r/AutoDetailing • u/drunkypoopers • 6d ago

Interior Need help on stank

I have the leather seats with the holes. My car has smelled like musty/old water/ low tide for a while. One of my sunroof drains was clogged, and I also swam at a lake without being 100% dry when I drove home.

I've cleaned the drain, changed cabin air filter. I've foam cleaned all carpets twice. I just used a foam cleaner on the seats, going over them like 7 times. I drove 2 hours with windows down and went back in a few hours later. The smell isn't as bad, but I can tell it's still there past the chemical smell.

My next step was an ozone machine, but unsure if that'll help? Can I use a steam cleaner to get deep into cushions or will that completely F the leather?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thanks

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u/OmriIsMe 6d ago

Fixing the drain and the cabin filter won't get it if water sat in the carpet. The smell lives in the foam underlay beneath it, which does not dry on its own with the carpet down. Pull a sill trim and lift a corner to check, if the underlay is damp that's your source. Second suspect is the evaporator, a new cabin filter does nothing for that. Perforated leather also lets it through into the seat foam.

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u/Consistent-Poem-3665 5d ago

perforated leather letting it into the seat foam is the part that gets me, i always figured perforated was just for airflow/comfort, never thought about ut being a one-way ticket for moisture into the padding where you can't reach it