2015 Honda CR-V seat cloth odor

Maintenance/Repairs
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41

Thank you Jtsanders.

Kelly

42

Kelly, youā€™re in Maryland?! Iā€™m in Ellicott City! Now Iā€™m curiousā€¦ where did you purchase your Honda CRV??

43

Ourisman Honda in Bethesda, MD

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Okay, I called my dealer yesterday and, of course, they have never heard of the odor problem. I made a service appointment for Thursday but then thought why not check the cabin filter. It was supposed to have been replaced 3000 miles ago but I found it had not. It was pretty dirty. I took the filter out and walked into the house and my wife said ā€œthatā€™s it.ā€ I just walked by her and she could smell it. Anyhow, I went to an auto parts store and bought a new one with an extra carbon layer in it. It cost $28. I also bought a can of duct cleaning spray. So, now I have a clean filter and clean ducts and Iā€™ll give it a day or two to see if it helps. Iā€™ll update everyone by tomorrow. I cancelled the service appointment.

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By the way, the cabin filter is very easy to change. Iā€™ll explain it if anyone needs help. It takes about 5 minutes.

46

Ohhh John,

WOW. And I mentioned that filter in an earlier post!! I hope that is the culprit and the smell will go away. Look forward to your update.

Kelly

47

Hi John,

A lesson would be very much appreciated. The only thing I know is that it is buried somewhere inside the glove box!!! Also, where did you purchase it?

48

  1. Open and empty the glove box.

  2. Reach to the back sides of the box, press the sides in firmly and pull the box toward you. The box will swing down.

  3. On the right side of the box you will find a small plastic rod. It has a knurled area where you can put your thumb. Press down until the rod disengages from the box.

  4. Look back in the opening where the box had been and youā€™ll see the cover for the filter. Press inward on the tabs on both ends of the cover to remove it. The filter will be under the cover.

  5. Remove the filter and replace it with a new one with the arrow pointing down.

I bought my filter and duct spray at Kelly Auto Parts but any auto parts store will carry them. The duct spray is really easy to use. The directions are on the can.

Let me know if you have any problems.

49

Thank you, John.

50

I think it would be reallyā€¦ interestingā€¦ if this problem turned out to be the result of vehicle owners ignoring scheduled maintenance, rather than something related to the carā€™s upholstery.

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Hi VDCdriver,

It would be a lesson learned for sure!!!

52

Wow. Ourisman has two Honda dealers so close together. I did a web search as saw the Laurel shop first. Instead of looking for detailers in Bethesda, you might try Rockville or Silver Spring, maybe even Beltsville. It seems to me that these shops are more likely where the rent is lower. I grew up in Bethesda. Our first house was a block away from BCC and the second was off Fernwood Rd, right at the bridge over the beltway. Itā€™s a very different place now.

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Small world, jtsanders. I suspect we know a lot of the same people. Fernwood Road is also St Jane De Chantal parish.

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Maybe not. I lived there in the 1960s and early 1970s and moved to near Baltimore In the mid-1970s. Unless you are a lot older than I guessed. It would be surprising to see anyone from the old neighborhood still there. My sister lived there Until about 1990 FWIW. I live around I-70 now and my sister lives in Laurel. North Bethesda is a lovely and under appreciated neighborhood. The homes are much larger than those near BCC and the commute to the Metro station takes about the same time, walking from where we lived or riding the bus that stops 3 houses from the old home. Yet, the downtown Bethesda house are a lot more expensive than the ones in North Bethesda. Go figure.

55

Well, I hope you found the cause. One thing to consider is the design of the system. If cabin air is cycling through that filter it may be chicken egg scenario. The filter may stink because it has been filtering stinky air :wink: Cheap thing to eliminate either wayā€¦

56

If smell returns after few days, try deep-cleaning the rest of car interior (roof liner, seats, carpets) with the foamy cleaner, usually takes 2-3 cans and 1-2 rolls of paper towels to get the interior cleaned.

If you happen to have electrostatic type of air-filter at home - use it as a mild ozone generator inside the car. On my last ā€œold new carā€ I simply left it running inside fr a couple of days (having electric cord jammed on the door gap) and the last remaining smell traces were gone.

57

Fortunately, the cabin air is not recirculated but is drawn in from the outside vent in front of the windshield. I guess the smell comes from a variety of contaminants from the outside.

58

Hadnā€™t thought of the ozone generator. I just happen to have one. If the smell doesnā€™t abate, Iā€™ll give it a try. I did go over the interior, including the seat belts and headliner, with Febreze. I didnā€™t drive the car today so Iā€™m still not sure if the new filter did the trick. Iā€™ll know tomorrow after I go into town.

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If you just sprayed it atop, it may be not enough.

You might need to go deeper with something like

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Only when fresh air is selected. Instructions for recirc operation are on page 225 of the owners manual.

Switching between the recirculation and fresh air modes;

Press the (recirculation) or (fresh air) button to switch the mode
depending on environmental conditions.

  • Recirculation mode (indicator on): Recirculates air from the vehicleā€™s interior through the system.*

  • Fresh air mode (indicator on): Maintains outside ventilation. Keep the system in fresh air mode in normal situations.*

If the odor is coming from the A/C system you would smell it from the vents after switching on the A/C and blower. If the odor is from the upholstery you will always smell it, not just during the summer months when using the A/C.

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