The previous owner of my 2007 530i was an avid fisherman. Needless to say some unwanted smells have been lingering for a while.
Anyone know of any products out there that could help remedy the situation?

Also, if anyone knows of any good products that will help spruce up the dull leather interior, I would really appreciate it.

 

The most effective way of getting rid of smells is to use an ozone machine. There are people that rent these things out for a bit of cash. Just let it sit in the car with the air conditioning on full black for 20 min and the smell should be gone!

 

I think you have two choices: (1) Mask the odor or (2) determine the source and eliminate.

I favor the latter and if the carpets and padding are affected a commercial cleaning might be in order. That probably involves steam cleaning and deodorizing. Same with the trunk but you could probably handle that with a good shop-vac and spray carpet cleaner.

Also, a micro-filter change might help - and run your climate control on recirculate (manually) for a while after that.

Last, if you are in a position to park your car out doors on a warm dry day - with windows and moonroof open - lots of fresh air might help dissipate the lingering odor.


OH - check the glove box for left-over bait!

 

Check underneath the seats and in the trunk for any unexpected fish that might have slid in there ?

 

I think if there was an actual fish in the car, the stench would be un-bearable lol...

 

You could try keeping an Air Sponge in your car until you can locate and eliminate the odor. For leather treatment, I've been satisfied with leather care products from Zaino and Meguiar. Look for leather-specific products.