9th Mar 2008, 17:06
Unfortunately, I too have the Crayola smell in my 2001 Beetle! I'm thankful to have found this site, so I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars getting it detail, instead I'll just have to deal with it and keep piling on Febreaze, which happens to be doing some minor improvements.
I still love the way the car drives and looks :)
But I won't purchase another one!
12th Mar 2008, 10:22
HAHA! My best friend and I are both on our second Beetles and all 4 smelled like Crayons! It's an ongoing joke to anyone who gets in either car. LOL I thought we just had strange cars.
30th May 2008, 20:18
I just bought a Beetle as well, a 2001. It smells like crayons and I came to find out it is the special car mats with the foam on the back of them. Smell them, it is the same smell. They are made just for the car with a Volkswagen picture on them. I got rid of them and it has been 2 days and the smell is no where near as bad. I used a can of frabreeze and put a box of baking soda in the car. It smells much better. I could be wrong but this was my experience. Hope this helps someone.
19th Jul 2008, 15:44
Our 2001 VW Beetle REEKS of that "crayola" scent. It is a sickening smell, and when you ride in the car, you and your passengers smell like the car. I don't drive the car at all, as the smell is so intense, and actually has concerned me about the ability, if ever we sell it.
Ironically, we also had a problem with the black coating used on the interior of the car. It's a rubberized type finish that began peeling immediately. It's coated on the doors and dash, and over the years has softened to the point that you can score it with your nail, leaving a permanent impression.
This car is immaculate otherwise, it has always been kept inside a garage, and never exposed to anything other than normal circumstances where heat is concerned. When my husband brings my pet Pomeranian on short rides, he comes back smelling of it too! It's a very nauseating odor, and makes for a very unpleasant experience.
I've written to VW without any response from them. I am very disappointed in this obvious defect in their product. Really, does anybody really want to live their life walking around smelling like a crayon???
23rd Aug 2008, 13:45
I thought it was just me smelling the Crayola smell! But I guess not I am glad I found this website to figure out that is wasn't only me!
14th Oct 2008, 15:43
My bug smells like crayons too!! I have heard from other people with this same car or jettas that theirs do too.
I got used to it after a while, I don't smell it at all any more. It's not a bad smell, just weird, but I tried to get rid of it also to no avail. I will try taking out the floor mats like someone here suggested.
29th Oct 2008, 09:37
We have a VW Bug Turbo S 2002 and the smell is driving me nuts. I can't drive it any more and my husband is sick of my complaining about it. It seems to me that the smell didn't kick in until about 2 years ago. I don't know if I would use the crayon analogy, it just smells very chemical-y. But I did just smell a box of crayons and can understand the connection. I have to always apologize for the smell when I have passengers, because they notice it as well. HELP! I'm going to call Car Talk this weekend and ask them.
16th Aug 2009, 23:14
I've had my 2001 Beetle for a year now, and even though it's cute and fun to drive and gets exceptional gas mileage... I am so so sick of the "crayon" smell, my mom thought I was crazy for telling her that my hair and clothes always smelled like crayons, LOL, but not only am I tired of the annoying smell, I've noticed that the rubber on my dashboard and door handles is peeling off and can be scarred and damaged easily, and the silver paint that's on the steering wheel is now almost all worn off, and my check engine light is ALWAYS on no matter what you do... too many problems, my last VW for sure!!
2nd Aug 2010, 10:53
My granddaughter has a 2007 Beetle.
The Crayola smell is horrendous; I have checked with the dealership and the service tech said he had dealt with the 2001 Beetle Crayola smell. He said it was from the floor carpet adhesive smell. So what is the remedy?
The smell gags!
23rd Dec 2010, 18:04
I just purchased a 2002 Beetle from the original owner. It was an hour and a half drive home, and now a day later I am sick. My throat is swollen and I'm not feeling well. I know it is from what ever odor the car interior is emitting. I'm worried about my health more than anything. Chemical odor like what I am experiencing can't be good for anyone. I would like to see toxic test results. I find all of these complaints related to this smell a real eye opener. If people are getting sick, there should be a class action lawsuit to force VW address this problem, and find out if there are any long terms health affects from the odor. I am going to look into this. Remember the movie Erin Brockovich? Things like that happen in real life, and the corporations only look out for their own interests. This is all very interesting.
22nd Nov 2011, 21:09
I am having the same problem with my 2001 Beetle, and my husband wants to find out what the heck it is, and if there is a class action lawsuit? If not, there should be. Please post any info, and maybe we can all form some type of group. I am trying to find out how to contact a show like Dateline.
Thanks.
23rd Aug 2012, 22:00
I have been driving my 2004 Beetle for over 1 year. And I am always smelling like a Crayola box. Not only that; the smells give me such a very bad headache, that I feel like throwing up at times. I tried all kinds of air fresheners with no luck.
28th Nov 2014, 04:15
I just got a Beetle as well.
Just so you know, I decided to take my car out for a long drive to do errands.
I had the windows rolled down.
I got home and decided to replace the cabin filter.
You won't believe this, but the insulation inside the dash, that greyish fluffy insulation, THAT'S the stuff that stunk royally like crayons.
It's also found all under the dash where your steering wheel and (I think) firewall is.
I am going to see if I can replace it.
11th Feb 2008, 16:33
My 03 beetle has a crayola smell too! I just thought it was me, hahaha.