New (to me) Mazda3

[Mr Fatty]

I'm not a new user; I've been here for quite some time, just never posted. Been to 1 or 2 Mazda 3 meets loooong ago, even when I didn't own one.. I finally picked up an 05 GT Hatchback from a very good friend for a really good price. I was with him when he bought the car new and I've borrowed it a few times prior, and now it's mine.

I love the car, everything about it... almost everything... 1, it's automatic, wife hates that, but what can I do, i still like the car; 2. the car has a smell.. a funky.. sour-ish smell. My wife has owned a Mazda3 GT sedan before and told me that her car used to smell similar, and that the interiors of other Mazda3s with the cloth interior have smelled similar...

How do I get rid of it?! It somewhat goes away when i blast AC or put the windows down, but that's not always practical... and when I enter the car when it's hot... the smell just hits me.


Ideas?? Suggestions?! I want the smell gone, not masked, so air fresheners aren't really an option for me.

[Kappa]

welcome man! and well the other day i took my 3 seats out and cleaned all the floors and what not and that really helped the smell but maybe you could get a pro to clean it or something mine smells great! but then again its an 08 lol

[RECREATIONAL_ANXIETY]

Well, not much you can do about #1.... except get a new wife...lol
As far as #2 - I'd say do a complete detail of the entire interior of the car - Clean all plastic parts, shampoo carpets and upholstery, and finish with a deodorizing spray of some kind. You're probably smelling years of crap and bacteria embedded in the carpets & fabrics - when it's hot and the windows are up the bacteria thrives and produces lovely odors. Oh, you can also turn your vents on full blast and spray some Lysol into the cabin air intake to help kill any bacteria inside the vent system.

[mazdabetty]

My wife has owned a Mazda3 GT sedan before and told me that her car used to smell similar, and that the interiors of other Mazda3s with the cloth interior have smelled similar...

Really? Cuz I have an 05 too and it smells like roses.... hahhhaha (no seriously)

Congrats on the new ride, give the carpet a good scrubbing, get an air freshener that attaches to your vent and you should be fine.

[Mr Fatty]

I think I'll do the whole interior removal thing. I've owned nothing but Honda's before and this is my first Automatic car.. lol, the Wife loves driving manual cars as well, so that's the only down side to this one. I hope interior removal for Mazdas is as easy as Honda lol...

Air freshener's aren't an option for me... although in the past, my cars have been loaded with the JDM squash, having babies made me stop putting the chemicaly smell in the air...

Anyone recommend any good detailing shops to do vent cleaning? I hear there are places that will hook up some machine that blasts super hot air into the vents and cabin to clean out the car's vent system; I'd like to go to one and get both cars done.

[mazdatrois]

I have a 05 mazda and it doesn't have any funny smell. I recommend bring it to do some detailing. It will smell "new" after.

[Go_Habs_Go]

Welcome aboard.

My 2008 doesn't have any funky smell...in fact on some really hot days it still has that 'new car' smell. Probably manufacturing chemicals still seeping out from the interior materials. Makes you wonder what the f**k they used in the first place.

Anyway, I suggest you wash your carpets and upholstery. Try doing it yourself first and if it doesn't work take it to a professional detailer.

[Linkz]

Welcome