Didn't update this thread for a while as the battle is long and hard...finally found the origin of the smell: the ventilation modules. The sponge isolating them is rotten and cracked. Actually all the dashboard was attacked by humidity mildew and rust. Strangely, the rest of the car is intact. Check out the pics below and the million dollar question is: with what should i replace the rotten sponge with? Seems i need a tailored job as i can't source those anywhere, right?

 

Talk about going all the way.....man I've got a smell from the AC also but I'll have to live with it before I dive in this deep.

Hats off to you!

 

So, that's what our cars look like without their dashboards. Must have been such a relief to discover the origins of your smell. I wonder why some Jags suffer from this aliment and others do not. Climate? Water intrusion?

 

If i wouldn't have the best jaguar mechanic in the country and maybe Europe i wouldn't have dared. But believe me, that smell is not supportable nor healthy. Plus i'm planning to keep the car for a long time.

 

Yes, i took it by elimination and left the dashboard last. It was still smelling so surely it was coming from the ventilation units. Yes, quite a relief! As for what happened i am not really sure. The car lived most of its life in Italy near Venice, an area famous for its damp garages. Thing is the floor for example is perfect, tottaly rust free. The only 'attacked' part was the ventilation and the interior of the dashboard. Don't know how that happened. And now looking for replacement for that sponge isolation.

 

Call some of your local HVAC contractors. They will have the widest array of filtration material as well as the best advice regarding what product to select for your unique application....

 

I mentioned this AutoZone product earlier in the thread. I can't say it would have alleviated your problem, given its extent. But my car's smell was pretty bad, very noticeable and very unpleasant. This stuff knocked it out in a couple of days. After a year or so, I thought the smell was returning, so I quickly picked up a new can. Turned out I was probably imagining the smell. (You know how your mind can't help but expect challenges with these cars.) That was at least three years ago and still no smell. I bought this spray as a last resort before getting deeper into the dashboard than I already had. I was skeptical, naturally, as most cures don't come in a can. But it proved itself with flying colors for me. I'd definitely recommend it to any owner with a smelly HVAC system. Certainly worth the few bucks it costs to try it out. Just know it your car will smell like a flowery air freshener for the first day or so. Then magically, it all goes away!

 

Hi

Thank you for the tip, unfortunately this product is not available in my country. i tried a Meguiar product that is similar with this one. but as you can see from the pictures, there is no way a spray or vapor or ozone can do anything to that sponge. that sponge needs to go away...

Thank you

 

So i'm hoping i'm at the end of the mildew war. HVAC is clean, all the rotten sponge was gone. Vital Oxide arrived and we used it on all parts. The only things that still have a faint smell are the carpets. Also found a bit of rust underneath the driver's side (left side). So at some point in time water has somehow crawled in and made a mess. The car was left in a heavy rain and there is no sign of leakage now, so i hope the water infiltration issue is gone.

As i went all the way the only thing that needs fixing are the carpets. Even if heavily sprayed with Vital Oxide they still keep a faint smell. The question is: should i keep them, use the car and hope for the smell to go (there are no visible signs of mildew, it's just the smell) or should i change the carpets? And if i decide to do so, where should i source them from?

Thank you and please keep your fingers crossed for a smell-free beautiful Jag.

 

I can't say off the top of my head where the best source for carpets is. But I do recall when I did see replacement sets, they were surprisingly affordable A few hundred dollars if memory serves me. And being preformed they looked relatively easy to install. Good luck!
John

 

Hi John

So far i've just found a company in US that recreates the flooring for classic cars after the original plans. They don't have yet the ones for XK8. Any other link would be highly appreciated, one in europe would be great. Thank you

 

So 3 months ago i thought the war is over...not really

I am really stubborn and try to do things right as i really want to keep this car a long time.

So now the interior is stripped down again (the second time). We've soaked the carpets and the seat foams into a pool filled with water and cleaning substances and let them dry in the sun. We've soaked all interior isolating materials - although we'll change them with new ones from Dynamat. Took off, sprayed and disinfected the dashboard. Re-done the roof lining again killing the smell.

Now the car is sheer metal at the interior, we're changing the isolation spongy material that covers some electric cables with new ones, waiting for the Dynamat to arrive.

The only thing that we weren't able to save are the leather seat covers. New ones were ordered.

Didn't think a smell and a small leak would have led to this. The good part is that we're kind of reconditioning the car for the future - although everything looks crisp (metal, wiring, materials, carpets etc) for a 20 year old car. It took a while but i wanted to save as much as possible from the original materials. I think than in around 6 weeks it's going to be done and hopefully stink free. But i can't imagine any source of spores left.

Wish me luck please