When it's very humid outside, and especially when it rains, the cabin of my car gets a strong mildew/mold/nastiness smell to it.

I remedy this by turning on the heat, and very quickly the heat pushes the smell out, or my nose gets used to the smell, or maybe a little bit of both.

Here's some relevant background info

* I washed my carpets and put them back in, they weren't 100% dry at the time. BUT - they don't smell bad if i put my nose to them and sniff.

* Months ago, rain water seeped through my ECU box and rusted out a bunch of remotes and also ended up splashing my feet near the pedals. I took it to an Audi dealer who repaired the remote switches and sealed up the hole - perhaps they have missed something?

So i'm wondering what I can do besides haul it into the Audi dealer to get ripped off. Is there sound deadening material that could have gotten wet and has molded and now gives off an odor? Could water be collecting somewhere inside the cabin?

One important thing is, it doesn't seem to smell at all when it's dry out, like it has to be 'activated' by moisture - maybe thats just the nature of mold?

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas...

Milez

 

change your cabin filter, chances are it got wet and still hasnt dried out yet

 

+1 .... i had an awful smell for around a month, had the carpets shampooed and all and nothing would get rid of it. I looked at the filter next to the battery and there was a solid 2 large handfuls of leaves/crap in there. once i cleared that out the smell went away. Try that

 

thanks for the tip. I checked the filter near the battery - it was about the size of a of a peice of paper. I saw a few small peices of dirt/leaves but it didn't smell bad and it felt dry to the touch.

I shot it with some canned air and put it back. I'll let ya know how it goes - it's been raining non-stop.

thanks again

Milez

 

I also recently noticed a strange smell in the house. It is especially strong in the bathroom. It is a bit like an earthy smell.