No, it literally does.

I bought it 2nd hand, it has only done 9,000 Kms but because a dealer had it, it has likely been driven by too many stinky people for me to count and has a sort of musty smell to it, which I can't shake.

I've cleaned and conditioned all the leather with Mothers, cleaned the dash and plastics with Armorall and spray some apple scent stuff on the matts but it still comes back!!!

Anyone know of any car smell products that last for more than a few hours!?

[astra]

i use only the bmw products on my interior, and i still have the new car smell after about a week of cleaning, but imdeiately after (which lasts for a few days is a fruity smell) and my car has 30,000kms now

have you maybee checked that something unspeakable is not wedged under one of your seats or something?

[oneshare325]

Picus is our Detailing guru, but I bet he could recommend a good product for smell, sorry to hear that! Good Luck. This thread reminds me of that seinfeld where he couldn't get the stink out of the car! If I remember correctly he was driving a 5, long before he started driving saabs!

On a side note, does anyone use Amorall? I don't mind the colour plastics go but it is a right pain to put on...any decent plastic cleaners out there?

[astra]

the one i use - bmw interior cleaner - is great, smells good and isn't hard to use as it is a soloution, and it is a matte finish so you don't get streaking...

we used to use amorall but it never looked good after, so we gave it a miss

if you don't want to pay $7 for the bmw, i am sure that auto1 or supachaep would have something

[jbake]

reminds me of that one episode of seinfeld when he had to sell his saab cause some guy stunk it up....

maybe you could get a professional carpet cleaner rug doctor thing to the rugs...i doubt its the seats that smell...maybe coming in from the vents?

[oneshare325]

Originally Posted by jbake

reminds me of that one episode of seinfeld when he had to sell his saab cause some guy stunk it up....

maybe you could get a professional carpet cleaner rug doctor thing to the rugs...i doubt its the seats that smell...maybe coming in from the vents?

I said the same thing, except the stink was in a 5 series and sold it because of the stink, then started with the saabs!!!

[9c1]

Originally Posted by JameB

No, it literally does.

I bought it 2nd hand, it has only done 9,000 Kms but because a dealer had it, it has likely been driven by too many stinky people for me to count and has a sort of musty smell to it, which I can't shake.

I've cleaned and conditioned all the leather with Mothers, cleaned the dash and plastics with Armorall and spray some apple scent stuff on the matts but it still comes back!!!

Anyone know of any car smell products that last for more than a few hours!?

Have you thought about getting the dealer to check the microfilter in your A/C ? I've read somewhere that mould and mildew can get into the A/C system if the microfilter is dirty and can cause this musty smell you're describing.

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by JameB

No, it literally does.

I bought it 2nd hand, it has only done 9,000 Kms but because a dealer had it, it has likely been driven by too many stinky people for me to count and has a sort of musty smell to it, which I can't shake.

I've cleaned and conditioned all the leather with Mothers, cleaned the dash and plastics with Armorall and spray some apple scent stuff on the matts but it still comes back!!!

Anyone know of any car smell products that last for more than a few hours!?

Too easy!
My mate had the same problem, but he had his cars from new.
The smell is caused by having dogs in the car, the fur gets sucked into the a/c and air filters and then starts to stink, bad! You need to get the a/c filters and all replaced and fingers crossed it should do the trick!

[picus]

It can also be caused by condensation in the A/C filter or compressor, it's kind of a common problem on a lot of new cars. When I get a client car with the issue I usually clean the filter then sit in the car, turn it on (close it up tight), turn the A/C on recirculate, and spray some deoderizing/antibacterial spray into the passenger side footwell (where the intake normally is). I use 1/4 to 1/2 a can and it normally keeps the smell gone quite some time.

Thanks for the info Picus...

Is the filter user maintainable or do I need to take it into a dealer to get that looked at?

If it is user maintainable can you explain how I can check it?

I think the car sat outside for a long time plus it was an ex-fleet car so even had some guys electric razor stubble all over the centre console when I test drove it (made me feel like vomitting LOL).

I know what you mean about the stale smell when the aircon first goes on - I get that if I switch off the aircon and just use normal air - it stinks badly! (in both cars!)

So I think it has had a tough life...!

[bimmerron]

If you want good products, they usually come at a premium. I would not use armorall products. A good article on all aspects of cleaning is on the detailing forum: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9145
I use some of these products which are available in Australia at waxit.com.au
They have a very comprehensive list of products and how to apply them, plus they give very good phone advice, so they maybe able to help.
I use Poorboys vinyl cleaner, Poorboys wheel protectant, Pinnacle leather conditioner and Klasse all in one plus sealant glaze for paint protection.

[picus]

Originally Posted by JameB

Thanks for the info Picus...

Is the filter user maintainable or do I need to take it into a dealer to get that looked at?

If it is user maintainable can you explain how I can check it?

I think the car sat outside for a long time plus it was an ex-fleet car so even had some guys electric razor stubble all over the centre console when I test drove it (made me feel like vomitting LOL).

I know what you mean about the stale smell when the aircon first goes on - I get that if I switch off the aircon and just use normal air - it stinks badly! (in both cars!)

So I think it has had a tough life...!

Hmmm, how to explain this without pics... ah forget it, I will find a pic, one sec.

Excellent! Thanks for the info bimmerron. I'm not after a top notch finish as I'm not prepared to do that extra 80% of the work for the last 20% of perfection. I don't mind paying a bit extra for some decent products though as getting a nice glossy finish is worth paying for. At the moment, my LeMans blue 130 looks as dull as :-(

Out of interest, if I were to pay someone to do this for me (exterior and interior) a couple of times a year, does anyone know of any decent detailers to do this and how much they cost?

I'm thinking of going back to one of these $40 car wash places (you know, the coffee ones - there's one in West Ryde, one on Pennant Hills road around Thornleigh etc) but although they do a better job than I do, it's still not great...

[picus]

[img]http://****************/microfilter.jpg[/img]

The red square is where the microfilter is in e92/e90s; it's easy to pop out. I usually clean it with compressed air (I just give it a good solid blast). Don't get it wet. If you don't have compressed air you'll have to figure something else out (or replace it, which might be wise).

Thanks Picus. It's actually for an E87 130i but seeing as its 40% the same as an E90 (or vice versa!), hopefully it will be in the same place...

[picus]

It'll probably be in a similar place. Almost all the cars I've taken it out of are right near the firewall area.