Smelly Cars

["Kim Boydell" <boydell@domain.elided>]

Thanks Charlie, perhaps I was blaming the girls too quickly for the smell.

I am familiar with the problem of water in the A.C. system and, if I
remember, I turn it off a block or 2 from home hoping to dry it out (we
started doing this after we noticed the smell).  We also (my wife helped)
sprayed Fantastic into the air intake vents under the
front cowl to kill the bacteria and used Frabic on the carpeting and
upholstery to remove the smell.  All this really helped and made the car
driveable (as driveable as a boring Honda car be).

We do vacuum the car and we do have towels under the car seats.  But this
doesn't stop the real problem of food being crushed and liquids being
spilled and then frozen into the carpeting.  The old shop vac won't take
that out while frozen, and since the Spider is resting comfortably in the
heated garage, I have no desire to warm up the Honda in there.  No need to
add extra moisture or to move the Spider.
I now understand why my father kept buying cars with rubber floor mats
instead of carpeting.

BTW, I have Scotch Guarded everything that has fabric on it in the Honda,
and it does clean-up very well when we can get at it and it isn't frozen.

My old Legend Coupe had a puncher mark in the leather from a car seat (from
p.o.), that is what convinced me to avoid leather in the family car.  BTW,
the Honda is leased - no fool I.

My 3 year-old loves the Spider and we have taken many trips around town in
it.  But since she has moved from a car seat to a booster chair I need to
retrofit a 3-point harness in the car (that sounds some much sexier than lap
and shoulder belts).  My 1969 BMW 2002 had the anchors holes pre-drilled and
threaded, but in following the earlier thread, I guess that is not the case
with Spiders.  Another project for late winter - early spring when a young
(sic) mans fancy turns to automobiles.

At some point I will be in the market for a family sports sedan, if there is
anything worth buying with a manual transmission, but only when the kids are
old enough not to destroy it.

Regards

Kim

P.S.  The ignition keys from Renault 5, cinq, LeCar will fit old spiders and
there should be lots of those still around.  I have no idea where a trunk
key can be found except from Alfa.
_________________________________
Centre for Economic Analysis - Canada Inc.
http://www.home.istar.ca/~boydell
133 David Dr,
Nepean, Ont
K2G 2N6
tel: (613) 226-2167
fax: (613) 226-9915
cell: (613) 277-2408

------------------------------