Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I have a 2007 Mini S and it has 2,300 miles on it. It has a very bad sulfer smell. Sometimes I have to close the sunroof because it smells so bad. At first I thought it was coming from other cars, but it's not. Even with the windows closed and sunroof closed I can smell it. Most of the time its only for a short time. It is running very well and I put premium in it. Anyone else have this problem?

Steve

 

I haven't heard of this from reading this board. May want to take it into the dealership and help them reproduce the issue. They should fix it.

Did you happen to run over a dead animal? That smell can linger for a while.

 

sounds like a cat convertor problem..take it in..maybe a bad 02 sensor.

 

Have you tried getting gas from a different supplier?

 

Check the battery. I had the same thing happen in another car. It was overcharging the battery and boiling it over (it was an optima battery). Smelled exactly like sulfer.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to take it in and have them check it out. I've been using the same gas since I bought it Mobil.

Steve

 

Try a low sulfur fuel, BP. See if you still get the smell. Some partial zero emissions vehicles recommend BP because of low sulfur content.

 

Have the dealership check the catylitic converter they smell like sulfur (rotten eggs) when they go bad . Would not be the first bad cat on a new vehicle ! Good luck!

 

I test drove a brand new MCS... and it started doing this. Then the car went LIMP! There was something seriously wrong with it. I could barely get it back to the dealer.

 

+1 on the cats.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Today I also noticed that the exhaust is very black and sooty. I guess I'm off to the dealer.

Steve

 

you stepping on your clutch too long, burning it...its like rotten eggs smell

 

Every car's exhaust is black and sooty. I notice a little soot on the exhaust outlet from time to time that I have to wipe off. It does burn a carbon based material!

 

on my new (<1200 mi) R56 as well. I don't think it's a sulfur smell, but it's definitely an odd smell and it's not coming from me personally. I was hesitant to post in your thread because you seem to be convinced of sulfur, but I guess there is a chance we have the same issue. I smell it only when I open the sunroof. To me, it smells kind of like a lubricant...maybe a white grease type lubricant. I was thinking that it may be some sort of compound they put on the sunroof seals to lube and protect.

If you smell it when you are moving, as I do, I would think that it would be coming from the front of the vehicle simply because of the way air draughts over it. I reserve the right to be wrong though. Would the smell from a cat converter be coming via the exhaust or also from the external surface of the converter? Either way, it seems it would be difficult to (how to put this) smell your own stuff while moving.

 

Did anyone figure out what the smell problems were? My wife is complaining about the same thing on our 04 (auto). I'm hoping it's the catalytic convert because that's the only thing that's still under warranty.

 

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I'm taking my car to the dealership this weekend and one of the reasons is because of it producing a sulfur like smell whenever I accelerate quickly. I'm not burning the clutch or anything, just any time I have to accelerate more quickly than what would be considered leisurely, there is a very distinct (emphasis on -stink) rotten egg smell that fills the cabin. I'm suggesting checking the catalytic converter to my SA thanks to this thread. Hopefully it's something easily corrected! I'll update after the appointment.

 

Find out anything?

 

This is strange. My wife was just asking me yesterday if I smelled something stinky coming into work the past few days. We work in the same hospital. I said no, I haven't noticed.
She has a 2007 Justacoop auto and said she smells a bad stink coming into work . I guess we'll take it in if it continues to stink. My 07 MCS has no issues like this...

 

I've been having the same problem over the past month or so whenever I get on it. Putt-putting around, no problem. Getting some speed, the H2S smell is overpowering. Wondering if I have a blown catalytic converter? I've switched over to Shell hi-test this summer ... maybe I should go back to the Mobil fuel that I traditionally run in her and see if there is a difference. She's thrown no codes, by the way.

 

Oops, knew I'd forget to update. I did take it to the dealer this weekend and their report was that it is "normal"; that the car is so small and the exhaust doesn't have much room to get out before it can enter the cabin a little. Apparently there's a software update for older R56s that might cut out this smell but not for 2010s. Personally I think it's a bunch of bs but as long as my car is still running and doesn't make the smell too often I suppose I'll just deal with it.

 

I have the same problem from time to time when I punch it. I also noticed when I turn the AC on the smell goes away quickly.

 

"that the car is so small and the exhaust doesn't have much room to get out before it can enter the cabin a little."

They have contests to make up the stupidest stuff they can get customers to believe.

 

Agreed.

 

Mine smells from time to time on my 07 S - only under hard acceleration and if I have the windows down. I just recently smogged the car after I moved into California and it passed without problem. Leads me to believe that there's nothing wrong with the cat, even if does smell

 

I haven't had a car that smelled like that, but The guys on NPR's, "Car Talk", have suggested buying a different brand of gas to stop it from smelling. Apparently, sometimes a gas station will get a batch of gas with more sulfur in it than usual.

Dave