New Beetle Convert. SMELLS!

[harrybeetle]

My brand new 2006 Beetle Convertible is plagued by a terrible smell inside. It smells like something rotting or mildewing, not burning. Smell is really bad when car has been left sitting in the sun. We have had it detailed twice and checked out by VW service. They recognize the strong smell but can't find anything wrong.

Has anyone else had this problem? Please help!

[hako]

I'd be more insistant with getting it fixed under warranty. Maybe it was left on the yard with the hood down (top?) when it rained before you bought it. We had a near new Nissan a few years ago that had a terrible smell which turned out to be a mouse which had crawled into the fresh air intake. If your agents are useless and you don't want to make too much of a fuss then you will have to do some detective work and crawl all over the interior with your nose. Good Luck.

[4stripes]

Does it get worse when the AC is turned on? There is a mildew problem common in New Beetle AC systems... I let my AC run full blast with the widows open for a few minutes, which makes it bearable again (for a while).
Cheers

[trotsky64]

I have an '04 Turbo Beetle convertible and i've found that the mold/smell problem is exacerbated IF you use the A/C with the top down. Especially in hot, humid weather, the cold dry air inside the dash ducts reacts immediately with the humid atmosphere, causing condensation in and around the ducts, inside your dashboard, all over the place. Do it long enough, and the water formed by this condensation will start dripping on your feet.

Simple, commom sense solution: NEVER use the A/C unless the windows and top are up.

Since I started doing that, the mold smell has gone away.

Cheers!