When I read this, my first thought that if the car had been detailed by a prior owner/dealer to prep it for sale, a strong cleaner and or chemical might have been used on the carpet or upholstery, and that is the source of the "gassing" smell.


Or, perhaps the carpet had been soaked wet for some reason (this is a convertible, right), and some strong cleaner had been used to cover up bad odors, and that is what is being smelled.


I can hardly believe that some original element in the car is still "gassing" after how many years? if the car is an '08, it's 7 years old. Does anyone think that an 7 year old car, a convertible even, could possibly still contain any of the original "smells" that it had from its manufacture? I cannot.


Evidently the cabin filter fixed it, so great for the owner. Also good to know for future reference.
Thanks for the posts.