[Zentan]

Hey all - for the past couple of days, I've noticed the inside of my car smelling horribly. It's not food or any type of odor a human being can leave. I'm putting blame on possibly the cabin filter or anything coming out of the AC vents.

Could the aforementioned things be it? What are other possibilities?

Thanks in advance!

[rak299]

I had a squirrel build a nest in my E39 engine compartment. He or she didn't do well when I started the car. There was squirrel debris that quickly rotted. I opened the hood to a real mess when it started to smell

[Zentan]

Originally Posted by rak299

I had a squirrel build a nest in my E39 engine compartment. He or she didn't do well when I started the car. There was squirrel debris that quickly rotted. I opened the hood to a real mess when it started to smell

That's actually hilarious. I popped the hook and no living animals there lol

[rayxi]

Originally Posted by rak299

I had a squirrel build a nest in my E39 engine compartment. He or she didn't do well when I started the car. There was squirrel debris that quickly rotted. I opened the hood to a real mess when it started to smell

I second this. My brother in law had a situation where a rodent crawled into the engine bay for heat. When the engine started up, things didn't work out so well for the little guy & it funked up the car.

[rayxi]

Originally Posted by Zentan

That's actually hilarious. I popped the hook and no living animals there lol

Any dead ones?

[Zentan]

Originally Posted by rayxi

Any dead ones?

Wow, with another person experiencing this, I'm going to have to triple check for any dead animals lmao

[TK335iMSPT]

From what I've been told at the dealer, mold builds up on the A/C coils after periods of intermittent use. Sales advisor said it's about a 3 hour job to take it out and have it cleaned but it will happen again. Someone on the forum recommended buying a new cabin filter and spraying the cr*p out of it with your favorite scented Lysol (or any other non toxic antibacterial spray. Then let it sit for a 24 hour period to dry and install. The problem should not occur within the 2 year replacement limit of the cabin air filter. Bad engineering on BMW's part. Condensation drips onto the coils and creates the mold.

[Zentan]

can anybody provide a link from amazon of a cabin air filter that would fit in a F30 335i?

[BrettKA7]

My cabin air filter will suddenly wreak of vinegar after about 9-10 months of use. It also takes a few days for that smell to go away 100% after changing the filter.

[CALiteral]

I really hope the cabin air filter fixes it.

About a month ago, I had a bad smell in my car. After doing some digging, I found mice had built a nest under the dash! I ended up having to put in an insurance claim and they have to remove the whole interior including the dash to get it all cleaned out.

[wrickem]

Is your sunroof vented or open? Lots of us have had issues with a bad smell coming in when it's open. Mine was from the grease in there. It's been described as a truffle oil smell (I agree), and it's gross.

[aerostar]

It's probably mildew / mold from your A/C.

Whenever you have A/C running, especially on a humid day, you need to turn it off for the last 2-3 minutes of having the HVAC on to get all the moisture out.

You will be surprised at how much water comes out of the thing. Your steering wheel will get soaking wet where the vents are hitting it.

[ChuckP49]

I experienced the same thing yesterday, and I thought the smell was like glue or a petroleum smell, like grease. I just had my car in the dealer for a steering wheel replacement, and they performed the "world class inspection". Do they grease the sunroof as part of this?
I live in the high desert of Utah so I don't think mold or mildew is my problem. And the smell isn't a dead animal smell.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by Zentan

can anybody provide a link from amazon of a cabin air filter that would fit in a F30 335i?

Get a BMW filter. Aftermarkets are known to be difficult, if not impossible, to fit into place. Google 'BMW cabin filter' for sources.

[Zentan]

Thanks all. I think it's the cabin air filter. I'm searching through FCP Euro to get one.

[remrk]

Originally Posted by ChuckP49

I experienced the same thing yesterday, and I thought the smell was like glue or a petroleum smell, like grease. I just had my car in the dealer for a steering wheel replacement, and they performed the "world class inspection". Do they grease the sunroof as part of this?
I live in the high desert of Utah so I don't think mold or mildew is my problem. And the smell isn't a dead animal smell.

This has been happening to my car the last couple of weeks. It comes and goes but I only smell it with when the A/C button is on. It smells like crazy glue or some chemical smell.

[BK335]

This is also happening to me, have you had a chance to try changing the cabin air filter? I'd like to avoid having the AC coils cleaned...

[ziyfan]

Solved, latest update to the interior/cabin smell :
the smell is confirmed to be the insulation material , mainly the front insulation under the dashboard.

My car is BMW 2013 M135i, bot from BMW dealer in 2021 with extended warranty.
The smell mainly come from the gap between the window and the dashboard.
the smell is strong when the carbin is hot , eg. switch to hot A/C facing up or just put the car under the sun for a few hours.
the smell is weak when A/C temperature is cool or use a big towel to block all the gaps on top of the dashboard .

Took 2 weeks to oder the new sound insulation boards from BMW Germany . Cost only around $200
Then took around 8~12 hours to install the new parts. cost $2500 for labour.
all paid by BMW dealer under warranty.

Good luck everyone, don't buy old BMW, they used faulty material in old models. especially F20,F30