R60/R61 Stock Problems/Issues Discussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for R60 AND R61 MINI Cooper and Cooper S MINIs.

"something died inside" smell - cabin air

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  #1  
Old 08-19-2012, 12:55 PM
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"something died inside" smell - cabin air

2011 MC-Countryman S - smell reminiscent of a rotting mouse carcass (had this problem in our house years ago after I poisoned but could not find a mouse in the attic) floated up in the interior air. Wife will run this to the dealer for their evaluation. Searched forums here and didn't find an old thread so I'm asking for input on this one.

Had a similar problem on my MBZ E-350, ran it down to some rotten windshield washer fluid (tank sits under the air intake).

Any ideas/comments welcome - thanks in advance.
 
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Old 08-21-2012, 06:48 AM
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If you A/C hs not been used in more than a week, the first (and easiest) thing I would try is to run your A/C for 15- 20 minutes and see if that resolves it. It might or might not, but it's so easy to do it could be worth trying.
 
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Old 08-21-2012, 07:12 AM
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It was mentioned here not to run the a/c in the recirc mode for a while and see what happens. Also might want to check your cabin air filter. Dirty ones are noted to foul the air.
 

Last edited by buzzsaw; 08-21-2012 at 10:48 AM.
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Old 08-21-2012, 07:28 AM
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I took my car into the dealer for the rotten smell when turn on AC. They perform an AC Quickfresh which is some type of deodorizer and it worked out great. It has been three months now and the smell did not come back.

They have a special part number on my invoice but I will have to look.
 
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Old 08-21-2012, 10:10 AM
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Do a search for 'mouse nest'. Several threads will show up some with pictures. You well could have a rodent problem. A little spearmint will go a long way towards keeping any more out. Got mice in the Bonanza once and had to go thru a whole airworthiness process after they were flushed out and hunted down. Li'l beggars like to chew so check your systems.
 
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Old 09-21-2012, 01:01 PM
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Mine had a the dead animal smell last year, 3 weeks, $2000 and a completely disassembled CM later they found a dead rat behind the rear bumper. I swear I can still smell it sometimes.
 
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Old 09-21-2012, 05:50 PM
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had the same problem. brought to the dealer and they dug out the dead mice that built a nice little nest behind the glovebox... $120
 
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Old 09-21-2012, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by bbruins1
Mine had a the dead animal smell last year, 3 weeks, $2000 and a completely disassembled CM later they found a dead rat behind the rear bumper.
Ewwwww
 
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Old 11-02-2012, 06:00 AM
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Originally Posted by KidLuck
had the same problem. brought to the dealer and they dug out the dead mice that built a nice little nest behind the glovebox... $120
were they factory mice or aftermarket?
 
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Old 11-02-2012, 06:15 AM
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Originally Posted by puravida
were they factory mice or aftermarket?
For your very first post...
 
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Old 11-02-2012, 08:14 PM
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Mice.

Please refer to THIS thread.
 
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Old 09-21-2013, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by bbruins1
Mine had a the dead animal smell last year, 3 weeks, $2000 and a completely disassembled CM later they found a dead rat behind the rear bumper. I swear I can still smell it sometimes.
That smell never goes away. I had a dead fat in my 36' chevy and I can still smell it 8 years later.
 
  #13  
Old 11-14-2013, 10:58 AM
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If it is a dead rodent and u don't want to spend many bucks finding it and removing it, then just live with it for a limited period of time and ur problem will be solved. It will become fertilizer and ur car will return to its original state. I had that smell with my Chevy, took it to the dealer and $350 later they found and removed it. I swore that was the last time.

Ur choice.
 
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Old 11-14-2013, 01:05 PM
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One of the guys at morning had just such a story and solution yesterday:
They had bought groceries for a trip including several pounds of meat for the freezer to be used later. They went on the trip in a different car. When they returned they could hardly get into the garage. They'd forgotten to put the meat in the freezer and left it in the car. The garage temp was over 100º. They couldn't get rid of the stink until someone told them to use coffee.

They put two cookie sheets covered with ground coffee under the car seats and rolled up the windows. Within a few days all the odor was completely gone.

If you can dig out the carcass, put a tray of coffee in there for a spell.
 
  #15  
Old 12-22-2013, 06:02 AM
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I have used rat sorb before in situations like this. If you google it, you will find exterminating websites that sell it.
 
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