I bough my lovely 240D from a Malboro Red smoker, and on warm days when the windows are up you can sure tell. Smelly. When I have the heater on the smell from the vents is at its worst. How is access to the heater core / condender to get some detergent and water on them to clean them off? I would like to get my hands on them to really scrub them off with a tooth brush to get the oils, fuzz and other gook out of there to eliminate the smell.

Any tips on access to these?

I'm not against drilling a hole in the condenser case if it is not easy to access to spray a cleaning solution in - it will drain out the water drain (i'll check it first to make sure it is clear). Can the same be done with the heater?

thanks
zaffo

You'll likely need to take the dash off to get at the heater core which is probably more trouble than it is worth since you'll never get at the inside of all the ductwork. I've heard that ozone emitting air cleaners will do the trick very nicely if you get one with enough capacity (figure enough for a small room - the ones made for cars are often too weak). There are a number of places that sell them for the home and you might even be able to rent one. Put the unit in your car with the windows up, all air vents open, and plug it in for a few hours. Be sure to air the car out throughly before driving it or else you'll get the mother of all headaches (which can't be good for you).

__________________
LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

sounds easier than disassembly

Try a search for mold or lysol or activated charcoal. There have been some good threads about this.....

Larger detail shops will use an ozinator to clear up that smell. They have the best equipment. It will need to be left with them overnight to get the smell out. It does not always work, and almost always requres a thorough carpet and upholstery shampoo. Best if lots of water and soap is used there.
If that does not clear it up for you, check back and will explain the dash removal bit, not my favorite but can be done. Anything but that smell for me.