My wifes 92 Accord -- a great care problem free since new gives off a wet dog or cat smell when it is damp outside. She is soon ready to get rid of it because several professional cleanings has yet to kill the bacteria causing this odor. Has anyone else ever encountered a similar problem and if solved how so? I really seem to think it comes from the carpeting yet not absolutely sure. Aprreciate any input as it would be a shame to ditch a fine running and good bodied car for this reason and it only has 185000 km on it--I figure there is a good 5 more years in this baby if I can beat the stink. HELP The Artful Codger
Are you sure it's wet dog? My old (1986) car had .. well, it was just wet rain smell. Because there is a bit of leakage in the trunk, so the carpets get wet and smell bad. Have you checked your seals, maybe it leaks somewhere, making the smell return over and over... Otherwise, i'd try something like dish detergent, vinegar, and water mix. to clean.
I agree here. Check the trunk. The seals around the tailights are notorious for leaking. I just discovered, during the Isabel rains, that the tailights on my recently acquired '91 Accord leak. Majestic Honda (www.hondaautmotiveparts.com) sells replacements. I have also heard that some people remove the gasket, cover it on both sides with RTV sealer, let it dry, and then put it back in. I think I will try this first as it seems like that woukd work and be a more permanent fix. Another trouble spot for water is the two molding clips at the bottom of the rear window molding. Look up under the trunk lip and you will see that they extend into the lip. Check for leaks here.
Get a product called OZIUM....Spray it in the intake holes, under the hood, just below the windshield. Set the ventilation system to "FRESH AIR" vs Recirculate, turn fan on high and spray liberally. It will kill the mold and mildew. Do not be afraid to spray the carpeting with it. It works miracles!
It could be a leaking seal but my guess is the air conditioner. Some people make use of Lysol spray and one poster recommended another product that probably smells better than Lysol spray. On hot days--turn the air conditioner on and adjust it so that it is cooling outside air. This should also help in drying out the dirty stinking water (that has the wet dog smell) from inside of the air conditioner. I do this on a regular basis on hot days and no longer have a problem with bad odors coming out of the air conditioner.
turn on your air conditioner full blast and spray Lysol into the air intakes. then drive around for twenty minutes. turn off and let dry overnite.
