[lotus54]

I have a new '09 9-3 SportCombi.
I bought some brand new rubber floor mats from SAAB for it. Very nice mats, but man do they smell!
Go inside the car and it is like being in a tyre store! When cold it quite as bad, but warm they really stink.
I hung them on a clothes line outside for a week and they still smell bad! (after washing with dish soap even).

Any ideas? I'd like to use them but really don't want to stink up my new car, it is bad enough it tends to give me a headache.

Wish they still sold those nice thermoplastic deep mats they sold in the late 70's - they were much nicer.

Mark

 

[kcrnmale]

Did you buy them from a dealer? Or a Saab store like State of Nine? I have the OEM mats for my 08 Convertible and they have no smell. I wonder if your dealer might sell aftermarket mats as OEM? Perhaps the SC simply come with the stinky mats? And I know the smell you're referring too!!

 

[mrbrett]

I bought some rubber mats and had the same problem- even though they weren't cheap (70 bucks or more), they still smelled like a nasty combination of sausage and tires. I scrubbed them with murphy's oil soap, which is lemon scented, and after airing them outside several times, the smell finally went away. (It takes quite a while).

 

[DavidMorgan]

I have a set of Saab rubber mats but only use them when the weather is filthy. But no .. no stinking problem here :lol:

 

[lotus54]

I bought them from a SAAB dealer (Patrick) and they were in SAAB bags anyway.
The 'boot' mat I got doesn't smell at all.

I'll try the Murphy's.

Mark

 

[JMarkert]

I wonder if a rinse with rubbing alcohol before the Murphy's rinse might speed stuff up? Otherwise, sunshine and time will eventually do the trick.

 

[toplessFC3Sman]

mine smelled a little bit when I first got them whenever the floor vents were pumping hot air. After a couple weeks though, they stopped; i think they just do that when new, most rubbers do

 

[Dave 37]

I bought Saab rubber mats from Patrick and mine don't smell. However, I have an aftermarket trunk mat that I just got (to place over the carpet trunk mat :cheesy: occasionally) and it does have a slight rubbery smell. I am airing that new mat now. Tried hot water but not rubbing alcohol or soap.

 

[Finch 93]

Never tried this but...

http://www.ehow.com/how_5157870_remove-rubber-odor-mats.html

Fill a tub or sink with warm soapy water and add 1 cup of white vinegar.
<LI id=jsArticleStep2 itxtvisited="1">Step 2
Place the mats in the water, making sure that they are completely submerged.
<LI id=jsArticleStep3 itxtvisited="1">Step 3
Allow the mats to soak for at least 30 minutes.
<LI id=jsArticleStep4 itxtvisited="1">Step 4
Scrub the mats with a clean cloth and rinse them with clean water.
<LI id=jsArticleStep5 itxtvisited="1">Step 5
Place the mats outside in the sunshine to dry. Leave the mats outside even after they are dry as the sunshine will help to kill of any lingering odors. Give the mats at least 3 hours in direct sunlight.

 

[lotus54]

Thanks for the tip.
I'll give it a go!
(may have to wait for sunshine though)

 

[RhodyDave]

Mine are Saab OEM, bought from a dealer via the web. No smell here.

 

[Cedarvillan]

Don't run them through the dishwasher. They came out clean but a white residue was on them. It was a couple of years before they were right again. I suspect it was the TSP (trisodium phosphate) in the dishwasher detergent.

 

[Last_saab_standing]

kinda of like that smell...

 

[PhilC]

I bought some of these too and they smelled for maybe a week and a half to two weeks so just give it time and the smell will go away (although I don't really mind the smell).

I'm guessing this would work though:
Take baking soda and sprinkle it all over the mats and then take either lemon juice or white vinegar and pour a little over the mat and with a towel or something just scrub the mats. After that just rinse them off with water and dry them and that should take care of the smell (or at least help it a lot)

 

[lotus54]

They have been hanging outside for two weeks.
I then soaked them in soapy water and vinegar for a couple of hours- then rinsed and hung them outside again.
it has been a bit cool and rainy, so I don't know if the smell it gone yet or now.
After a week hanging outside they still were really bad when they got warm.

Hope this works.
Mark