Smelly car (BMW)

Weird_Nev

Ultrasonic wrote: »

That link is to an estate agent advert for a two bedroom mid-terrace house in Ilford :huh:.

Is your car a diesel which uses DEF?

This is very relevant.

If the A/C is misting up the screen then you need ot change the pollen filter for starters. There could also be a heater matrix leak, leading to coolant in the footwell and unpleasant smells.

Age/fuel/type of BMW might help.

oldhand

Interesting thread,a neighbour bought a new bmw 5 series a few months back and often he passes me in the lane when im out for a walk.I mentioned to him each time he passes me theres a smell for all the world like demestos bleach from his exhaust,I assume its from the catalyst as its only in the morning when the cars first started.He himself smells it when he has the window down at the end of the road but to him it smells like "pee".

VfM4meplse

Ultrasonic wrote: »

That link is to an estate agent advert for a two bedroom mid-terrace house in Ilford :huh:.

Is your car a diesel which uses DEF?

Whoops! Corrected the link now

The care is a 3 series diesel, just over 12 months old.

SailorSam wrote: »

You haven't got a cat that's peed have you ?

Do you know, that was my first thought! I don't own a cat, but there are lots of well-fed moggies in the vicinity and had accidentally left one of the rear windows 1/4 open yesterday but noticed it soon afterwards so closed it. I'm not sure any of the neighbourhood cats would have been slim enough to have jumped through the gap or crawled its way out, and I had driven yesterday after I closed the window without noticing any smell.

Thanks all for your answers so far - looks like a blocked pollen filter, DEF and coolant spilling into the footwell could be the obvious causes I should be investigating first.

AlexLK

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The care is a 3 series diesel, just over 12 months old.

Get it back to the dealer, it's still under manufacturer's guarantee.

Weird_Nev

AlexLK wrote: »

Get it back to the dealer, it's still under manufacturer's guarantee.

Absolutely times 100.

VfM4meplse

vikingaero wrote: »

Have you checked your fluid levels and especially the coolant? Possible leak from the heating matrix? Lift the mats and check for damp/wet.

Not yet, was waiting for the engine to cool down first. mats are easy enough to check so will do both when I get back home.

neilmcl wrote: »

OP, how often do you use your a/c and was it switched on when you first noticed the smell?

Infrequently, and on v low when I do. It was switched off when I noticed the smell, which was apparent the moment I sat in the car.

Ultrasonic wrote: »

From the description the water was on the outside of the windscreen since it was cleared with the wipers? If the AC makes the windscreen properly cold this could lead to condensation on the outside. Not that I've ever seen or heard of this happening.

It was, which I thought was a bit weird. I switched it off specifically to see if it made a difference to how wet the screen became, and it did.

neilmcl wrote: »

Also, how old is the car and when was the last time you had your aircon refreshed?

13 months and I've never refreshed the aircon. I don't use it that much and there are less than 9k miles on the clock.

moaninggit

Ultrasonic wrote: »

From the description the water was on the outside of the windscreen since it was cleared with the wipers? If the AC makes the windscreen properly cold this could lead to condensation on the outside. Not that I've ever seen or heard of this happening.

This happened to me in a hire car in Dubai serious heat and humidity over there..

chrisw

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Infrequently, and on v low when I do. It was switched off when I noticed the smell, which was apparent the moment I sat in the car.It was, which I thought was a bit weird. I switched it off specifically to see if it made a difference to how wet the screen became, and it did.

Switching it off is not good, particularly if it is climate control. As well as drying out seals etc, it causes water on the evaporator and in the ventilation system to sit there festering in the warmth, breeding bugs.

Iceweasel

Best thing in a BMW 3er is to push the 'auto' button, and the 'snowflake' button, then leave well alone.

I would also have the fan speed on minimum.

That's what I have - all year round.

The electrickery can do a better job than I can at keeping the interior well ventilated.

The only input I control is the temperature I want.

The climate control then decides if it needs heating or cooling to achieve the best results.

Twiddling with the controls oneself gets mediocre results at best, as well as taking your attention away from actually driving.

Ultrasonic

chrisw wrote: »

Switching it off is not good, particularly if it is climate control. As well as drying out seals etc, it causes water on the evaporator and in the ventilation system to sit there festering in the warmth, breeding bugs.

How about winter when it will be off most of the time?

(I have the AC compressor off most of the time in my car but give it a blast periodically, although I must admit I'm never sure for how long or how often I should be doing this...)