When I changed to the IGEE seat covers, I had to remove the seats to make installation possible. Since the seats were removed, I was able to scrub the carpets 2 - 3 times with Tuff Stuff. I also added a little Carpet Fresh, when the scrubbing was finished. That eliminated the much dreaded "Fiero Smell" ...for the time being, anyway. bb
It's been my experience, that once the HVAC box has been cleaned of moldy debris (leaves, mice remains and their nests), that everything else smells better just by airing it out. The best results include thoroughly blowing out the debris packed in the A/C unit fins. A lot of work, but my 86 is very nice now. Dreading the process on my 87, which is next. And another source of smell is the insulation under the center console. Perhaps a good disinfectant spray to soak it with and air dry prior to reinstall.
My 76 Corvette had been sitting a long time before I bought it. Mice and rats lived there. I had read somewhere that if you spread fresh coffee grounds over the carpet or floor and anywhere else, that would do the trick. In my case it worked better than expected. Cleaned it up with a shop vac after a week or so and the odors were gone. Never did smell bad again.
When I bought my 88, it had a mix of smoke/musty/grosswhatever smell going on.
Took out the carpet, headliner, and seats and replaced them the same from my 86 that I had shampooed, the old Hoover house unit seemed to do the trick. But for the HVAC, I turned the controls on to vent in outside air, the sprayed in Lysol in the hood intake area by the windshield, then I set the controls on RECIRC and let the lysol work its away around all the vents and settings. Once it dried I took out the entire dash and cleaned all that I could to get out any debris/dust, etc. Still smells fresh today
I had read somewhere that if you spread fresh coffee grounds over the carpet or floor and anywhere else, that would do the trick. In my case it worked better than expected.
Now the inside of your car smells like a Starbucks!
Last time I had this issue with my 85, I completely stripped the interior down to the bare metal. I cleaned everything and then reassembled. However, if you're just looking for something to try that's really quick that doesn't require a lot of effort, I've had some success with a product called Ozium. Like some of the folks mentioned above, you'll want to have your system set on recirculate.
When I get a "new to me" Fiero, first thing is pulling the carpets and taking them to the carwash to be power washed. I normally hang them with the floor mat clamps on the wall of most wash bays. Then take them home and leave the carpets at and angle (so the excess water can run off) and in the sun for a couple of days to fully dry. Then reinstall.
While that is happening, Let the seats and headliner sit in the sun and breeze for a couple of days. Vacuum up all the cigarette ash in the console area in front of the shifter. If needed, wash that area down. Pull the blower motor and pull whatever is in the HVAC duckwork.
I do what Fieroguru does as well, but I do one extra step while cleaning the carpets. You need to find a professional carpet cleaning company and see if they will sell you the industrial strength cleaner / deodorizer. I purchased a gallon of the stuff a few years ago and nothing works quite like it. I was in a clear gallon jug with no labeling on it It is a yellow color...looks like urine after you after you have taken a bunch of multi-vitamins....sorry but that is what it looks like color wise.
[This message has been edited by TXOPIE (edited 05-27-2016).]
When I changed to the IGEE seat covers, I had to remove the seats to make installation possible. Since the seats were removed, I was able to scrub the carpets 2 - 3 times with Tuff Stuff. I also added a little Carpet Fresh, when the scrubbing was finished. That eliminated the much dreaded "Fiero Smell" ...for the time being, anyway. bb
My 76 Corvette had been sitting a long time before I bought it. Mice and rats lived there. I had read somewhere that if you spread fresh coffee grounds over the carpet or floor and anywhere else, that would do the trick. In my case it worked better than expected. Cleaned it up with a shop vac after a week or so and the odors were gone. Never did smell bad again.
"Take a bunch of newspapers, crinkle the pages up and throw them into the car willy-nilly. Close the doors and let sit a day or two, and the newspapers will absorb the odor."
The starbucks smell soon disipated. I can not remember where I read that idea. It may have been on this site. I did have to clean the ducting, but it wasn't too bad to do. The person I sold the car to did some additional refurbishment, and when he removed the door panels to see why the windows were slow, he found plenty of evidence of the mouse/rat inhabitants. That didn't seem to cause the smell to linger or I would have been in there myself. Seems the majority of odors are stored in the carpets, seats and maybe even the headliner. Shampoing and use of the vac helps a lot.
The starbucks smell soon disipated. I can not remember where I read that idea.
I worked as a coffee roasterman back in the 80's. It was common knowledge back then to use ground coffee to absorb odors. Baking soda is used in the same manner.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 05-27-2016).]
I've had good results with activated charcoal (aquarium filter media). Sprinkle on carpet or pour it out in a pan if it's in a room that smells musty. Also good if you're going to store a car for a while. I know someone who swears by regular charcoal briquettes as well, crushed up. I haven't tried those, and wouldn't use any that had lighter fluid in them...
... I know someone who swears by regular charcoal briquettes as well, crushed up. I haven't tried those, and wouldn't use any that had lighter fluid in them...
Ah yes, then Patricks flamethrower trick would work better tho!
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
[This message has been edited by Spoon (edited 06-04-2016).]
