[tjk_9000]

So I picked up a 2017 320i a few months ago and the smell inside when I got it was/is SO GOOD. It's like a really clean scent, but without any noticeable "flavor" to it (for lack of a better word). My friend said "It smells so good in here, like an airplane in the best way".

Is there a specific cleaner they use at the dealer? This smell is fading a little and I want to keep it! Is it one of the BMW scent bombs? I'd be hesitant to use one just to find it smells different.


Granted, with the windows and/or sunroof open, it's all crayons/cosmoline. When I started test driving F30s, I noticed the crayon smell and it reminded me of my old 1998 Jetta VR6 (in a bad way). But now I've sort of come around on it and find it to be kinda tolerable, but still not great.

[tardboi]

I hope you figure it out, I loved the smell when I got mine too. Was so sad as it slowly faded away, and never smelled again lol

[Pussiwillow]

I am in the process of preparing to remove my dash to find the source
It's behind the dash
I get a strong odor from the passenger side under the dash, where the blower motor is, so when you recirculate the ac it swamps the car with crayon smell.
I think it's the panels made of a weird rubbery plastic type material that deteriorate on the interior firewall, I've seen someone in another chassis bmw use dyna mat or whatever to cover the panels and eliminate the odor.

The hardest part here is the location of the source lol. I'm going to try to remove everything short of the dash itself and see what I can do, the wife has breathing issues when the smell is present and I don't want to get rid of the car.

[dís_f30]

The crayon smell goes hand in hand with BMW's. No way it should bother someone with breathing issues.

[Pussiwillow]

Originally Posted by _g_cypher_

The crayon smell goes hand in hand with BMW's. No way it should bother someone with breathing issues.

You can smell the crayon smell approx 10 feet away with the windows down outside the car
Inside the car when it's been in the sun, is living hell
My entire garage, my clothes, my hair, everything smells like crayons even on a 5 minute drive
It doesn't cause my breathing to have issues, however my wife uses her rescue inhaler like crazy when in the car even for 10 minutes

Edit: been around bmw for the past 15 years and many vw friends so I'm familiar with the smell, I've never smelled anything this potent in any other car ever. So I'm forced to sell the car which would be impossible in its current odor state or remove dash and remove everything that is suspect and replace or encapsulate with something to prevent off gassing

[RMachuca3d]

Ozone treatment, anyone tried it?

[Pussiwillow]

I did 2 treatments with very very temporary success, I'm certified in odor removal commercial and residential and I have yet to conquer this lol

[eluded]

Get real Dakota leather

[Pussiwillow]

Originally Posted by eluded

Get real Dakota leather

It's not the seats
It's 100% coming from under/behind the dash
I've already torn a fair amount of the underside out and it's definitely the crayon box back there

[SeattleLSB]

It's the sound deadening material. Google BMW crayon and you will find the source.

It was much more prominent in the E46.

[tjk_9000]

Originally Posted by SeattleLSB

It's the sound deadening material. Google BMW crayon and you will find the source.

It was much more prominent in the E46.

I've seen people say they're 100% sure it's Cosmoline, others 100% sure it's that black, waxy sheet for sound deadening.

Someone has to be wrong, right?

I still haven't figured out what the 'good' smell in my car is. It's still sorta there but not as strong. I'm thinking is the "dressing" they used at the dealership, which was basically some kind of armor-all. They put it all over my all-weather floormats to make them shiny (but also so slippery, so I had to degrease them) as well as the seats and the trim. I don't like the gloss look of armor-all, but if I could source a bottle of what the dealer used, I'd probably bathe in it.

[MmmmmM2]

Originally Posted by eluded

Get real Dakota leather

This!! Always smells good!

[tjk_9000]

Update:

So I think the diminished smell is just due to the temperature drops. I didn't use the car for 2 days, then I got in and it was strong as ever. Smells amazing. Might just be the materials in the car and the fact it was never eaten or smoked in before I got it (basically holding a new car smell at 30k mi).

I'm also happy to report that after spending a half day at the track driving M2s and other M cars, I'm now in love with the crayon smell. All those cars had it (except the M8, which only had a few hundred miles on it), so now my scent memories are attached to this experience