cleaning would have worked. We have all smelled cars fresh from the body shop and it does go away. I have had issues with heavy cigars, smoke, and dogs but never fresh paint. If it were July you could open it up and let it breath. Good luck and be patient you will get it:-)
Click to expand...

I couldn't believe it when the client told me how long the dealership used the ozone generator. When I spoke to the dealership they told me how they ran the machine for 24 hours (proudly I might add). I was thinking are you nuts? I wasn't even sure if I was going to use mine.

The client has been keeping the windows & trunk open in his garage when he's not driving his car. I wonder if it would make any difference in the garage or outside?

I'm determined to help this client with his problem smell.

Thanks,
Greg

VP Mark said:
Try and find someone local who offers the DrivePur system. It has NEVER failed to eliminate an odor for me, even severe one. HD also sells an odor fogging bomb that has similar properties to the DrivePur chemicals. One in the cab, one in the trunk, and it might fix your problem.
Click to expand...

I need to look into DrivePur.

Thanks,
Greg



Nicholas@Autowerx said:
I've had awesome success with CarPro So2Pure.
Click to expand...

I've read good things about this.

Thanks,
Greg

vet said:
I don't know, but if the car has a cabin air filter, maybe that needs to be replaced. With all the smells, I would think that it would have absorbed it, and keep recirculating it through the vents. You may even have to replace the filter twice.

Also don't know, but maybe a couple boxes of baking soda in the trunk to absorb the odor there.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I instructed the client to have the cabin filter changed, which he did the next morning. I also told him not to run the a/c or heater until it was changed.

I like the baking soda idea, I've had good like with it in other applications.

Thanks,
Greg
 
As a last resort you can put a large (20 pounds or more) open container (like a Rubbermaid tub) of charcoal in the trunk for several days or a week (or more) if you need to. Just do not get it wet (it can spontaneously combust) and make sure it is not the kind that has lighter fluid in it. Charcoal will absorb odors like a champ. It will out perform baking soda but put a couple of boxes in with it for good luck.
 
Also you might want to run some a HVAC deodorizer like Frigie Fresh or somthing thru the heating and air conditioning system.
 
I agree about maybe trying the baking soda. Cheap, easily gotten. Throw 3-4 of the kind used for refrigerators in the trunk, and maybe a couple under the seats.

I know Charcoal is also used to remove odors, and used for making water taste better. I'm thinking it's not the "Kingsford" kind though.
 
Sunlight, and fresh air.

Sunlight will break down the odors from the various chemicals that have already been tried plus convert the ozone to oxygen. If you keep throwing chemicals at it, you might just chemically burn a smell in there permanently. Well, semi permanently, much longer than you'd want it to last or wait for it to clear away.

You need the fresh air to carry the particles creating the smell and saturating the interior air out of the vehicle so that it can become resaturated with those chemicals and carried away again, repeating the process ad nauseum.


The other suggestion I would have is to just keep attacking the area with steam, the water might help flush the offending chemicals out.

I just can't see where adding more chemicals to the situation would be beneficial if the odor is being created by chemicals already used to treat an existing problem.
 
Agree too about perhaps replacing the cabin filter. Perhaps it's never been changed, and wouldn't hurt anyway.
 
aim4squirrels said:
I just can't see where adding more chemicals to the situation would be beneficial if the odor is being created by chemicals already used to treat an existing problem.
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This is why I was recommending So2Pure. The active ingredient in this product is titanium dioxide, which is a natural photocatalyst. The chemisty of So2Pure allows it to bond to "smell causing molecules" and rapidly oxidize when under exposure of UV light (sunlight works perfectly). The film, when applied to the entire interior, will continue to produce this effect and continuously break down odors. It will dissolve ozone smells as well as other hard to remove chemical type odors. It will even dissolve "good" odors such as from an air freshener product.

You are now dealing with several different odors (original odor, ozone odor, chemical cleaner, air freshener, etc.) in my experience So2Pure will effectively combat all of these.
 
MarkD51 said:
I agree about maybe trying the baking soda. Cheap, easily gotten. Throw 3-4 of the kind used for refrigerators in the trunk, and maybe a couple under the seats.

I know Charcoal is also used to remove odors, and used for making water taste better. I'm thinking it's not the "Kingsford" kind though.
Click to expand...

Yep the Kingsford kind. Works great. Don't knock it till you try it. I have used it to great success on all kinds of projects. From taking the odors out of refrigerators, freezers and cars to removing the smoke smell of off laptops and clothes. I assure you the refrigerators and freezers I have used charcoal on would have made a coroner gag. I used to try baking soda first but it just doesn't hang with charcoal.
 
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