What gives an old vehicle that 'old car' smell?
My truck is starting to smell that way now. Mmmm. Would someone like to buy my seats so they too can have some of that good ol old car smell?

 

give it a good shampoo, take the carpet out and power wash it

 

lots and lots of years of gas station burrito induced farts

 

Am I the only one who read this and started singing That Smell by Skynyrd in their head?

 

Biologicals and deterioration of fabric and upholstery cause old car smell. There on the Front Range you've got hot, humid summers that grow the corn on the plains and the mold, fungus, and yeast that live in your truck's upholstery, carpet, and air ducts. Head over the divide to the Western Slope where the summers are drier and you'll find cars that don't smell as bad. Or go spend a couple of weeks above timberline, and when you come down again you'll be amazed at the strong smell of mold in the air.

Carpet and upholstery fabrics are treated with antibacterial agents at the factory, and over time their action fades and allow the microscopic critters take up residence in the voids in the fibers. Hit the seats and carpet with a strong, fabric-safe disinfectant then air the truck well so you're not inhaling that crap, and that musty old car smell will disappear. For a while. But living on the Front Range, it'll be back.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Why do all old cars smell like pot?

I noticed that all Dodge Rams have the same smell, as do all old S-10s. And 80s Camaros smell like white trash.

 

I keep away the old car smell with a bottle of febreeze and it works great, but you might have some mold under the carpet, the vent for the a/c may have something in it, a good cleaning could fix that

 

Hmm, I wasn't really complaining about it. I like old car smell. You smell it all over at car shows. I now have two vehicles with it (Ram and Scout II).
Gosh, the truck is 15 years old. I can't even count the number of girlfriends that it has outlasted.
I think it is from dirt, dog slobber, and farts.

 

lol humid summers on the front range. Ya right. Good one.

 

My smell came from an old ham sandwich under the seat. Was in a plastic bag that ripped when I adjusted my seat. A couple shots of Frebreeze and it smells better. I have also used the carpet cleaner that has the brush built onto the top and that seems to work well too.