2001 Jetta Crayon Odor

[pdreyfuss]

crayon smell squared?

I have a 2001 Jetta and the smell is driving me and my wife crazy. I have smelled some samples from the firewall insulation and they do smell like crayons, but the overall smell in the car seems different and much worse. Has anyone had this experience where the crayon smell gets so strong that it smells different, or should I be looking for another source?

 

[pfredricks]

Crayon.

If it smells like Crayon- The culprit is the sound dampening material under the carpet and behind the dash. The smell gets worse when it is hot because the material melts a tiny bit--which is why the MKIV owners in the hotter southern states seem to find the smell to be more of a problem.

A little piece doesn't smell TOO bad on its own. 12 square feet of the stuff emits enough odor to gag anyone.

If it doesn't smell like crayons-like maybe mold it could be something else like a plugged AC system drain

 

[avaag]

Reading all these I guess I should count myself lucky I dont have this problem......I've always liked the "default" interior smell of my Jetta.

 

[AUGSX]

I am in the middle of removing all of the sound deadening material, carpet is out and so is most of the insulation/padding material. My question is do I have to remove the black tar paper like material that is stuck to the floor boards?

 

[AUGSX]

Anyone?????

 

[pdreyfuss]

My question is do I have to remove the black tar paper like material that is stuck to the floor boards?

I don't really know for sure, but I would err on the side of removing it if I were you. Maybe you will get another better answer.

But then look at me - my car is sitting not being driven with a paper towel in between the floor mat and the rug for a smell tester. Should tell me if I must remove the pad again. Has anyone had a problem with a new OEM carpet pad smelling?

 

[AUGSX]

Well car is all done. Did a big number with Dynamat Extreme. Covered everything under the carpet and everywhere else I could see metal. This morning the car smells much better. No detectable crayon smell. I must say that it took me all day yesterday 11hrs but I also added some extra padding, went to Home depot and took off all the sticky paint inside the car.

 

[mx07gt]

ozium bomb worked perfect for my car.

Just go to your local auto parts store, (I went to Advance), bought a bottle of Ozium car scent, and sprayed the WHOLE bottle inside the car and then locked the car overnight.

In the morning, the car was smelling like new and the crayon smell has never returned.

 

[pdreyfuss]

how to fit pad

Well car is all done. Did a big number with Dynamat Extreme. Covered everything under the carpet and everywhere else I could see metal. This morning the car smells much better. No detectable crayon smell. I must say that it took me all day yesterday 11hrs but I also added some extra padding, went to Home depot and took off all the sticky paint inside the car.

AUGSX - I picture what you got as a flat sheet and the OEM pad as fitted or custom-bent. Is that right and/or how hard was it to cut and fit the new pad?

 

[pdreyfuss]

going to do it

OK, pfredricks and Keith - Kenosha (and the rest), thanks for the encouragement - I'm going to do the crayon odor removal. I have bought the material and will post results.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Funny. I just bought a 2005 NB and when the children came out to see it the first thing they asked was why does it smell like crayons. No way I am pulling all that stuff out though.

 

[rockwood]

Here are some tips for sound deadening removal:

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_arti...oject-infiniti-g20-racecar--introgutting.aspx

 

[pfredricks]

good luck!

 

[racerxtdi]

My blockbuster used to smell like crayons too... How we miss the thing we lose!

 

[pdreyfuss]

update and question

I got everything off the floor and in separate places in my garage - not sure yet which one(s) will prove to be the worst, but I'm thinking it is the dash soundproofing material, which I haven't touched yet. I think the floor pieces were in fact replaced by the dealer. The front- and rear floor pad, and firewall pad all seem to be made of different materials. Took some pictures:

firewall

front floor

rear floor

If pfredricks or Keith - Kenosha or anyone else can post more detail about how to remove and replace the soundproofing sheet with the dash in place or partly in place, I'd like that. I suspect I'll have to take the dash out, but maybe there's still hope to avoid it.

 

[pdreyfuss]

bad material under rug

Now the car with bare floors smells less and my garage with the floor sound dampers in it smells more. All the pieces in the garage smell, and it seems a little different somehow, but it is definitely part of the crayon smell problem. Still thinking about removing the dash.

 

[POStdi]

So am I the only one that enjoys the crayon smell??

 

[Lightflyer1]

I don't enjoy it but I am not ripping all that out to change it either.

 

[pdreyfuss]

hate it

So am I the only one that enjoys the crayon smell??

Somehow mine doesn't smell exactly like crayons. It's just the closest familiar thing to describe it with. I dislike it and my wife hates it. It seems to cause some symptoms, whether allergic or not I can't say, like throat irritation. When I get home after having driven the Jetta it's on my clothes. Long story short: I have hardly driven this car since I bought it around two years ago! So nice to finally have made a decision and taken some action.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Mine causes me no problems other than the smell. I don't find it bad, yet not good either.

 

[rockwood]

So am I the only one that enjoys the crayon smell??

Mine's starting to show up now that the cigarette smoke is dying away (PO was a smoker, ugh).

But yeah, my coworker's definitely smells like crayons, and I don't think it smells bad at all.

 

[pdreyfuss]

one month later

So it's one month later and I finally have removed everything up to and including removing the firewall insulation. What a pain. The clear winner for worst-smelling piece was the bottom section against the firewall. This is THE smell that's been causing the problem all this time, whereas it's harder to say for sure with the other ones. It's hard to believe, maybe because of naivete; but I suspect the dealer never replaced that piece especially, and maybe not the other firewall piece either. I intend to ask for a refund, etc. That should be interesting....

 

[nhe05jettatdi]

I too have had the problem for some time. I resorted to professional help to remove the underlayment material from beneath the cabin interior (Seats, center, etc) which set me back several hundred. It made a slight difference, but the best results came from reading this post and removing as much of the lower underlayment piece as possible beneath the dash board. The upper piece is left for whenever I have time and more money to do a complete removal.
The difference is noticable after a few hours when you first open the door. However, I will give it a few days before calling victory.

The hard part was removing the underlayment material beneath an electrical bracket (white). I would say I was able to remove about 99% of the lower piece. Fortunately, I had the star-shaped tool from a hobby kit to remove the screws.

None of my local dealers wanted to do the job for fear that the smell may not be completely removed. Even if I were under warranty they would do it, but not guarentee the smell removal.

I wish VW would ackowledge that they have a serious issue with the selection of this material for use in the warmer climates. Anyone have a lawyer friend, or who is a lawyer that we can get a class-action suit together to recoup our costs?

Several times I have spoken with VW of American and all they would do for me is offer me a $1K loyalty coupon for a new car! How rediculous, why couldn't they just use the $1K to remove the material. I was quoted less than $1K from the dealer who didn't want to do the work!

Could we trace it down via the VIN number for the problem cars? My neighbor just informed me that she had a company ship her Passat to Texas and on delivery from the boxed shipping container, the car smelled. I showed her a piece I removed to today and she said it was the exact same smell. She had sold it immediately after moving here due to the smell!

Any one have any luck dealing with VW?

I sincerely hope that the new Passat doesn't have the same material!

I'll try to post pics.

 

[Lightflyer1]

106 today and really not that bad. You guys must be super sensitive. Mine smells that way but I wouldn't sell my car or pay hundreds to have it removed.

 

[nhe05jettatdi]

108+ here in N. Texas this afternoon. Not sure how hot it is inside the car, but the wife just returned from the pool and commented that she couldn't smell the annoying odor anymore! If she's happy -- all is well. The test for me will be driving home from work on Monday after it has sat outside in the company parking lot and I then have the a/c blowing on me full-blast.

I did notice that the cabin air intake is under the glove box area which may have been pulling air over the smelly underlayment thereby shifting it into the cabin through the a/c. That would explain why the smell would "stick" to our skin. I'd have to wash my hands and arms after driving the car with the a/c on!!

Suprising that you have the same model year. I know earlier beetle's were at the dealer here getting the underlayment removed.

I wouldn't say we are "super-sensitive" but when the kids even comment, "Dad you smell like your car", there is definitely something wrong.

 

[Lightflyer1]

My kids commented on it the first time they got inside. Some people still do. No one has any smell sticking to them or said it is so stinky that it bothers them in any way. Just different.

 

[pdreyfuss]

I talked to the VW Zone Rep: no refund, nor any acknowledgement that there is a problem. Maybe my wife and I are just extremely sensitive to the smell, he suggested. He said if he refunded anything for the now-quite-smelly replacement material, he would be condoning my use of the Dynamat Dynaliner with which I have replaced it. He must have paralegal training. After talking to the VW Zone Rep, I have come up with a new advertising slogan for them, "We're obsessed with liability."

 

[Lightflyer1]

"I see nothing–NOTHING!"

Sergeant Schultz

 

[nhe05jettatdi]

4 days of driving in the heat and leaving the car in the company parking lot outside all day. Not as much smell as before. I'd say if anyone else is having this problem, to try and remove the lower underlayment from below the dash.

 

[pdreyfuss]

heat from firewall

Have you or anyone who removed some of that piece been seeing much more heat coming through the firewall with some insulation gone? The VW Rep was adamant about that, but I don't know if he was trying to be truthful or just trying to escape responsibility.