# Why does my car's interior smell like ass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804 "2007-03-06T14:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/1 "2007-03-06T14:11:13Z")
And more importantly, how do I get rid of the smell? Leather interior. Got rained on last summer. Dammit anyway. Now from time to time the car will just smell like, well, like a butt. This goes on for about a month or so and then it smells like a regular leather interior again, which is unpleasant in its own right, but socially acceptable. I’m guessing some kind of fungal/bacterial/algal bloom of something that took hold when the interior got soaked, but any further clairification would be appreciated. And what short of giving the car a Lysol douche will eradicate this scourge? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/2 "2007-03-06T14:28:13Z")
Makes you wonder what part of the cow they got the leather from. _Mooo!_ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/3 "2007-03-06T15:01:43Z")
Have you been transporting asses? Most people are unaware that they actually place asses (wrapped, it’s true) directly on their car’s seats. It’s all about asses in seats. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/4 "2007-03-06T15:11:07Z")
[http://www.moderncarcare.com/Articles/541deta2.html](http://www.moderncarcare.com/Articles/541deta2.html) > **[Car Forums - Auto News, Community and Forums | Edmunds](https://forums.edmunds.com/)** > > Visit Edmunds.com Car Forums to discuss car buying, selling, repairs, maintenance and all things automotive! Search discussions by make, model or topic. > **[How to Remove Odors from Your Car: 12 Steps (with Pictures)](https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Odors-from-Your-Car)** > > Nobody likes a smelly car. It's unpleasant to sit in your car and smell a bad aroma, and you may feel embarrassed if you're giving friends a ride. Fortunately, in most cases, it's relatively simple to remove a bad smell from your car.... ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/5 "2007-03-06T16:08:11Z")
Do you drive a Mercedes SL500? It seems that one of the complaints about the newer SL class cars is that the leather seems to give off a bad smell if exposed to the sun for long periods. How could they ever have noticed that little problem in a dedicated convertible? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/6 "2007-03-06T19:53:59Z")
Ok, **Inigo** , time to fess up. Exactly how much farting goes on while you’re driving? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/7 "2007-03-06T20:39:30Z")
**Gfactor** ’s links brought back memories. Years ago I had a huge dead dog in my car for a full day in high heat (don’t ask). I read every page on the internet that had anything to do with ridding a vehicle of odor. I spoke by phone with a guy who cleans cars that have had suicides in them (bullet + brains). I ended up trading the car in. Good luck. There may be some suggestions in that old thread: > **[Deodorizing a car](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267464)** > > Well, to make a long story short…as a favor to a friend I had her dead 175 pound great dane in my Jeep Wrangler soft top for 24 hours. They were 24 hot, sunny hours. And the dog died 24 hours before I arrived and had been sitting in the sun on her... ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cars-interior-smell-like-ass/394804/8 "2007-03-06T20:47:47Z")
The air freshener in your car… is it shaped like a big pile of dookie or a pine tree?