Car smells strongly like mildew after rain/wet

[AustinLC250]

Remove the rubber door seal plug at the bottom of each door, 3 per door as I recall. It helped the smell go away more quickly-doors drained better.

Can someone explain to me the purpose of the plugs? If they are drain holes, shouldn't they be open? Any known cons with removing them?

 

[Slippers]

Can someone explain to me the purpose of the plugs? If they are drain holes, shouldn't they be open? Any known cons with removing them?

The plugs have a channel/cut in them that allows for water to drain when in place. The only reason to remove them is to check for any larger debris that might be causing the plugs to get jammed up.

My understanding is they reduce the amount of dust that gets inside the door.

There was an actual water drain issue with the Corolla where a TSB was issued that called for removing one specific plug (not all of them) on the front and rear doors, but there hasn't been a similar TSB on the Land Cruiser.

 

[Matthew@LC250Mods]

The plugs, IMO, are best removed but that does not rectify the root cause. I'm assuming both of the rigs in question are 2024 or early 2025 model. If so, they need the outer window moldings replaced with the new part number. The old one is absorbent and holds water until it gets moldy.