Mildew Ordor

[JJG01SILVER]

Yesterday, looked at an immaculate, every option, 6-speed 01 C5 coupe with 21000 miles and immediately feel in love with the car. There was, however, a musty, mildew ordor that came from the car when either the door or hatch was opened - which has me a little concerned. Odor seems strongest in the pillar behind the drivers seat but subsides after a while in the car. Carfax report is totally clean and the car has been in a garage with a cover on it for almost a month.

Does anyone know if this is a common problem with these cars and, if so, is it a major repair. I really liked this car!

Would also like to know if there is someway I can obtain the (Chevy) service history on the car and whether it has any of the recalls.

 

[motorman]

any chevy dealer can pull up the cars history. GM has a TSB about the musty smell and the fix for it. you can spray special spary,i have used a product called "ozium" into the air intake in front of the windshield with the blower on high and the system set on outside air.

 

[jjcslynn]

I'd say the top leaks, the AC drain is plugged or the windshield leaks and the carpet gets wet and mildews. Speaking from experience here. If you don't catch is soon enough or pull up the carpets, it'll mildew. Run it through a carwash or run the AC for a while, then feel the carpet...front and back.

 

[motorman]

any chevy dealer can pull up the cars history. GM has a TSB about the musty smell and the fix for it. you can spray special spary,i have used a product called "ozium" into the air intake in front of the windshield with the blower on high and the system set on outside air.

the TSB # 99-01-39-004A is about the odor from the A/C evaporator and how to correct it.

 

[bluecoupe]

special thanks to www.upfronttechnologies.com

 

[Vettevrooom]

Get an ozone machine like Alpine, not the air cleaners or ionizers that brag about no filter, they are not effective. We have one in the house all the time. They actually disintegrate everything like mold, mites, germs & pull the dust down to the floor unlike the others that only get what happens to land on the screen in the machine. You place it in the center of the house up high and the ozone goes right through walls & floors to get the whole house. http://www.waterfilters.cc/alpine.htm

I had same problem when I bought mine in May. The post behind driver had water streaks as though a leak at one time and I found a couple drops of what looked like black silicone on the carpet (can't figure out how to get that off). I've not had a leak so it must have been corrected. Tech found no evidence of a problem.

I put it in the car for 2 days straight and moldy smell is gone along with the smoke from the dealer driving it. It doesn't come back either because it has been destroyed. The car was mint otherwise. I understand it only takes 8 hrs. to a day, but I wanted to make sure because I don't know how long it was in that condition.

 

[rsimoes]

The musty smell is normal from the C5's. It's the design of the AC system in the dash. . . . if you turn on the compressor (a/c) for a few minutes it will go away. Or if you just turn it off, it goes away with air flow. However, you should not smell anything, until you turn the fan on in the hvac unit. . . if you smelled it when you opened the door, walk away. . .

 

[bluecoupe]

Do these Ozone machines really work?


http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/Alpine/alpine.html

 

[Vettevrooom]

We have had it 10 years and it is so fantastic that I'm tempted to think the problems claimed in that article were initiated by would be competitors. You would have to own one to see what I mean. You can tell when the little glass plate needs rinsing it makes such a difference. We first heard of them at a pet motel where they had it in the cat room to keep the hair and dander pulled out of the air with so many pets.

I've since talked with the woman who sold us ours at a dog show and she tells of how the smart inventor has since developed underwater systems and how fast they clear polluted ponds.

I've not had the odor in my car with or without AC since using it. I can put it in the crawl space in garage, or the under porch storage area and in one day all the musty odor is gone. Nothing else will do that. My family had allergies before and my plants used to develop mold on the soil. You can turn it higher if you have an unusual problem like burnt food or carpet that didn't dry fast enough to avoid a mildew smell. A furniture repair place said this summer that all they do to rid upholstery of pet urine odor, is to put the furniture in with the Alpine machine.

I don't mean to sound like one of their reps, but those I've recommended them to have loved them. It's just a suggestion. Hugs!

 

[bluecoupe]

What model do you have? Is there a current model that is comparable? I was thinking of getting one to stop mold growth and remove the musty smell in my basement. If you read the complaints they seem to contradict themselves. Some say it works and is not healthy and some say it is harmless and doesn’t work. They have been around a long time for something that doesn't live up to its claims. Is anyone else using these things?

 

[Vettevrooom]

We have the 880 in the picture on the home page, but it doesn't look like they make it now. I'm sure there is some improved version with another number. I love the new wood look ones though. I'll have to get some contact paper LOL! Remember when that was so popular people put it on everything?? :L

800 282 4191 This is the phone number we use. They have replaced the fragile glass plate with a white ceramic one that we now use. You just rinse in ammonia & brush a little both sides & let dry thoroughly. Something about the electrostatic reaction to ammonia.

 

[c4vette92]

here is some infor.
first go to www.vivisimo.com
then put in the search area ozone generators
then hit search.

this web site is the best by far search engine.

save the wave and enjoy your day.