Lil' Rhody Lounge | Off-topic posting

[markOne]

you don't need a detailer, you need a mechanic. actually, pull out your air filter. this is quite common. my mother has had mice make nests in there. they get into the ventilation system and can't get out and die there. it takes a little time of airing out before the smell goes away, but just get some strong air fresheners and it'll clear it up. the mechanic will clear out the nest.

I agree, start with a mechanic.

We had a family of mice move into our air vents one weekend and when my mom hopped into the car on Monday to go to work ... , well lets just say it was not nice. It was an intensive bit of work to clear the vents (they had gone beyond the air filter) and it took a long time to get rid of the smell, but eventually things were back to normal. I hope your situation is not as advanced.

[jencoleslaw]

it definately smells worse in the passenger side back wheel well/bumper area. I thought maybe i ran over something and got animal bits all along the inside of the wheel well, but the old man washed it all out and yet it is still horrific. I feel bad about asking a mechanic to find the "remains," though but if that's what i have to do. Thank goodness i have, like, 9 vehicles to choose from.

[runawayjim]

it definately smells worse in the passenger side back wheel well/bumper area. I thought maybe i ran over something and got animal bits all along the inside of the wheel well, but the old man washed it all out and yet it is still horrific. I feel bad about asking a mechanic to find the "remains," though but if that's what i have to do. Thank goodness i have, like, 9 vehicles to choose from.

if you ran over a skunk, the smell won't go away with a washing.

[Lone Ranger]

if you ran over a skunk, the smell won't go away with a washing.

Washing what? Herself, the car, the skunk, or any combination of the above?

[runawayjim]

Washing what? Herself, the car, the skunk, or any combination of the above?

the car...

[brick]

if you ran over a skunk, the smell won't go away with a washing.

It will if you oxidize it or use a cleaner that removes oil. The problem with removing oil on a car is that you could also remove the grease in your suspension in that wheel.

This is what I would do, if it is indeed skunk, and it is indeed the wheel well.

Jack up and remove the wheel. You will clean this separately.

Wrap the shock absorber with saran wrap or whatever you have handy that will be easy to wrap around and is somewhat water resistant.

Use a plastic tarp to cover the suspension parts and hub/brake assembly. Use enough tarp that it touches the ground and weigh down. then you have to check for where water will run and make sure it has a place to run off to. Basically what you are trying to do is make sure the bit of your car that you don't want exposed don't get exposed. (In actually, all of the steel parts will take it, no problem, but the stuff will travel along the steel parts to the grease, which is bad).

Spray all of the plastic that lines the wheel well with a heavy grade oven cleaner and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then remove the oven cleaner. You might want to use a sponge instead of just using the hose since you don't want the oven cleaner to get everywhere.

If you want to be more aggressive (also requires being much more careful), make a drano cocktail, say 1 part drano and 3 parts water. I don't recommend this since I'm not a big fan of chemical burns, myself, but if you have the appropriate protective gear you should be fine.

You can also make an oxidizing cocktail which works well on pets or yourself, but might not work as well on the car. I would use this on the wheel, also, since both the oven cleaner and drano could react with the coating on your wheel (if you have alloy wheels).

Mix:

1 Quart of Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup of baking soda

1 teaspoon of liquid detergent (dish soap)

I would mix this right next to the car, you need the oxidation (foaming) which happens pretty quickly. So mix everything together and the best thing would be to spray it on the area but if you don't have an appropriate sprayer you can use a sponge. This mixture will not "hurt" your hands unless you have open wounds.

Of course, if it is a dead thing stuck somewhere in the car, then none of what I have mentioned here works.

Edited October 25, 2006 by brick

[runawayjim]

i've run over skunks before, eventually the smell goes away, especially teh more you drive. i did it with a delivery truck that i drove for 3 summers. it only took a day for it to go away, but i was driving probably about 50 miles a day with it.

[jencoleslaw]

it isn't a skunk. I know skunk, this is just the smell of death. I think its time for a new car.

[Cotuit]

How Many of Me

Find out how many Americans share your first and last name. According to that site, no one else in the United States has the same first and last name as me.

[runawayjim]

How Many of Me

Find out how many Americans share your first and last name. According to that site, no one else in the United States has the same first and last name as me.

that's because you spell your name weird.

there's 222 with my first and last name. no surprise considering both names are fairly common.

Edited October 28, 2006 by runawayjim

[runawayjim]

interesting... my first name is the most common first name in the country. my last name is the 2802nd most common.

[Cotuit]

that's because you spell your name weird.

Yes, only 21,000 people have my last name though.

[runawayjim]

Yes, only 21,000 people have my last name though.

that's more than the number of people with my last name... but i bet 90% of the people with my last name live in the northeast.

[Lone Ranger]

Yes, only 21,000 people have my last name though.

And only 630 have mine.

Probably because it isn't a real name but a beotchization of the original Irish.

Well, it's official. I'm unique.

[matt]

And only 630 have mine.

Probably because it isn't a real name but a beotchization of the original Irish.

Well, it's official. I'm unique.

11 for me

[dgreco]

There are 3,553,128 people in the U.S. with the first name David.

Statistically the 7th most popular first name.

99.75 percent of people with the first name David are male.

There are 15,178 people in the U.S. with the last name Greco.

Statistically the 2504th most popular last name.

There are 180 people in the U.S. named David Greco.

[jencoleslaw]

More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Jennifer are female.

[runawayjim]

when i did it, it said 99.7% of the people named james are male. i feel bad for that 0.3%. although it could've been me... my father was very adamant about naming me after him no matter whether i was a boy or not.

Edited October 28, 2006 by runawayjim

[Lone Ranger]

11 for me

And how many of them them are directly related to you?

[semass]

There are 15,178 people in the U.S. with the last name Greco.

Statistically the 2504th most popular last name.

We're tied!

There are 15,178 people in the U.S. with the last name Cabral.

Statistically the 2504th most popular last name.

[Jerry2]

We're tied!

There are 15,178 people in the U.S. with the last name Cabral.

.

And 15K of them live from Providence to New Bedford

[Cotuit]

I'm home alone, and it's late, and the house is quiet except for my typing, and I hear a mousie chewing something.

[matt]

And how many of them them are directly related to you?

All of them. My family's history is pretty well documented.

[runawayjim]

I'm home alone, and it's late, and the house is quiet except for my typing, and I hear a mousie chewing something.

same here... minus the mouse. and my contacts are glued to my eyes... i didn't think i'd be out this late. this is, believe it or not, only the 2nd time i've been out until closing in providence. the first time i didn't leave my apartment until 1. i managed 2 beers at blake's that night. but at least this time i got a hat.

[JJK5]

when i did it, it said 99.7% of the people named james are male. i feel bad for that 0.3%. although it could've been me... my father was very adamant about naming me after him no matter whether i was a boy or not.

My Dad didn't have much of a choice, i'm a fifth! And I don't have much of a choice naming my first son.