Haha 25$ for starter and 12 $ for refills
I've been using the cartoys Japanese crap that's supposed to last up to a month with 10$ per refill...what a waste of money that was..will try this one for a while see how I like it..can I find ozium locally or online only?id give that a try as well .

Man, I don't know what air freshener my PO used, but I think it's half the reason I bought the X. I LOVE the smell, and I have no idea what it is. I'm hoping it never fades --- it's lasted since July. Who knows, maybe it's just the smell of a BMW that's never been used to transport food. :)

Ya, original BMW smell is the best...My E39 still smelled like that at 180k miles:)
Not the case with my E53 though

Ozium I get at Walmart or any other big box store, its an actual glycol base so it does neutralize malodors. The original scent is more of a "citrus fresh", while they also have Vanilla which I like a lot.

This is my "fresh air" regimen, and I haven't had to use an actual air freshener in 6 years or so:

-Keep fresh air intake clean of leaves/twigs (on the underhood cowl area)
-Replace cabin air filter with a fresh charcoal activated filter every 2 yrs, I just went 2 years on my most recent change and it was fine
-Once a year or each time you clean the engine out, pull the filter out, vac any large debris off, and leave the AC running and on. Spray some Lysol aerosol spray into the fresh air intake, in short bursts, for about 30 seconds, it will come out the vents in the X. Then go in the X (it will smell Lysol-y) a few mins later and put it on recirculate. Then spray the bottom side of the cabin filter with some Lysol, and reinstall


That's all I do to maintain a fresh smelling interior and it works on my wife's Rav4 as well, which our Bulldog is in every 2 weeks or so, sometimes weekly (I hate stale dog smell the worst so I'm constantly cleaning hers out)

A significant part of the new car scent is the smell of leather and new carpet. I treat the seats with lexol a few times a year, change the cabin filter once a year, replace the matts annually and never alllow anyone to smoke in it.

Fully agree. I rarely eat in my vehicle either. Your leather conditioner as well as your interior wipe product should have a pleasant scent because it will be a big part of the reason your interior smells nice!

+1 on the nice E53 smell. When I bought it, it sat right next to an X3 that smelled terrible. It enhanced the perception that the X5 was in a lot better condition, even with 84K miles, so it got bought. BTW, I was originally shopping Jeep Liberties, which all smelled terrible. The X was a couple years older with a few more miles for about the same $$, so...here I am, an E53 owner.

My Xs PO had 2 short dogs, and they stained the passengers carpet and the rear carpet up brown and the smell...oh god the smell lol. I've done a DIY shampooing twice and it's grey now, but damn you guys for posting how lovely your Xs smell haha. Been dealing with this crap since when I got the car in September lol.

Also Turtle Wax F21 super protectant leaves a new car smell behind for those who are interested. I've been using it for about 6? years now. I've detailed about 30 cars for side jobs, and they all come back saying it smells brand new, even a few weeks later.

My X smelled like cigarettes, but some Meguiar's and elbow grease got that out of the leather. I am ashamed, however, to admit that the carpet in the driver footwell is salt-stained from last winter, and I can't seem to get it out. :(

Steam machine and some good upholstery cleaner, you'll be amazed at the stains you can pull out.