Old car smell

cobraboy

cobraboy

Well-Known Member
I know I am setting myself up for this big time, but I have to ask, so to all the wags on here ....... go for it.

My Rover has an old car smell....my dear lady is constantly moaning about smelling of an old Rover after having ridden in it, and if I have been out in it and come home apparently I smell of an old Rover.

Now we both shower fairly regularly, so I am pretty sure it is the car.

There is no damp in the car, nothing is wet. I have changed the front seats, I am sure it is not the rear seats. Could it be all the felt under the carpets ?
Has anyone else had the issue, and how did you cure it ?
It cant be the headlining or door cards, can it ?

Being lazy, anyone know now many sq m of felt in a car ?

I know what is coming and I am laughing already, but if you can put anything helpful in a reply that would be great. :)
 
Perhaps she’d prefer this more modern scent?

D5EA1FAC-0E92-4B39-9BE2-F8E32A4D908A.jpeg

Yeah my money’s on old carpets and felt. Perhaps seat stuffing..

I heard the only way to truly get rid of it is to strip the car down and blast the shell :p
 
Congrats on getting in first Jim.

arthuy said:
is it the damp smell or the hydrocarbon, oil, petrol smell?
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It's musty, not damp, oil or petrol. Don't think it is from the side exhaust as I have sealed the rear doors well and we never have headaches in it.
You don't notice a smell getting in the car, but we can smell it on ourselves after a trip.
 
When I was growing up, my grandad’s early 4 pot was put out to pasture after a DeDion failure. They dragged it back to the farm with a tractor and there it remained I believe.
Us kids used to play in it and I’ll never forget that smell. When I got mine it was like being transported back.
His was white with red leather. I know mine smelled less when I switched the leather for cloth.
I’ve worked on many and they all have it in varying amounts!
 
Hi Mark, might be worth checking the rubber gaiter around throttle shaft which goes through the bulkhead and the gaiter in the pedal box brake master cylinder pushrod / choke cable / reserve cable / wiring grommets.
I've had not so much exhaust fumes but general hot smell and heat info the cabin from these items when perished.
 
cobraboy said:
My Rover has an old car smell.... Has anyone else had the issue, and how did you cure it ?
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I always thought it was a leather/carpet smell, but BOP is the same & it has Ambla seats ;). Not a bad smell; in fact I rather like it, so yours may be a bit more damp etc related.

Our P6s smell exactly the same as when you opened the door of a P6 in a scrapyard back in the day :D
 
clive P62 said:
Hi Mark, might be worth checking the rubber gaiter around throttle shaft which goes through the bulkhead and the gaiter in the pedal box brake master cylinder pushrod / choke cable / reserve cable / wiring grommets.
I've had not so much exhaust fumes but general hot smell and heat info the cabin from these items when perished.
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Hi Clive
I did replace the throttle shaft grommet, but had to slit it, glue it and cable tie the new one to fit it, I will look at the others ta.
I don't think it is a hot engine smell, tho' trouble is I cannot go to one thing, smell it and say ah ha that's it.

Keep safe

Mark
 
Phil Robson said:
I always thought it was a leather/carpet smell, but BOP is the same & it has Ambla seats ;). Not a bad smell; in fact I rather like it, so yours may be a bit more damp etc related.

Our P6s smell exactly the same as when you opened the door of a P6 in a scrapyard back in the day :D
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Definitely not damp, but scrapyard... hmmm, yup that's it, 'eau de scrapyard'

So what is it ?
 
You should take this opportunity to remove a seat, a piece of felt and a carpet and put them in different rooms in your house with the doors shut. See which one smells worst once they’re out of the cabin.
The bitumen type sound deadening has quite a smell too. There’s globs of it around the dash structure
 
I like the old car smell, but I don't get as much with Sparky because of all the work I have done. Pretty sure it's the felt under the carpets.
 
corazon said:
You should take this opportunity to remove a seat, a piece of felt and a carpet and put them in different rooms in your house with the doors shut. See which one smells worst once they’re out of the cabin.
The bitumen type sound deadening has quite a smell too. There’s globs of it around the dash structure
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I want to live a little longer thanks Jim ! Nice try, but I can get into enough trouble as it is........
 
quattro said:
I like the old car smell, but I don't get as much with Sparky because of all the work I have done. Pretty sure it's the felt under the carpets.
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If I was to take a punt, I would go for felt. I see you can still buy that Jute felt, massive strip out job to change it all, and It looks to be part of the main front to back carpet.
 
My money is on it being the old felt. Easy to whip out the stuff under the back seats. Less easy to extricate it from the old carpets, as has been said. There's those two well known rot traps at the outer edges behind the back lower squabs where the felt can get waterlogged. But I'm sure you know those potential rust zones and have long since dealt with rectifying any corrosion there on your car. Jims's second suggestion is spot on. Store a seat squab in one room, a bit of carpet in another, and some felt in a third, and you'll track the smell down. Unless of course it is a mysterious blend of all three component odours.
 
The Rovering Member said:
My better half gets excited when l come home smelling of oil & old leather.

I'll try it with the automotive type one day.
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When Sparky got vandalised the Police turned up, to my surprise, and had a good look around the damage. The young blonde Police lady walked around the garage breathing the hydrocarbon/oil smell in deeply and says, "Oh I do love the smell of these old cars." When she opened the door and stuck her head in, her legs almost gave way. I was thinking, "Get yer coat on Sparky, you've pulled!"

Automotive type :rolleyes:
 
mrtask said:
My money is on it being the old felt. Easy to whip out the stuff under the back seats. Less easy to extricate it from the old carpets, as has been said. There's those two well known rot traps at the outer edges behind the back lower squabs where the felt can get waterlogged. But I'm sure you know those potential rust zones and have long since dealt with rectifying any corrosion there on your car. Jims's second suggestion is spot on. Store a seat squab in one room, a bit of carpet in another, and some felt in a third, and you'll track the smell down. Unless of course it is a mysterious blend of all three component odours.
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You boys are determined to get me thrown out.
I can tell you that the wells under the rear seats by the doors are as good as the day the car left the factory. There is no damp anywhere, I think I am going to have to de felt the thing.
 
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