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      08-14-2013, 11:46 PM   #1
Aeromotive
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Help! Spilled a yogurt smoothie all over the place!

Hi all.

Wife has had her 335i for 5 weeks now and today something quite special happened... she was at Tim Horton's (Canada, eh!) ordering at the drive thru and as she had her window opened, a bird/seagull decided to, ummm, defecate on her car, through the window, inside, and on her arm...

As she was handed her order, which included a delicious strawberry-banana smoothie, she wanted to be extra-careful not to touch any... uhhh crap from the bird. So she lost grip of the cup and it went flying on her door, through the window buttons, on the seat belt, on the seat and even through the subwoofer (under passenger seat... she has the HK sound system).

Now the car smells like a smoothie, which I hate, because it's still new and I love the new leather smell

So, how to clean it without damaging the leather? How to clean the seat belt? How to reach through the wire mesh that covers the subwoofer under the passenger seat? Can we take it off?

Any tips are welcome!
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      08-14-2013, 11:57 PM   #2
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I honestly would let a detail guy deal with it. Those strawberries will start to smell like poo... more poo I should say. Better to get it done sooner than later.
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      08-15-2013, 12:59 AM   #3
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Did they give her another smoothie?
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      08-15-2013, 01:03 AM   #4
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I agree with Steve. You need to take it to a professional detailed ASAP and let them know what happened. They will be able to clean it up better than anyone else.
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      08-15-2013, 01:17 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F32 View Post
Did they give her another smoothie?



OP, take it to a good interior detailer, it would be worth it in the long run. Sooner the better.
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      08-15-2013, 01:20 AM   #6
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Gett he car to a detailer ASAP. Milk based products need to be cleaned immed to avoid a stink setting in that will be worse.

Seriously, don't wait. Get it cleaned up now.
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      08-15-2013, 01:35 AM   #7
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ON second thoughts, also try posting in detailing section and see what people (and pro detailers) may suggest! Good luck
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      08-15-2013, 02:26 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve33 View Post
I honestly would let a detail guy deal with it. Those strawberries will start to smell like poo... more poo I should say. Better to get it done sooner than later.
Exactly. I'd take it to a detailer ASAP. Poo poo is bad.
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      08-15-2013, 03:31 AM   #9
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Get a professional to sort it quickly.

I knew someone who spilt fresh cream in the car and never got rid of the smell. Made me nauseous just sitting in the car
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      08-15-2013, 07:25 AM   #10
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Wow, and I get mad when a bird poops ON my car.
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      08-15-2013, 08:44 AM   #11
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Thanks. Bird poop was on plastic and easily removed. It's yogurt that's the problem...

I can't seem to find an appointment before 48-72 hours... how long can I afford to wait???!
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      08-15-2013, 11:58 AM   #12
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It depends on the temperature outside. I forgot a 4 litre container of milk in the trunk of my 2008 335xi for about 6 hours a few years ago in the summer when it was about 25 degrees celcius and I was never able to completely remove the smell from my car. When I traded my car in last year for a 2013 335 xdrive I was happy to have a new car without any lingering milk smell........
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      08-15-2013, 12:07 PM   #13
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I would see if any drive through car washes in your area offer on the spot detailing.

They need to vacuum up as much as they can, wipe down everything, and then shampoo what they can out of the fabrics.
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      08-15-2013, 12:31 PM   #14
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Everything has been wiped and cleaned. It's for the smell and what went in the creases/buttons. I'll try taking it to a regular carwash and then detailing.

Last edited by Aeromotive; 08-15-2013 at 12:41 PM..
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      08-15-2013, 01:43 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aeromotive View Post
Everything has been wiped and cleaned. It's for the smell and what went in the creases/buttons. I'll try taking it to a regular carwash and then detailing.
There's only one right way to do it: you have to remove panels to get to the cracks and crevices into which the liquid ran. This may seem excessive, but it's the only way fully to clean and remove the mess. As others have said, that smell won't go away unless you fully remove the dairy product.

If it were me, I'd take the afternoon off, find a well-lighted garage, and start removing interior trim. Clean with Simple Green. Replace panels when done.

I'm not sure what a professional detailer is going to do other than to shampoo carpets and blast the interior with deodorizer. That will help in the short term, yes, but the smell will always be there unless you take the time to get into those crevices.

Good luck.
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      08-15-2013, 01:55 PM   #16
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What a pain. And this is why I don't eat in car or do drive-thru, too risky.
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      08-15-2013, 08:14 PM   #17
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Nothing you can do now. Douse with gasoline, set on fire, and purchase a new one.
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      08-15-2013, 08:17 PM   #18
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Oh boy. Get it cleaned asap like everyone recommended. My little guy spilled some milk in the winter on the car mats in the back. Never realized it until it got warm in the spring. Smelled like hell. Took two trips to a detailer to get rid of the smell. Then a while later my brother spilled a protein shake all over and under the front seat. Took care of it right away and no smell.
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      08-15-2013, 08:18 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3magine View Post
Nothing you can do now. Douse with gasoline, set on fire, and purchase a new one.
LMAO
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      08-15-2013, 08:35 PM   #20
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A good shop will get into the crevices if you asked them to. I once had a friend projectile vomit from the 3rd row seat of an Escalade so hard that it made it all the way up onto the front of the car. Now THAT'S a fun detail.

Pulling the panels off is also a good idea but really it'll smell the most where it's gotten into the carpet. Any hard/non-porous surface can be wiped down and Q tips are handy for getting into crevices.

May be worth pulling the entire seat out to get underneath if it's an option.
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      08-15-2013, 10:17 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by avantix View Post
Oh boy. Get it cleaned asap like everyone recommended. My little guy spilled some milk in the winter on the car mats in the back. Never realized it until it got warm in the spring. Smelled like hell. Took two trips to a detailer to get rid of the smell. Then a while later my brother spilled a protein shake all over and under the front seat. Took care of it right away and no smell.
How long was your "right away"? Got an appointment tomorrow, which is 36 hours after the incident...

Wife reassured me today that almost nothing was spilled on buttons. Majority of liquid went on the seat, carpet, and spilled through the crease in the driver's seat (the crease between back and seat itself) on the floor of the backseat.
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      08-16-2013, 12:15 AM   #22
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Lol
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