Hi All,

It's been more than a year that i'm fighting this war against an invisible enemy in my car. When i purchased it one year and 4 months ago, i was really nervous regarding the mechanical part, as the interior looked mint. Thank God, so far the car runs like a charm. The only problem is this vile mold smell that gets caught in the clothes, in the hair, everywhere.

I am finding myself in the situation of running a bit out of solutions, but here are the steps i've completed so far in my quest. I have tried to take it step by step and tried to save as much original components as possible:

Roof lining - smelled bad - an upholsterer redid the textile part, using a lot of glue. I think it still smells. i will order a new one, found a resource.

Leather seat covers - although they looked IMPECCABLE the smell was unbearable and there were some greeny traces on the interior. I put them on a side and ordered new ones.

Seat foams - they smelled however there was no visible trace of mold - apart some black spots (not sure if this is mold or not). Left them soaked in a water basin together with cleaning detergent for a few days and then left them in the sun to dry well. at the first glance they didn't smell. now with the new leather covers on top, if driving for more than 15 minutes, the clothes in contact with leather do smell. so not sure about those either. Couldn't find replacements for those.

Flooring - removed the flooring and again soaked it in water with detergent and then left it to dry in the sun. i don't think it smells.

Door panels, rear lateral panels - they smelled and when taken down there were some interior signs of mold. thoroughly cleaned and sprayed with anti mold detailer substance.

Car isolation - smelled really bad, threw it away and replaced it with Dynamat, behind the dash, on door panels, rear panels, underneath the rear seat etc.

Dashboard - dismantled it twice (lot of work, amazing mechanics). Dismantled all ventilation units, replaced the isolation material (it stank really bad). Cleaned the evaporator, the plenum (there's no pollen filter on this car). Ozoned the system multiple times. Still, when starting the ventilation seems that smell comes out of the grilles. Any ideas where we should clean?

The dashboard itself (the structure) smelled really bad. Found some replacements only in US (based in Europe) and shipping is more expensive than the part. BEar in mind that the dash material is a kind of plastic, again looking MINT but smelling like hell. We've painted the non-visible parts but i think it still smells.

steering wheel: replaced the leather on the wheel and the center piece and somehow tried to clean the airbag (yes, that smelled too).

To all the above i've added new leather covers and the situation is like this:

the car still smells. i'm really afraid that the new leathers might get contaminated. i'm not sure if i'm dealing with a contamination that is in the air or there are parts that still need changing. i'll change the roof, look for seat foams but they are hard to get and also for a dashboard structure. Again, this **** of bacteria is invisible.

sorry for the long story but i'm wondering if anybody has encountered something like this and if there is a fix or a hint of what should i do. I'm grateful for an amazing team of leather specialists, detailers and mechanics that helped and made this project not cost a fortune.

currently i have requested a biological analysis of the air inside the car (yes, it has come to this) to try and identify the enemy and maybe find an antidote.

i just want to add that there was a point in which the interior was completely stripped down to bare metal (except for the steering wheel, that was smelling) and the smell was there. but i think (hope) it was coming from the steering wheel.

there's also the initial thread here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lining-157697/

Thank you

 

Radu, where are you from? Sounds like you are fighting quite a battle I hope you're using the most effective mold killing compound you can. It reminds me of an article I read about refinishing wooden decks. Often they are covered in mold, one may jump to using chlorine. Kills mold on contact and let's face it you can't get any more "natural " than that. Problem is, mold penetrates into the wood, chlorine solutions do not. Gosh I forgot what was recommended for wood decks, the point of the story is that whatever you use must take penetration into account.

I've had great success with "Simple Nine" but it cannot be used around food surfaces and you've got a very specific application. Does formaldehyde harm leather? I wonder.

You know, sometimes simple is best. Radu, it often amazes me that we can smell a pizza stored in the trunk as we drive home with the roof open at 40mph. Any chance you've overlooked the trunk?

Just brainstorming, from what you wrote you can smell "it" on specific cabin surfaces. Was the car in a flood or something? Some of us have extraordinary olfactory abilities are you one? (just trying to guage what you smell).

In summary from your write up it seems that you haven't been able to eradicate the mold smell from specific surfaces, not that it's hiding somewhere you can't find?

Can you even define all locations of mold smell at this point?

John

 

Hi John,

I'm from Romania. So far we've been using Vital Oxide on all surfaces, read pretty good reviews of it. The trunk is the only thing saved so far. it reeked but now it smells fine. i mean it smells the way a 20-year-old car smells.

i'm no "sensitive nose". for example i drive the car without problems, sometimes i get used to the smell or it dissapears but from time to time there are moments in which "waves" of smell come inside. anyway, when arriving home my wife says "you've taken the jaguar, right?" and unfortunately she doesn't want to get in

and it's not only the smell. or the smell is not the problem. the problem is it gets in the clothes and hair and that means there are spores flying all over the place.

as "brainstorming", i feel that the areas that still smell are the roof - soon to be changed, the dashboard structure - hard to find and maybe the seat foams - again a pain to find. These foams also worry me the most as i wouldn't want the new leathers to get contaminated. also when starting the ventilation system i get the smell but i really don't know which other element apart from those 2 or 3 heating/cooling units in the dash that were throughly cleaned might be dirty or contaminated.

the car was not flooded. it came from Italy, somewhere near Venice, owned by an old guy for the last 10 years or so. water has infiltrated somewhere behind the windscreen on the top left side and it was kept in a dark humid garage. the perfect climate for mold development.

i'm also in discussions with Arden (Jaguar preparators from Germany) and i will send them the old leathers to see if they can save them or not.

but a guy that runs a very good car shop for the last 25 years advised me to order this biological test. maybe it's something with an easier and magic fix

 

Here is your solution...read up on this so you know I'm not pulling your leg.

Go rent an Ozone machine/generator from your local equipment rental store. My local area (in the U.S.A) they run about
$75.00 for 24 hours, and they are about the size of a loaf of bread.

Do this:
1) Put the Ozone machine inside your car with all windows up except one to allow for the power cord (or just close the cord in the door)
2) Start your car and turn the heater on high hot
3) Turn on the Ozone machine and exit the car.
4) Leave the car running for a minimum of one hour, more if you want.

The Ozone machine generates Ozone which neutralizes all mold bacteria, and all horrid car smells...including rotten fish.
Leaving the car running is so the battery wont run down, and the heater on high/hot is so the Ozone can completely penetrate and saturate every single surface in your car....all of it. The Ozone will absolutely destroy every living thing that is in your car. All microbes, all mold spores, all butt stink and sweat stench on the seats. Doors, carpet, headliner, inner dash, under the seats, IN the seats.

How do you think car lots get the smell out of used cars? That's right...

Ozone machine/generators

 

Are you sure where the Oder is coming from? You may want to pull the rear seat and see if you show evidence of water.

Gus
www.jagrepair.com

 

As i mentioned in the initial post, we used Ozone machines for 3-4 times, not more than 15 minutes per session, as ozone itself leaves a funny smell if used extensively

 

Ozone will attack rubber and some plastics, so be cautious. I have used biocidal chemicals that are used in residential mold and mildew treatment. They usually contain N alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides or similar.

 

Hi Gus,

the interior was stripped to the bare metal. No sign of water.

 

Trilapis,

Apparently this is a Used Car that has been in a Flood an sat for a good while....Mold really likes a closed space and heat....Smells awful as it grows...Really hard to get rid of!

You need to do what the Pros do! Do what Marvin D. Miller told you to do....He knows what he's talking about! What smells worst? Mold or Ozone?

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

Perhaps I have lost the plot but has anyone noticed that it April Fools day?!

 

Mr Clyde, maybe i wasn't clear enough. I HAVE USED OZONE. It's just that i did in shorter sessions. Are you implying i should try longer ones? Do what the pros do? I have dismantled it to bare metal. I have changed all the parts that were contaminated or smelling. I don't think the car was flooded. A flood would have had led marks to the amazingly complex electronics, and everything works fine. There is a small trace of rust showing the infiltration in the ceiling near the windshield. That, combined with a damp dark garage, is more than enough.

 

Gee Man...don't bite my leg off! Call up a Car Dealer and ask them what they would do in this case.....They have to deal with Smokers, Dead People, mold and all sort of things! Mr. Miller seems to know what he is talking about, so why not try it or SELL it!

Your Welcome!

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

15 minutes wont kill the odor, even if you do it 3-4 times. You need complete saturation for a minimum...minimum of one hour. I had a 1987 XJ6 that had been left closed up for three solid years. Hot summer, freezing winter, hot summer, freezing winter, hot summer, freezing winter and then into the spring. The car smelled like an old moldy book store. The mold/mildew on the back seat had grown on the drivers side to the point that is was white, hard and actually swelled the leather a good 1/8 inch. I put an Ozone generator inside the car and did what I mentioned above for two hours and the mold/mildew/old book smell was gone. Physically everything looked the same, but the mold spores and what ever else was in there, was dead. Driving with the windows down for two days and the Ozone scent was also gone.

 

After taking a 911 down to bare metal and putting it back together again, this post leaves me baffled. In 50 years of driving cars in rainy Washington, I've owned mossy cars. Moldy cars. Exhausty cars. Oily cars. Chain smoky cars. Lived in cars. Barfed in cars. A '63 Rat-Vert with water up to the door sills.
Try a little can of Ozium air fresh for cars. I've been using it for 25 years. Spray it in and let sit overnight. Keep using it overnight until problem is solved. I've been using the 'Original' unscented. It doesn't perfume the cars' interior but kills the odor. Or not.

Good Luck; Jip

 

Ok, i will insist with the ozone and let you know. So the temperature should be set to high heat? I remember putting it on Low (AC) when we've used the machine.

Thank you

 

Yes, high heat. When you put it on low (AC) you effectively sealed off the heater core box by having the blend doors closed. I bet that's where the mold is...in the fins and heater box of the heater core...

TA-DAH!!!

 

Mr. Miller, Thanks for stepping in and explaining to him "how to do it!" That's all I have to say about the matter!

Billy Clyde

 

Per Trilapis; ''Leather seat covers - although they looked IMPECCABLE the smell was unbearable and there were some greeny traces on the interior. I put them on a side and ordered new ones''.

''Seat foams - they smelled however there was no visible trace of mold - apart some black spots (not sure if this is mold or not). Left them soaked in a water basin together with cleaning detergent for a few days and then left them in the sun to dry well. at the first glance they didn't smell. now with the new leather covers on top, if driving for more than 15 minutes, the clothes in contact with leather do smell. so not sure about those either. Couldn't find replacements for those''.

Per Jip; I'm a little confused here, Trilapis. Please help me out. You did not re-install the old leather seat upholstery but, ''put them on a side and ordered new ones''.
Per Trilapis; ''now with the new leather covers on top, if driving for more than 15 minutes, the clothes in contact with leather do smell. so not sure about those either. Couldn't find replacements for those''.
Per Trilapis; 'To all the above i've added new leather covers and the situation is like this: ''the car still smells. i'm really afraid that the new leathers might get contaminated. i'm not sure if i'm dealing with a contamination that is in the air or there are parts that still need changing. i'll change the roof, look for seat foams but they are hard to get,,,,''
Per Jip; After your cleaning of the original foam, your upholsterer, or Toggerist re-installed the original foam? From my experience any upholsterer would have access to a selection of seat foams of various densities from hard to soft and everything in between. Maybe that is why you can't find replacement Jaguar seat foams. The upholsterer makes them. In my case, Debby is cutting foam, as we speak.
And, 'if driving for more than 15 minutes, the clothes in contact with leather do smell.''
Just a guess here, but I'm wondering if the re-installed original foam rubber might be a/the culprit. Foam rubber is like a kitchen sponge which can get stinky and all of the disinfecting in the world cannot 'sterilize' it and may become odiferous again after a few days, weeks or months. Throughly drying seat foam might take many days in the sun or with heat. We really don't know how many liters of milk the previous owner accidentally leaked into the seats over ten years ago. Maybe that is why it was parked. Maybe they just gave up.

Just some ideas, Trilapis. I'm only trying to help out.

'Cheers' Jip

 

Dear Jip,
Thank you so much for the input. I think there was an error in my english. by "putting on a side" the old covers i meant "put them in a plastic bag and threw them away".

Other than that, you are absoluletly right about the seat foams. We've left them soaked for one week and to dry in the sun for another one, that was last summer. Now, when you were smelling them it smelled only of detergent and "sponge", however if driving on them (without leather covers) the clothes smelled...

Problem is to create foams from scratch for this car is almost impossible. The upholsterer i'm working with is really good, he's recreating interiors for old DB4's and Jaguars. Same goes with your 911, if that is an old model. The seat foam shape is very simple. however, newer type of cars have very complicated shapes that are almost impossible to be recreated by hand. If Debbie can do those shapes that i'd be happy to ask her for a quote.

Again thank you for the input. I will blast the car with 2-3 powerful ozone sessions (i'm in the process of finding a 7000 mg per hour machine) and if that won't help i will proceed in changing the foams, the roof, the carpets and ultimately the dash structure...until the smell will dissapear.

 

I have a 2003 Jaguar S type R. I also smell mold in the vehicle, but haven been unable to identify where it's coming from. I've brought it in to multiple mechanics and dealers, and none of their solutions have worked. When I drive the car, I don't know if it's paranoia or not but I feel light headed so I always make sure to leave the window open so I have fresh air. It's such a beautiful pleasant ride, and I would hate to give it up. If you find a solution, please let me know.

-mike