How to Get Rid of Bad Odor from Heater of BMW Cars

There is no doubt; BMW is one of the best car manufacturers of the world. For years, BMW has been manufacturing luxury cars of great performance and stylish design. People get best experience and comfort in these cars. But it is needed to get rid of a common issue that can spoil your enjoyment while having a ride in such cars. Such issues are bad smells from AC vents.

Imagine you are in a happy mood as you have to go for a picnic with your family members, you are starting on the car and then switching on the AC and at that time you and your family find foul smells coming out of the vent and spoiling the moods of each of your family members, disgusting, isn’t it? Imagine you’re driving with a very important person in the car and such thing happens. The situation will be horrible.

What causes foul smell from the heater and how to get rid of it?

Such smells are not only very much disturbing but are toxic enough that can cause health hazards, worst for people having respiratory problems. These smells are produced by heaters from harmful chemicals used in engines, dust, dirt deposits near engine and air vents. I’m gonna discuss about the various smells and their causes as well as tips on how to get rid of it. I’m also going to discuss the preventive measures to be taken. If the smell is not stopped and its source is not eliminated then it can cause a bad hygiene, harmful respiratory and mental disorders.

Heater core failure

The foul smell is the major sign of failure of heater core. Heater core commonly fails when it becomes older.

Diagnosis — A regular maintenance and inspection of the heater is required. If the heater core is really damaged then take the car to a garage and get the heater core replaced. You can do it yourself if you have enough experience and confidence to do such work on vehicles. If you find the replacement of heater core as costlier and cannot afford it then use an electric car heater after bypassing the heater core.

Air vents having dirt

If your air vents have a large amount of dirt deposits then it can produce a great unpleasant dusty smell. You can check your air vents, if the dirt is not visible then you can detect it when the heater is on. A very foul smell would come from air vents when heater is on.

Diagnosis — A routine checkup of air vent is needed. The checkup should be done for every 15,000 miles. Replace the cabin air filters if you find dirt and dust trapped in it. Use Lysol or similar disinfectants to disinfect the vents once for every six months.

Fuel vent leakage

Fuel vent leakage can produce a foul smell of gasoline from heating systems. The leakage of gasoline from fuel vents because it spill on heaters and produce the foul smell. There can a leakage of toxic antifreeze which will produce a sweet smell. You can detect it by sweet smell or gasoline smell.

Diagnosis — Immediate repair of leaks or cracks is required. Take your car to a mechanic and get it repaired.

The debris deposits in engine

The accumulation of leaves, pine needles and debris occurs under the hood while driving. When these debris are in high amount in your engine, then the heating system gradually begins to burn them, producing high amount of foul smell.

Diagnosis — If you detect such a smell then park your car in a safe area, open the hood and clean out all the debris from your heated engine and the heater box carefully. A fine wire mesh is required to be installed over fresh air intake.

Mildew growth in evaporators of car ACs

Often mildews and molds grow up inside the evaporator of air conditioner and as a result you will notice a musty, dank smell from heater vents. Such smells are very unpleasant and can couse severe headache and even infections in the respiratory systems.

Diagnosis — You need to check the evaporator if there is mildew or not. Clean the drain hose of the evaporator if it is clogged. Clogged drain hose can also produce foul smell. Use air conditioning vent cleaner which is a foaming aerosol spray. The foam is sprayed in the vents and allowed to soak for 30 minutes. Then it is drained. To dry the system, run the conditioner for five minutes after starting on the car. If you find the mildews in very hard to reach places in evaporator then take it to a garage or service centers to clean it. Use Lysol for every six months to disinfect the vents.

Bad crankshaft

If you find a very foul smell like hydrogen sulphide or a rotten egg smell then your crankshaft or catalytic converter might be the culprit here. Damaged or wore off crankshaft and catalytic converters produce such smell.

Diagnosis — you need to check the components I.e., the crankshaft, catalytic converters. If both are found faulty then repair is needed. If the condition is worse then it can cause other catastrophic damage to other components, so replacement is to be done.

Decomposition near engine

Such conditions usually happen due to animals. Small animals like rats and other rodents usually crawl into the underside of cars for warmth. While resting there they urinate, defecate or even die there. The dead bodies and the fecal matter undergo decay, releasing the decaying foul odor or a rotten egg odor.

Diagnosis — check the crankshaft or catalytic converters, if they are in good condition then the decomposition of animal wastes is highly probable to cause such rotten smell. You need to clean out the wastes from underside of the car and wash that portion of the car. Fix some mesh there to prevent the animals from getting inside the car.

Conclusion

You must have understood now how to get rid of such smells. To prevent such smells, maintenance is needed. Check for the air filters regularly, if they are clogged with much dirt and dust then it must be replaced. A routine checkup of heating system is required. Use of vent cleaner sprays minimizes the chance to getting bad odor. Here I have tried to cover all the possible reasons that cause the production of foul smell from heater and how to get rid of it.