Ian

Just started today out of the blue. Had already driven the car and parked at work. When out travelling again, about 1/4 mile down the road was the worst smell ever in the cabin. I first thought it was outside, but soon realised it wasn't. Fearing an engine fire I stopped and lifted the bonnet (hood!). Nothing to be seen or smelt in the engine bay. Drove off with all windows down to clear the air. This has happened twice more today, just as I set off from parked. I haven't let the car sit after start up to see if it's movement related (will try this tomorrow). The smell is a horrible chemical/dead flesh type combination. This is not the less pungent "sweaty sock" air con bacteria smell. Note, I do not use the air con anyway due to the absence of a decent summer of late...

Back at home I have scoured the engine bay for something burning, leaking or dead, but to no avail. I've taken out the cabin filters and checked the intakes, only to find the usual few dry leaves. I've checked engine oil, power stearing oil, and coolant levels and all are ok and don't smell in the same way. I've had the heater on full fan and temp. I've also had the air con on and I can't repeat it. Yet after all this under the light of my open garage door, as soon as I turned the car around on the drive, the smell came back.

The smell is so instant and bad, you would think you were in some form of chemical cloud leak and needed to take cover with a gas mask!

Can burning oil or other engine fluid smell organic/chemically?!

Puzzled and worried!

Ian (it's not me honest!!!)

EBMCS03

has to be something dead somewhere there then...

Silver525xi

Any local critters seaking shelter from the cold possibly?

darkboyz68

yeah sorry to say but maybe something crawled in there and died.

-Mike-

+1 Something dead in there dude...something that pungent has to be a mouse or something similar. Not sure if you have kids, but if so, a bottle left under the seat could cause the same problem.

Ian

Thanks for replies so far. There's nothing in the car. No kids and it's as clean as a whistle. It's definately through the vents and only just after I've set off.

Not sure how something could have died and gone off so quick? Ok at 8am, but stinks by 1pm? If anything, you'd think you'd get a nice BBQ cooking smell from a roasting mouse etc not a stink?! I will take another look in daylight tomorrow.

Could something related to power steering (low speed manouvering when setting off) be a cause?

Thanks.

Ian.

D33ZNUT5

Weird problem. I'd start by changing your socks

Theo

Could it be that your particulate filter is nearing its service life? In that case the DPF regenerates quite often and amongst others through the higher temperature burns is prone to creating some awful smells inside the car, been there. It usually happens right after ignition or within the first handful of miles...

Only problem with this scenario is that the smell is clearly fuel based / chemical, not easily associated with a decomposing animal or the likes.

Maybe in your case it does smell particularly foul?

Hope you find the cause soon

SilberGrauE60

Did you check the cabin air filters (microfilters) under the hood?

joebaggg

bmw has a service to get rid of that smell. sometimes covered under waranty