# Rubbing Alcohol/Solvent Smell in Cabin **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 9, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327 "2011-06-09T22:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buckingham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckingham](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Buckingham)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/1 "2011-06-09T22:28:57Z")
Long time, first time. 2006 Toyota Matrix 66k miles. I’ve recently developed a powerful rubbing alcohol or solvent smell in my car after it has been parked for some time, It has happened parking inside, outside, while the AC was running right before the car was turned off and when the AC was not turned on. Once the windows are opened and the car aired out, I can run the AC or blower without the smell returning. After some preliminary digging, I found a post on Cartalk indicating it could be a cracked heater core and I’m smelling Antifreeze. I took the vehicle in to my mechanic and on my list of things to check was the smell. They could not find evidence of the smell, or a crack in the heater core, nor were any of my fluids low. Might anyone have another possible source for this smell I could ask my mechanic about? Thanks so much. ---
**Author:** ![nospare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@nospare](https://community.cartalk.com/u/nospare)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/2 "2011-06-10T12:22:47Z")
Windshield washer fluid? ---
**Author:** ![mleich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mleich](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mleich)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/3 "2011-06-10T12:26:05Z")
Spilled bottle of hand sanitizer? Distinct possibility in my wife’s rolling trash can of a car. ---
**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/4 "2011-06-10T12:30:36Z")
Look under the seats for a piece of citrus fruit (like an orange) that has spoiled to the point of having mold growing on it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/5 "2011-06-10T14:14:41Z")
I still support the antifreeze theory. If this condition persists, drive your car to the shop and let it sit overnight. Have the mechanic sniff it in the morning when the smell would be the strongest. Any experienced guy knows the difference between antifreeze and unrelated odors. A defective heater core is a possibility, as is a cracked hose under the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Buckingham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckingham](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Buckingham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/6 "2011-06-10T20:37:47Z")
Thanks for the responses, I checked under all the seats and could not find anything. Today I tried not using the AC at all and when I came out to the car after work there was not a detectable scent. I left the car overnight when it was serviced, and they said there was no smell in the morning, I might have to try it again. Are there any other “alcohol” scents aside from Antifreeze and washer solution? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/7 "2011-06-10T21:39:05Z")
Got one of these? [http://www.partsgeek.com/mmparts/cabin\_filter/toyota/matrix.html](http://www.partsgeek.com/mmparts/cabin_filter/toyota/matrix.html) You can change it like this > **[Cars | eHow](https://www.ehow.com/cars/)** > > eHow Auto gets you on the fast track with repair, maintenance, and shopping advice. Whether you're jump starting a battery or insuring a new car, we can help. Oh, yeah, and I get that smell when I use my window washer squirter often, like to help smear the bugs on the windshield. I use a “winter mix” fluid and some of them smell exactly as you describe when aerated. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/8 "2011-06-10T22:52:02Z")
Did you recently have the car serviced or detailed? Perhaps a technician who worked on your car cleaned the steering wheel or something else in the car to remove grease or dirt that was on his hands. The cleaner he used may have contained some solvent that either is or smells like alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/9 "2011-06-10T23:04:30Z")
You may have a clogged drain hose for the ac condensation, and it has become a living soup of bacterial action. Ask the shop to blow out the ac drain hose. ---
**Author:** ![Iftikhar\_Ahmad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Iftikhar\_Ahmad](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Iftikhar_Ahmad)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rubbing-alcohol-solvent-smell-in-cabin/65327/10 "2019-07-09T00:48:35Z")
i have the same problem today how did you get this problem fixed