The dreaded Crayon smell...

[BavarianZHP]

Hey all,

I've been trying to read up on this trunk crayon smell:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=763776&highlight=crayon+smell

My car smells pretty bad and it seems like it's the insulation. A lot of people remove the insulation covering the rear strut supports, but what should I replace it with? Any other solutions? It's one of the things I would like to get rid of.

Thanks

[JupiterBMW]

My crayon smell reminds me that I'm in my car. :) I miss the crayon smell at the moment.

*goes to find box of crayons*

:biggrin

[cakM3]

Funny that I see this thread appear this morning! ;) I can't remember when the last time I smelled crayon in either of my cars... with my ///M, ever since I have applied Leatherique restorer and cleaner, the crayon smell went away....all I smell now is leather inside.

With my ZHP, I can't remember when I smelled the crayon smell....maybe it was in July/August when it was really hot outside? I can't remember...:scratchinghead

Not sure what causes the infamous "crayon" smell in our cars... I still have my original insulation in my trunk spaces and rear decklid...

[Jlastor]

LOL! The crayon smell. My car's smell reminds me of a friends e30. Started smelling like that a couple months ago. made me think my car is getting old. 10th bday in March 12, 2013.

Now, my dad used to have a 2003 VW Bettle with leather seats. That car smelled like crayon since day one. And boy did is smell. Every time I used it everybody knew it because my clothes and I would get the smell impregnated.

[Torxuvin]

My crayon smell reminds me that I'm in my car. :) I miss the crayon smell at the moment.

*goes to find box of crayons*

:biggrin

Agreed. I like it too. Smells distinctly bmw, although it reminds me of simpler times. OP, have you tried any air freshener?

[llll1l1ll]

Mine does not smell like crayons. It smells kind of nice, actually. FWIW, I have alcantara.

[BimmerWill]

I don't remember really smelling it until after I've not been in the car for a while. Maybe your nose is telling you to drive your Bimmer more often ;)

On a serious note if it does bother you that much I feel like a couple air fresheners should sort it out. If you start taking insulation out and don't get enough back in or leave it out then you're going to increase the road noise a lot. Id always heard that the smell came from the material they use to make the seat cushions :dunno

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[Hermes]

I find keeping your windows cracked open does wonders, I've never noticed the crayon smell in my car even after it sits for a while

[danewilson77]

My car smells like Chuck Norris.

On a serious note...removing the insulation and replacing with anything would probably be your best fix. I have no idea what works best.

[llll1l1ll]

You can keep a coffee filter full of baking soda in the rear ashtray. That might help clear up any odors.

[NorCalZman]

Thats really odd. My trunk smells like crayon really bad. I thought the previous owner had spilt something in the trunk even though he denied it. Anyway, the passenger compartment never gets a smell, even after its been sitting awhile.

The baking soda is an interesting idea. They sell boxes of it now with a tear off front that exposes the baking soda so you could try a whole box in your car and see if that helps.

[Torxuvin]

Thats really odd. My trunk smells like crayon really bad. I thought the previous owner had spilt something in the trunk even though he denied it. Anyway, the passenger compartment never gets a smell, even after its been sitting awhile.

The baking soda is an interesting idea. They sell boxes of it now with a tear off front that exposes the baking soda so you could try a whole box in your car and see if that helps.

I suppose mine is just the trunk and not the passenger cabin. (Alcantara interior) I would think banking soda would work.

[Johnmadd]

I've heard of using ground coffee beans to soak up smells similar to using the baking soda.

[JKO_ZHP]

I don't know about smell, but I used to slice up onions and leave them in a plate out in the open to kill off bacteria. Dunno if this was a rumor or something for sure though, that it absorbs bad smells and kills germs.

[quikryptonite]

My crayon smell reminds me that I'm in my car. :) I miss the crayon smell at the moment.

*goes to find box of crayons*

:biggrin

:like

[BavarianZHP]

OP here. I've got alcantara, so the leather treatment isn't an option. I barely notice it in the driver's seat, but my passengers always make note of it as the smell emanates from the trunk. I would like to (1) find the root cause and (2) eliminate it, rather than mask it. This crayon smell can't be good for you... can it? I wouldn't prefer ripping insulation out without replacing it, but it seems a lot of people have done just that.

EDIT: Also, I've read that this could be a sign of water penetrating the car? The insulation tends to smell if it gets into contact with moisture. If so, it'll be important to find out where the leak is.

[Ryans323i]

For insulation, I've heard of Hushmat. People use it for car audio purposes, but I'm guessing it would work. Don't confuse this with Dynamat, Dynamat stops the rattling.

[NorCalZman]

Ok. I am going to sniff around my trunk (and passenger compartment) when I go out to my car next and find out where the smell is coming from. To your point, I dont think I have noticed any moisture in the trunk after a car wash or big rainstorm, BavZHP (I am the type of owner who would notice stuff like that). I would think that moisture getting into a car would smell more like mold, right? Maybe you should try sniffing around the rear of the passenger compartment where the rear seats connect to the trunk and see if the smell is seeping in from the trunk.

[BavarianZHP]

For me, it smells worst in the trunk. It's fairly overpowering, especially if I stick my head in there. ^^^ That's reassuring to hear - I would hate to know I have a leak; but that's worst case and it's always good to prepare for the worst. For a lot of owners, throwing out the rear strut insulation seems to get rid of most of the smell.... I'm gonna go ahead and do that soon.

[Vas]

I can't smell crap.

[Nivo]

I had that smell in my coupe for a few months and when I got around to taking my interior out I saw exactly what is was. The rubberized insulation under the back seat and some on the rear shock towers.

I removed most of it, weighed in at over 5 lbs. smell reduced to almost zero.

You can use any of the autosound damping sheets just make sure it is mostly butyl rubber so you don't get the Asphalt smell in your car.

[BavarianZHP]

Thanks! Hushmat/Dynamat? I know nothing when it comes to insulation.

[DDub88]

I usually smell it when I pull like a cloth item out of my trunk that's been in there for a bit. I use little tree air fresheners in the cabin so I don't smell it up there much

[Sockethead]

Haha I started that thread over on Bimmer forums years ago... If you read around post #38 you can see what I did to eliminate most of the smell. Back then, I had a 2001 325 and the smell was much worse than the ZHP. Taking out the insulation over the rear shock towers eliminated almost all of the smell in both cars.
I sealed the insulation under the seat in the 325 with vinyl spray. I didn't need to do it in the ZHP. If you read the whole thread, some people went to extremes to eliminate the smell... I'd start with the shock towers and go from there.... they are the easiest.

EDIT: the 325 didn't have fold down seats which probably made it smell more because of all that extra insulation...

[MrMaico]

I've noticed that in my car the only time I smell it is just after turning off the a/c (snowflake button). No other changes made to fan speed or which vents are in use. It only lasts for a few minutes when it happens.