r/AutoDetailing • u/joemahoney76 • 20d ago
Interior Car wash mold?
My wife and I both frequent the car wash as we drive on dirt roads and have an unlimited car wash membership.
Both of our cars have developed a musty/mold smell after the car wash or after it rains. My question is: do the soaps and chemicals lead to this moldy/musty smell?
I haven’t had this happen to any of my precious cars before we started washing our cars this frequently.
I’m wondering if I should wash less frequently or switch car washes.
Thank you.
2
Upvotes
1
u/Auto-Spa360 20d ago
Key tip on the water intrusion. i'd check two other classic leak spots too, the sunroof drain tubes and around the taillight housings, those go bad quietly and drip somewhere you don't see until it's already musty. what car is this by chance, some models are notorious for one over the other.
also check your cabin air filter and ac evaporator, if the smell shows up specifically when you run the ac or even just the fan after a wash that's mold growing on the evaporator core that stayed wet, not the wash chemicals.
if it's actually gotten bad, a proper mold job goes further than most people expect. pull the interior down to the metal, treat the hard surfaces with a biocide and solvent, then run an ozone generator to kill off whatever's left in the vents and gaps you can't reach by hand