Detailing ruined my car.

October 16, 2015 4:45 PM

How do I fix it?

I took my car in to get detailed and when I got it back it was still wet and smelling overwhelmingly like a kind of poison citrus. I left the windows open so it would dry, and it did dry within a day or two, but the terrible smell won't go away and it's been weeks. It's bad enough that I am now considering getting a new car. But I love this car and was really not looking to get a new one. Is there a reputable place I can take my car to that will fix a bad detailing job? Or a DIY remedy? The interior is fabric, not leather, and the smell is embedded in every random patch of it.

posted by january to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total)

Have you called the place that did the cleaning for you? Selling your car seems pretty extreme without possibly remedying it.
posted by k8t at 5:23 PM on October 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

Some detailers have the ability to do ozone deodorizing. I know that's what they do for smoker's cars, I'm not sure if it will help your situation or not, but worth looking in to.
posted by ill3 at 5:40 PM on October 16, 2015

If you haven't called the shop that performed the work, then that's your first step. Let them know they need to make this right.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:40 PM on October 16, 2015 [4 favorites]

Fresh wave. Buy it at bed bath beyond
posted by prk60091 at 11:57 PM on October 16, 2015

What do you mean the car was "still wet?" Like, they had washed it and the exterior was still dripping? Or, was the interior soaking in whatever detailing spray they used? In either case, they gave it back to you before it was in proper shape.

The smell sounds quite a bit like a citrus-based cleaner or solvent.

You definitely should drive it back to the detailer, pronto.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:01 AM on October 17, 2015

My wife has left her car at a place where this happens a few times (it's a car cleaning place but she really uses it more as a car park with somewhat iffy benefits). The first day or two the fabric is damp. The week after that the stench is dreadful. But if the windows are left open it fades and after a time it's OK. And if you can't do that, driving with the windows down makes it go away, but slower.
posted by hawthorne at 7:52 AM on October 17, 2015

Response by poster: Yes, the interior was still soaking. I am getting no traction with the original detailer. I am looking for solutions as to how to fix this myself or references to reputable detailers that will be able to fix it and not put me in this position again.
posted by january at 8:33 AM on October 17, 2015

Febreze makes an unscented version that may work. I've used it on stinky furniture, and after a couple of applications the stink is dramatically reduced. You can find it at most grocery stores and at Target.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:59 AM on October 17, 2015

Febreze will just add to the awfulness of the smell.

I'd start with an actual odor absorber. Something like Bad Air Sponge or something with activated charcoal (also called activated carbon).
posted by radioamy at 9:51 AM on October 17, 2015

Unscented Febreze is the odor neutralizer without perfume. I agree that the scented versions are horrid.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:57 AM on October 17, 2015