22nd Jun 2005, 00:06
The odor STINKS. It makes my clothing stink after riding in the car for 5 minutes. My SKIN stinks like it. I'm breathing this garbage into my lungs. Only God knows if my chronic coughing-until-I-literally-vomit situation is from this odor.
It's a foul smell. Anybody who jokes about it is either a smoker, or somebody who wears an annoying amount of perfume/cologne as it is because they have a lacking sense of smell, or one of those disgusting people who doesn't bathe anyways and can't smell their own foul stanky hair and unwashed clothing when everybody around them can.
It's DISGUSTING, it CAN'T BE HELPED with air fresheners or Febreeze or anything else you do to the interior of the car, and it's NOT NORMAL.
29th Mar 2006, 16:34
The crayon smell seems to be coming from the insulation they are using. The link below is of an owner who found this out. I tried to have them replace it also, but was denied since I was the 2nd owner of the car.
29th Mar 2006, 19:26
I'll admit mine smelled a bit funny compared to other cars. (mine is a 98 jetta k2)
I just bought some new car scent odor tree things. And instead of partially pulling the bag off little by little, I just pulled the bag off the tree. Then left it in my car. While it may not be authentic new car smell, it has a better scent than before and I wouldn't consider like cherry or blueberry or whatever it is they have for scents now...
Such a trivial thing I know.
20th Sep 2006, 13:48
I LOVE the crayon smell and so do all of my friends. I don't understand why people would go to such absurd lengths to eradicate it! As long as you're okay with "crayon smell" (as everyone to enter my car can identify it), then it is not stinky or offensive in any way. I personally HATE the smell of artificial air fresheners. Consider your own tastes, not someone else's. Besides, if you test drive the car you should be able to tell exactly how it smells!
5th Oct 2006, 16:15
1991 Jetta also has strong crayon smell "Crayolamobile". We open the windows when parked in a garage. The black rubberized coating on inside door trim and around front console started to peel off within two years of purchase. Hair and fibers stick to the seat and are hard to remove. Other than these silly items that VW really should have taken care of, the car is a great reliable and fun driver.
28th Jun 2007, 10:22
I'm so glad I found this site because I thought I was the only one who had a stinky crayola car (aka 2001 VW Jetta)!!! I hate the smell!! I have tried Frebreezing and air fresheners to no avail. If I leave a jacket or clothing item in the car for 5 minutes then they smell like crayon until I wash them! VW's are great cars save for the smell... I hate it!!
11th Jul 2007, 12:26
I have the same problem (crayon smell on 2001 jetta VR6). Can someone tell me what to do with this problem?
18th Jul 2007, 09:43
2001 Jetta VR6. 39,500 miles.
The engine light has now turned on 3 times in the past month. At my 40k oil change I had the dealer read the codes and was told of there were 2. One was the rear oxygen sensor and the other for the engine running lean.
I priced an O2 sensor at around $160 for an oem Bosch replacement. and labor at the dealer is $89 at best.
The dealer wants to run diagnostics prior to replacing any part ($120), which I agree to be a good idea.
After calling several dealers for pricing, some service personal have mentioned it could also very liking be a mass air flow sensor ($250 non dealer part price). Thanks to a previous post I have information regarding the mass air sensor is under recall (7 years or 70k). I just checked the mass air flow sensor and it looks clean and free of dirt or oil which would signal a fault. The air filter is also new looking and clear. So I don't think it's the mass air sensor.
The only thing I'm noticing is when in the garage from idle, if I quickly rev the engine there is a flutter. If I rev slow and smoothly there is no flutter. In the upper rpm (2000+) there is no noticeable difference.
Could this be an exhaust or vacuum leak?
If anyone else has a similar experience please let me know, ty.
11th Sep 2008, 11:33
It's your MAF Sensor. I had to replace mine a few months ago. They're about 160 bucks at 1stvwparts.com. Replacing it is pretty straightforward.
26th May 2011, 11:08
I purchased a 2007 Volkswagen new Beetle Convertible.
The stench of melted crayons is horrible. Car dealers act like I don't know what I'm talking about, it makes me and my grandkids breathing horrible. I even talked to Volkswagen and they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about.
I have tried cleaning the filter, spraying with Ozium and Lysol and Febreeze. Nothing works, it is a chemical odor so terrible. It makes me sad that I can't enjoy driving my little bug. What else can be done? Please help!
I only had the bug for about 3 weeks but it has been in the shop a lot. You can smell it a mile away. It is gross! TOXIC SMELL!
26th May 2011, 16:03
5 months ago... I bought a Honda Civic hatchback for a thousand bucks. It had a dog smell to it. The friend I bought it from said that he bought from a guy that let dogs stay in it. No matter what I did, I couldn't get that smell out. Finally removed the whole interior (seats mainly), and used my small carpet cleaner and my Simple Green, and went at that interior. It took three days of cleaning that carpet and plastic interior and seats. Had to leave the windows open after each day of cleaning to dry it out. Bought several of those air cleaners from home depot and put them on the dash. Took a long time, but the smell is finally gone. But I still use those air fresheners. I am not sure how my friend and the guy he bought it from could drive around like that.
29th Jul 2011, 16:24
I recently created this group called "MY VOLKSWAGEN IS MAKING ME ILL (soundproofing mat) CLASS ACTION SUIT", and I am in the process of trying to find a lawyer to represent either just myself or work for a class action suit.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/222303194472489/?ap=1#!/groups/222303194472489/?ap=1
23rd Sep 2011, 11:22
Please let me know if talking to VW management has helped. My daughter's 2003 Jetta smells so bad she wants to sell it.. What can be done, as this looks to be a consistent problem amongst VW owners?
13th Aug 2012, 07:24
Has anyone gotten a blood test to see if there are toxins in their blood? That would confirm it. I was going to go today, but I don't know if it's worth it. So many people are saying different things... bah. Definitely not normal, or else why doesn't every car smell like this? It gives me headaches, especially with the heat and A/C on, but how can you help that during the summer and winter months... You can't. Grr...
6th Jun 2005, 09:43
I have had problem of putrid crayon-like odor in my 2001 VW Jetta since it was purchased 4 yrs ago; the problem has only gotten worse. Shampooing car interior has proven useless. I am now concerned about the potential toxic implications, since my daughter-in-law, who is pregnant drives the car. Speaking with VW service people is of no use, since they deny any problem. There are other Jetta owners I have had contact with who have an odor problem. One owner had carpets and filters changed to no avail. My sense is that the vinyl used in the interior of the car (seats/dashboard) may be the problem. I am now preparing to go to senior VW management to help resolve the problem.