I have a 2004 Grand prix, bought it used. When I put the windows down, there is a strong mildew smell. Help!

Answer 1

Whe I read your question, I immediately thought of the same thing that dinosuar did. You may have purchased a car that has been flooded from a natural disaster, such as hurricane Katrina. I would immediately have the VIN number checked by your local DMV office. Explain to them you may have purchased a flooded car and you want to know where the last owner lived. The last time I checked, it is required under federal law that the title must have it listed where the vehicle is flooded, if it doesn't and it turns up that it was a flooded vehicle, the person or dealer you bought it from is going to be in quite a bit of trouble.

Answer 2

Be careful you may have bought a car that has been lets say "in deep water" of the LOUISIANA kind .or someone left the windows down while it poured down rain .either way it was never cleaned properly carpeting is probably mildewed(replace it) .
Be careful though if you bought this car from a dealership it may be from a flooded area (dealers buy them at auctions take them to another state retitle them with clean titles and off load them to the unsuspecting public ) .BE AWARE MY FRIEND .

Answer 3

use an ionizer, the kind that plugs into the cigarette lighter ( dont use an air freshener, those things actually makes the smell worse ) ionizers work by breaking down the molecular structure of certain odors... you can also try putting charcoal in a wide pan, leave it in the car overnite, charcoal absorbs bad odors... incidentally, check out the your upholstery, your car might have flood damage and might have certain areas that are still damp and may need to be dried first...