[MtBMW73]

Trying to eliminate a lingering smell in my car. I've cleaned everything in the interior and it still remains.

It is not moldy, musty or an otherwise dirty odor, but rather the result of whatever the dealer used to detail the car before I bought it in December. It's not how a BMW should smell. At this point I am thinking it may be coming from the HVAC system. So my next step is to replace the cabin filter.

I see there are many options available on the market, with various claims of HEPA, activated charcoal, baking soda, "odor defense," etc.

So what is the absolute best cabin filter available? Money is no object.

[alohasurftoad]

OEM?

changing the filter may not resolve the smell that easily, though.

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

OEM?

Do you know this for sure? OEM is an obvious choice for replacement but there are a lot of aftermarket options making odor-removing claims.

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

changing the filter may not resolve the smell that easily, though.

True, but nothing I've done so far has helped, and a new filter will not make it any worse and potentially might help eliminate.

[toxik]

i changed my filter this summer but still had musty smell, going to do this service before next summer. it cleans your AC evaporator coil:

[MtBMW73]

I'm going to give this one a go:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WCT21MV/
Spearhead Odor Defense Breathe Easy AC & Heater Cabin Filter

Will report back once I get it in an run it for a while.

[Wires]

Honestly, my car has never smelled, but I do live in a dryer climate.

If you have a nasty smell, trying to hide it with a filter is nothing more than misting "Febreeze" to hide the smell of a rotting fish on the counter.

Musty smells are typically mold on the evaporator, and the link above to clean it should address it. Having a rodent crawl in and die could also be the culprit (but I don't know what smells you are having!)

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by Wires

Honestly, my car has never smelled, but I do live in a dryer climate.

If you have a nasty smell, trying to hide it with a filter is nothing more than misting "Febreeze" to hide the smell of a rotting fish on the counter.

Musty smells are typically mold on the evaporator, and the link above to clean it should address it. Having a rodent crawl in and die could also be the culprit (but I don't know what smells you are having!)

As I mentioned in my original post: "It is not moldy, musty or an otherwise dirty odor, but rather the result of whatever the dealer used to detail the car before I bought it in December."

It's more like a perfumy fragrance. Not nasty, but not what I want my car to smell like. I don't think the evaporator is the culprit. I haven't even turned on the A/C yet since I bought the car.

[thejeremyman9]

I would buy the OEM or comparable from FCP euro with lifetime replacement and just replace it every yearish.

[Tatanka1961]

I just changed mine today. It looked like it was never replaced previously for ~30000km

I installed the one with antibacterial and anti Allergy properties. It's a little more expensive, but I value clean air...

[alohasurftoad]

If you think the smell is stuck or lingering on the interior surface, id just get damp microfiber cloths and wipe the interior, including headliner, leave the doors open and air it out for a few hours.

The new filter should help as the old one has the fragrance stuck on it as well

[Wires]

Originally Posted by MtBMW73

A
It's more like a perfumy fragrance. Not nasty, but not what I want my car to smell like. I don't think the evaporator is the culprit. I haven't even turned on the A/C yet since I bought the car.

Worst case if you cannot get it out, there are detailing places that do some sort of air cleaning (I don't know exactly what it was called). They put a machine in the car and it gets rid of any odors.

Had a car that was in a garage that had a fire in the garbage can, and after they were done, you wouldn't even know that that it was in the garage.

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by Wires

Worst case if you cannot get it out, there are detailing places that do some sort of air cleaning (I don't know exactly what it was called). They put a machine in the car and it gets rid of any odors.

Had a car that was in a garage that had a fire in the garbage can, and after they were done, you wouldn't even know that that it was in the garage.

That's an ozone generator. That is also an option if the scent doesn't eventually fade on its own. I have however anecdotely read that ozone can adversely affect rubber and plastics in the interior -- not sure how much truth there is to that though.

[toxik]

i wouldn’t use ozone for smell, only for mold

[Wires]

Originally Posted by MtBMW73

That's an ozone generator. That is also an option if the scent doesn't eventually fade on its own. I have however anecdotely read that ozone can adversely affect rubber and plastics in the interior -- not sure how much truth there is to that though.

Didn't seem to have any issues, but never really spent a lot of time checking though. It did 100% remove that sickening oily burnt smell out of the interiors though. I believe that is what the rental car places use when buddy smokes in the car that you aren't supposed to smoke in.

[RAK92]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

I would buy the OEM or comparable from FCP euro with lifetime replacement and just replace it every yearish.

Exact advice I was going to give. FCP no longer refunds your credit card, but you receive credit on your account when you mail in the used one. You have to purchase the first product (cabin filter) from FCP and then when it’s time to replace it, just purchase another one and mail in the used one and within a few days you’ll receive credit on your account for the purchase. I’ve been doing this for awhile now. A great way to save some money. Shipping the old product back is much cheaper than purchasing a new one from somewhere else!

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by Wires

Didn't seem to have any issues, but never really spent a lot of time checking though. It did 100% remove that sickening oily burnt smell out of the interiors though. I believe that is what the rental car places use when buddy smokes in the car that you aren't supposed to smoke in.

Yep, and it’s what hotels use in the same situation.

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

I would buy the OEM or comparable from FCP euro with lifetime replacement and just replace it every yearish.

So what you’re saying is that the OEM cabin filter is the best filter for controlling odors? More so than any of the available aftermarket options?

[Bob Loblah]

Originally Posted by MtBMW73

Trying to eliminate a lingering smell in my car. I've cleaned everything in the interior and it still remains.

It is not moldy, musty or an otherwise dirty odor, but rather the result of whatever the dealer used to detail the car before I bought it in December. It's not how a BMW should smell. At this point I am thinking it may be coming from the HVAC system. So my next step is to replace the cabin filter.

I see there are many options available on the market, with various claims of HEPA, activated charcoal, baking soda, "odor defense," etc.

So what is the absolute best cabin filter available? Money is no object.

I had a similar situation when I bought my car. The car smelled like detail products. I thought about getting ozone treatment and a professional detail done without applying certain products like conditioners.

The smell wasn't bad, so I just ignored it. The smell went a few after a few months, probably just needed time and airflow to air out the cabin.

I would change the air filter anyways, and try ozone and a detail.

[toxik]

ozone should not be used for smells, it’s both dangerous to your health and it accelerates degradation of rubber and any other soft plastic in the car. idk why so many people are recommending it, literally fuck your lungs up from a tiny amount of it over a fruity smell seems dumb as fuck to me.

you’re trying to cure a smell inside a car with a cabin filter that’s meant for filtering outside air from particles and has nothing to do with interior smells… you need to scrub your car with odor neutrelizing products, griots has a great carpet and upholstery spray for neutrelizing odors. second you need to take charcoal filled bags (they sell them on amazon) and place them all over your car for a good month, and the windows should be open anytime the car is driven. that’s how you get rid of odors

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

I would buy the OEM or comparable from FCP euro with lifetime replacement and just replace it every yearish.

Echoing the same recommendation.

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Echoing the same recommendation.

So are you saying the OEM filter is better than any of the aftermarket options at eliminating any odors? What is a "comparable" option? That's more what I was hoping to get answered when I posted this question.

I'm not concerned about replacing the filter a year from now through a replacement program; I'm looking for the best option that might improve the existing odor situation, which may (or may not) be something other than OEM.

[Moupe]

I would get either the Mann Frecious Plus or Mahle Caremetix. Probably difficult to test how effective each of these are when compared with one another. Regardless Mahle and Mann make quality stuff yadidimean?