Whenever i get the interior of my 87 300E wet, either by coming in from the rain or from sweating a lot in the summer heat, the car develops a rather bad odor (that eventually goes away after a day or two). Any ideas on what could cause this? I've cleaned the leather surfaces a couple of times with lexol, I think that helps but I won't know for sure until the rainy season arrives in a couple months.

thanks,
anthony

Anthony,
Are you sure the smell isn't coming from the vents or wet carpeting? Next time you get the bad odor, wipe down the seats with a dry rag and see if it remains. Make sure nothing else (raincoat, boots, etc) is in the car that could be the cause. If the smell comes from the ventilation system there is a cure for that. How old or clean are the mats? A new set of genuine (non OEM mats seem to make a car smell funny to me) floormats can really help out if stains or odors have taken up permanent or semi-permanent residence. If you are interested fill out a PartsShop inquiry and we will let you know about the mats ASAP.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee,
I DO have a somewhat odd odor coming from the vents occasionally. What is the "cure" you referred to? Thanks

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89 190E 2.6 Auto, 48k mi

I'm pretty sure the odor is coming from some part of the seats. It only surfaces occasionally (i.e. not every time it rains, not year round, not seasonally), and the only correlation I can think of is when the seats are allowed to get wet/damp for more than a moment. I *think* i remember sniffing around the car one time, and it seemed like the seats were giving off the odor. But it seems like it's pretty uncommon for the upholstry to do this, so i'll wait until it happens again and post back with more conclusive details.

thanks,
anthony

[This message has been edited by anthonyb (edited 09-02-1999).]

Dave,
Although I have never tried it myself (thankfully no odor problems from the vents of my car(s) yet. The "poor man's cure" is to turn the ventilation system on, then spray Lysol disinfectant spray into the air intake vents of the climate control system for awhile. There are of course, more professional solutions that your dealer or independent can do. But for the individual DIY'er, that is about the best I can offer for a quick job/solution.

Anthonyb,
Perhaps it isnt the leather but the padding underneath the leather. Try pressing down sharply on the seat then smelling for that "odd odor". The agitation of the seat should raise any of whatever may be down there causing the odor. You could take the seats apart, but from talking with Benzmac, that is a very large headache.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee where is the air intakes on a 129 benz?

Should be in your owner's manual, its been some time since I've been in a 129. Usual suspects are under the seats, under the dash, etc. Check those areas and if no luck look in the owner's manual.

Hope this helps...Lee

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist. This "seat odor" thing just had me chuckling inside -- anyone else? Are you sure the "odor" wasn't "deposited" in the seats from a previous owner who had one too many close calls

Again my apologies; I just couldn't let this one go -- my "sick" humor for the day. If it put a on some of your faces today that's great, if it made you I'm sorry

Brian

Febreeze works well around the home, I wonder if that might help. $5 solution?