Smells like an old cheese sandwich or smelly feet...
 

... sorry to be so descriptive. But, I just turned on my heat for the first time today and it smells like a putrid old cheese sandwich or worse. It wasn't me!!

Anyway, where should I start to locate the stink. It was fine last winter. the AC was fine all summer.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/dre0729l.jpg

Could be some mold growing in the airways - try turning on the ac with the temp set as high as possible and let it run full blast for 10 minutes with the windows down. This could burn anything that might be growing out.

I've had this in other vehicles and sprayed disinfectant in the air vents to limited success - you can also try changing the pollen filter.

Thanks X5Rolls, I'll try that.

Has anyone ever tried this stuff?

Comma News

There's a Jaguar forum that seems to like it.

Lots of posts about this issue.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-c-smells.html

Leave the heat on for a while and I am sure whatever the cause is, it will blow away...

If not then try spraying some black ice to please the smell :-P

i use the comma spray in spring and fall
my car was the cleanest , nicest smelling car when i got it and still is .
my wifes car has had a dog in it so the comma spray covers the smell for a while .

I had the same problem several times in my 528 (E39). I traced it to the carpets in front of the passenger seat being slightly damp (Don't know how. Could have been water spilt, could have been window down slightly when it rained overnight).
Anyway. It stunk like bad cheese, foot odor etc all put together.

Running the heater on max heat, max fan and blowing on the foot well sorted it in a couple of days of commuting...

I've seen small leaks in the heater core, which isn't used during the summer so the stuff just sits there, cause a rotten smell that rivals shrimp/seafood left in the dumpster for a week. Check your coolant level, run your X with the heater on full heat at low fan speed for a while in your driveway, until it gets to full operating temperature and pressure for a while... then check if the ac drains that usually drip water when the ac is running are dripping any coolant. If by chance they are, you have a decent sized leak in the heater core.

This situation I described can cause a rather putrid smell, very strong. If it just smells like gym socks but not as strong as the dumpster behind the resteraunt it may be just the common mold/mildew that forms on the heater core/evaporator fins. In that case the spray bomb stuff in post#3 should work. Damn EPA regualtions doesn't allow the chemical coatings on the fins of the evaporator and heater core that stop this mold/mildew from forming anymore... which is why most modern vehicles have this problem but vehicles from a couple decades ago never do.