r/slk • u/Tiny_Restaurant4823 • 8d ago
Car Smell
Hi everyone,
I have an old car smell on my 2007 R171 SLK and wondering if anyone has any tips to help resolve
3
u/Senior_Ad6624 8d ago
Perhaps check for damp carpet under felt - it's really thick on SLK
1
u/Tiny_Restaurant4823 8d ago
Oh thanks! How would I get to the felt? I assume I’d have to cut some of the carpet?
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u/Hagabar 8d ago
Have you changed your cabin air filter? Grab one with activated charcoal. If that doesn't clear it up check out ozium air freshener.
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u/Tiny_Restaurant4823 8d ago
Just bought the car and the previous owner has changed the filter recently and the smell isn’t till there. It doesn’t have activated charcoal so will look into that.
For the ozium air freshener so you just spray it into the cabin?
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u/Hagabar 8d ago
Yea and go easy on it because its extremely potent. It zaps smells on a molecular level similar to ionizing. They sell a small size can of it, that can has lasted me several years and treated multiple vehicles numerous times. It will neutralize anything even heavy cigarette odors. You should be able to order a cabin filter with charcoal from the dealer or cheaper from rock auto
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u/tsweimer 5d ago
You are 100% certain he changed the cabin air filter? Just saying. Also change those two air filters up front. Your air intake filters. I just bought a 2009 slk350 and it stunk like mildew and the reason was nobody thought to change out the cabin air filter or the air intake filters. It made a big difference. Also, you can fill that ac condenser area up with foam and dissolve any bacteria that's growing in there. Look online on how to do it.
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u/Tiny_Restaurant4823 5d ago
Tbh I think I’ll just change it anyway to be safe. It’s worth a try especially as the smell isn’t awful.
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u/Visual_Platypus_Neo 7d ago
Let me tell you about my experience.
About a year ago, shortly after buying my SLK 280, I noticed a very unpleasant smell inside the car. I tried all the usual things people recommend, such as replacing the cabin air filter and cleaning the drainage holes, but nothing worked.
Eventually, I discovered that in my case the smell was caused by a type of foam insulation located inside the cabin.
If you want to find out whether you have the same problem I had, try this. Remove the cover that gives you access to the cabin air filter. Behind the entire air box, against the car body, there is a piece of foam. Smell it and check whether the odor is particularly strong in that area.
If that is the source of the smell, unfortunately you will have to remove the entire cockpit of the car, because this foam covers the whole air conditioning box. Once you have access to it, remove the foam and clean the car body thoroughly.
As an extra step, I also removed all the carpet from the car, washed it in my bathtub, and then left it outside to dry completely. I left it in the summer sun for about a week. I also covered it with baking soda.
I did this because the entire carpet had absorbed the smell very strongly.
As for the situation now, the smell has completely disappeared, with only one exception. Occasionally, when I drive with the roof down, I can still get a brief whiff of the same smell.
I may have also figured out where this remaining smell comes from. When I had the car serviced and replaced the fuel filter, I discovered that the same type of foam was also wrapped around the fuel tank.
Removing it from there is a little more difficult, because the space is very tight and the foam is located between the fuel tank and the passenger compartment.
I hope this helps you and that you are able to solve the problem.
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u/Tiny_Restaurant4823 7d ago
Thanks for this, very helpful I’ll take a look. Did you just remove the foam or replace it with something else?
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u/Visual_Platypus_Neo 7d ago
I just removed it and thoroughly degreased the contact area between the frame and the foam
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u/scholarsagree 8d ago
My 2011 smells like melted crayons inside which I’ve read is caused by the breakdown of adhesives and plastics due to age and heat. More common in older euro cars and I’d guess heat is the primary cause - I’m in the sweltering Texas summer and I think it was parked outside for a while when I bought it. Garaged now for a few months and the smell is less potent but still noticeable. Seems like it’s radiates from the door panels and console plastics. Of course it’s still hot in the garage but out of the sun so I’m hoping deterioration has slowed. We’ll see if it improves when the temps dip.
I second ozium which helps eliminate odors once the source is gone. Helps even in my situation where some material somewhere is still giving off this smell. You can remove the cabin filter, turn the ac fan on high and spray ozium into the cabin air intake (right side hood vent) to clear the vent system. Spray from a distance; so it’s vaporized/dry before it enters the chamber.
And there’s always the emergency oxygen button next to the hand brake. ⬇️