[theFUNsun]

I'm the happy new owner of a used VW Eos with 45K miles and a newbie to the Eos Club I'm planning some upgrades to the car and the very first thing I want to address is... the smell.

So the car smells like my grandpa's house. I'm assuming there is mold and mildew somewhere, but I'm not sure what to do about it or even where it's coming from. I've already detailed the interior with Mr. Clean, lysol, armorall, etc... The interior looks really great and the carpet looks clean, maybe newly replaced by the seller. The musty smell is apparent the moment you step into the car and before you turn on the air conditioner. Anyone else delt with this? It must be a pretty common issue with any convertible.

I found a VW Technical Bulletin from Sept 26, 2007 that details treatment for a musty odor from the A/C, but I think what my car has is a bit more extensive than just the A/C, although I'm sure the treatment couldn't hurt.

Any advice on locating and treating the scent? Thanks in advance.

 

[Elan Sprint '72]

Have you had a look in the boot (trunk) under the board which covers the spare wheel?
I was getting water into there somehow and the underside of the board was green with mould.

 

[Doolallygirl]

I had this when I had a leak into my boot, I couldn't see that the carpet was mouldy either, but I had a bigger leak I didn't know about in the middle of the car and all carpets were replaced by VW and I was given a compensation package too.

I would take the car in and say that you think there may be a leak as you can smell damp and leave them to investigate.

 

[Blessed_Badger]

I too had a funny smell (like wet / mouldy trainers) and eventually tracked it down to the boot and rear passenger carpet, which were both wet. The rear passenger carpet was soaking under the mat and took days of hair dryer / heat from aircon directed at it to dry out. The boot was letting in water at the back corners of the lower part which was then dripping into the spare tyre section, but this would dry out itself after / during each journey.

Initially I tried to put up with both the wetness and the smell (after reading DLG's and others horror stories with dealers thought I'd just live with it!) but eventually the missus refused to get in the car and I decided that it probably wasn't doing our 16 month old any good breathing it in whenever she was in the car.

After waiting nearly a month for a courtesy car my local dealer (Smith Kinght Fay Oldham (very good service, many thanks)) sorted it out. Replacing the seals for both the boot and rear 3/4 windows and it has been fine since (including the heavy rain of the last few days in here Rochdale!).

I have now written my very positive review for Whatcar.com (as it only ever seems to have negative reviews on there) and despite the initial problems with the water ingress and resultant smell (which has now gone completely) am now loving the car.

Would definately advise that you have it checked out by a dealer. I liked the car a lot, even with the damp carpet and smell. Now it's fixed, it is truly the best car I've had (and I've had over a dozen in 11 years to compare it to).

 

[theFUNsun]

Many thanks for the replies! It has been pretty rainy here in San Francisco lately, so it was a good time to see if there were any leaks. The area around the spare tire is still dry. The only place I see dripping water was down the bars on the left and right of the windshield, so I guess that's fix-it item #2 (it's a used car). I'll speak with a local dealership and see what they can do.

I agree about the car though. I've owned my Eos for only a week and a half now, a rainy one at that, and I'm totally in love with it. Can't wait for the sun to come out though

 

[SKIDOO]

theFUNsun, Let us know how you get on and what the dealer says
Gary

 

[cotton]

Musty Odor

I just took possession of my 2007 EOS Komfort with 40,000 miles. When I purchased the vehicle the dealership had put a air freshener pad in the center console. I removed it and took possession in about 2 weeks (because the dealership had some maintenance to do). When I got the vehicle (yesterday) I immediately noticed the musty smell. Actually it smells like cat urine. I had looked at another 2007 EOS Lux VR6 and it smelled the same way.

Thank you for the information on this forum. I will use this information when I visit my local dealer this week.

 

[midician]

Musty Odor

Musty smell in a car = leak or poor care. Beware. May have been a pet owner whose pet peed in car, but usually it means water leak.

 

[James55]

Unpleasant odour!

I have had my Eos for 2 weeks, and a few days after collection started to get a smell as mentioned, like cat urine! (all the neighbourhood cats were getting the blame for visiting my garage) - don't appear to have any leaks, but the sponge in the boot covering the roof motor is wet and this is where I think the smell is coming from - it is due back at the dealers next week to have a new sponge fitted - I am hoping this will be the end of the bad odour!

Has anyone else had the same experience, and if so what solved the problem.

Jim

 

[cotton]

Since my first message I have investigated online how to get rid of cat urine odor. I soaked the rear carpet (all of the odor seemed to come from the passenger side rear) with a mixture of 1 part vinegar 3 parts water. After the soaking I blotted the carpet "dry" and then sprinkled the area with baking soda. I then parked the car in the sun with the top down until the carpet was completely dry. Then I vacuumed up the baking soda. This morning the odor appears to be gone. If in fact this odor was from cat urine, I think I have fixed the problem. If not, then I have a leak to find.

 

[msbannett]

Cat Urine Smell...

My 08 Eos has just had the carpet and padding replaced at the dealer due to a funky, pungent odor similar to what has been described in earlier posts - cat urine. I am glad to find that I am not alone in this but not glad that the issue exists at all! After having the car tested by an independant lab I know that it is not mold. What is it?!?! The smell is still there, VW says take it to the dealer, the dealer says it will try to fix but does not know what the problem is and cant get to for another 3 days and I am trying to figure out what is the cause and where it is coming from. Anyone have any concrete insight into the cause and solution? I am going to have them sanitize the AC system and ducts and detail the car completely. Do the seats, which absorb odor as they are filled with foam, need to be replaced? What about the roof liner? The door panels? The dash... anything behind it that could harbor the source? I doubt there is a dead cat stuck in the car! Can anyone offer some help?

 

[mickjane2]

cat smell

Hi I have had this trouble on a couple of cars in the past it turned out to be stagnant water in the air con, I just used an air con sanitizer and problem cured .Mick

 

[msbannett]

Problem Solved... Dealer took back the car and replaced it! After ripping it apart and putting in new carpet, padding, seats, door panel interior foam and not being able to rid the car of the stench entirely they finally agreed to take it back!