So, my 300SD black demon has a bit of a BO problem. The interior has a certain aroma that I can't seem to get rid of. I can't really describe what it smells like other than it's not real fresh smellin.

My wife says it smells like 22 years of aftershave, cologne and sweat. Ugh. Other folks have told me that it is the horsehair in the seats (is there even horsehair in the seats?) I've tried cleaning the MB Tex really well and masking the aroma with air fresheners but it always wafts it's way back to my olfactory receptors.

The other day after giving the old boy a good cleaning I slathered the dash and seats with a generous helping of Armor All and the stench (there, I said it) intensified So maybe what I am smelling is 22 years of Armor All seeping out of the material.

Don't know what it is. Just want to get rid of it. Any ideas????????

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Joe

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1980 300SD - 495k miles - 'The Ambassador'
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Former Family Members
95 C280
73 280SEL
90 300D
87 300SDL (X2)
86 560SEL
84 300D
80 300SD

My dad used crushed coffee beans to get rid of the odd smell in his drowned(sp?) Toyota Crown. The car was a flood-damaged stock. The company fixed it up, installed leather seats, etc. and gave it to him + the odor.

It was gone after a while and all that was left was the nice leather smell (I wish i had that in my 300CD)

Some people swear that Baking Soda (*I think*) helps. I saw this bag of "I don't know what" stuff at Home Depot. If you go there they should have it near the checkout counters.

Personally I haven't tried any of these in my CD yet. It does have a weird odor sometimes. However it does have that W123 odor. I don't know if it's just me or whether it's sub-concious. I just recall the smell of my dad's 280E (nice car, 5-speed, etc.... too bad he sold it)

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

I've had really good luck with Fabreeze; you can get it at Walmart or Costco. We use it in the big trucks to get rid of the body odour and diesel fumes! It came in especially handy when I got assigned a new(old) truck to teach in and it really stunk! It smelled like sweaty guys!!echhh!! So I sprayed the whole interior of the truck especially the seats until they were damp, and voila, the next morning....no stinkies! You can get the Fabric Fabreeze, and the extra strength kind. It is more of a re-odourant than a de-odourant. It smells fresh but not perfumey.

In the leather store we would sometimes get cow hide rugs... with the hair on them , that were a little off color smell wise, if I can mix those metaphors..... We had great results from the Fabreez... I would think a combo of the fabreez and the fresh Baking Soda should do the trick.... Greg

You might want to investigate your water drains,,, and the inside of the a/c condenser box.... anywhere water might allow mold to be growing...

You could also try the spray Lysol... any of these sprays should be directed at the air intake with the fan running so as to get up into the duct system...Greg

I have the Febreeze extra strength!
It works really well for my clothes (I hang out with a bunch of smokers... can't really make 'em quit)

I don't think i need it yet because it does leave its own odor. If you do want to try Febreeze, do try the normal strength or something like that. I mean it's allright with clothes... in a car...

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

I agree with leathermang...my first guess would be that you have a leak somewhere. Is it a "musty" smell? You rear window, windshield, heater core, maybe even the sunroof?....I have a leak in the trunk, and it smells pretty mildewy back there most of the time. Luckily it's not in the interior.

Or maybe you have some rotting french fries in the no-man's-land between the seats and the console! hahaha...Have you ever dropped a pen down in there? Impossible to get out!

Mike

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1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
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1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
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1985 300TD
270,000 miles
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1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
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My '83 300D had a really bad smell that I just could not get rid of. It was a combination of cigarette smoke, mold and sweat. I tried everything. Shampooing the carpets, thorough cleaning of everything, left a bucket of baking soda in there for a few days, nothing worked. Bought the car with the smell and sold it smelling the same way.

I notice that every benz has its own disitinct odor. I like my 300SDL because it smells like leather and wood and plastic, you can almost smell what it smelled like new.

If a benz hasn't been smoked in alot, you can smell this in just about all of them.

Enough rambling..

I bought this 83 300D from Turbodiesel and I used Erase - a professional fabreeze used by hotels. It really knocked some of the smell out, but it does have a nasty funky smell to it. Since my freind owns a carwash he gives me the air freshener that is sold in the little gun machines in bulk, so I have an endless supply to counteract the smell in the 300D.

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Matt
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI 145,000MI
1999.5 Jetta TDI 287,000MI
2001 Suzuki SV650S 26,000MI
2008 Yamaha Vino 125 11,000MI
http://www.crazymatt.org

Meguiar's does make an odor eliminator. I think it's called "Meguiar's Odor Eliminator." Also, there is a Wal-Mart product for deodorizing the air vents; bought some, but haven't tried it yet. Hope this helps, Bob

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

I think this odor is caused by the MB Tex vinyl! I noticed that virtually all MB of this era smelled like this, even with leather because much of the seats are actually vinyl.

I have had good luck with air fresheners, especially the wooden bead ones...

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Ed
1981 300CD (Benzina)
1968 250 S (Gina) 266,000 miles!
1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (Guido)
1976 Jaguar XJS-saved a V-12 from the chevy curse, what a great engine!
1988 Cadillac Eldorado (better car than you might think!)
1988 Yamaha Venture (better than a Wing!)
1977 Suzuki GS750B
1976 Yamaha XS 650 (sold)
1991 Suzuki GSX1100G (Shafty Gixser)
1981 Yamaha VX920RH (Euro "Virago")
Solex Moped
1975 Dodge P/U camper


"Time spent in the company of a cat, a beer, and this forum, is not time wasted!"

Pardon the Skynard allusion

Yep, my car has a little bit of a 'clogged drain, bad door and window seal' slightly musty aroma. This is combined with the aroma of the vinyl products in the car. Which one I smell more depends on which one I am focusing upon at any given moment.

I read in a thread on this forum (Detailing?) that the vinyl exudes a little bit of gas, and this gas, in addition to having a definitive aroma, can cause a white film to build up on the interior of the windows, especially the front windshield. Interesting.

When it’s too overwhelming, I just open the windows, and rev the car a few times to let the diesel exhaust waft its way into the cabin! :p Do this at your own risk......... only kidding.

Just my $.02

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James

85 300SD 285k
Charcoal Gray/Grey MB-Tex

79 300CD 142000mi "Rabenshwarz"
Black / Black MB-Tex, Burlwood Int. TOTALLED - 10/24/02 --