alex_lv

Hello all.
So, I bought a W204 Coupe several months ago. Started drive regularly about three weeks ago.
I noticed strange thing - after approx. 10 min of driving I'm feeling headache.
I even tried not starting the engine, but just sitting inside, and I got the same effect.
I tried drive other cars - everything was fine. Also my girlfriend feels the same symptoms in my car.
So the problem is definitely in the car, not me.

Also I noticed some smell inside, which is more noticeable when I get it in car in the morning, after car was left closed all night.
I can't describe the smell, it's not petrol, it's not plastic. Hard to say. I've read every possible thread on the forum, and many wrote about "crayons" smell.
To be honest I'm not sure it's crayons smell. It's some kind of chemical, oily smell. Maybe even damp smell, I'm not sure.
Also worth mentioning that I had coolant leak under the hood (plastic tube was cracked).
It has been fixed two weeks ago, everything should have dried out and wears off by now.
I don't see any fluid leaks under the hood at current moment.

I checked the car inside - under floor mats, under carpet. I didn't find anything wet or smelly.
Except floor mats.
The floor mats had very strong odor and it was similar to what I smelled inside cabin.
I threw out old floor mats and bought new ones.
It didn't help much and I still have smell and headaches.

I ventilated the car 2 days in a row all day with all doors and trunk open. This reduced the smell a little, but it is still quite noticeable.
I'm confused and don't know what could be the reason.
Maybe anyone have any ideas? Thank you in advance.

C280 Sport

I would maybe try getting it professionally detailed inside and out. Then change your cabin filters. There is something that makes it smell. Since you are not the original owner did the previous owner or records make note of this issue?

alex_lv

Long story short - my car had water leak somewhere in the driver's side fender and windshield area. In rainy days water leaked under the carpet (exactly UNDER, on metal floor) and foam which is connected to the carpet (on the underside) started to absorb moisture and smell.
Also floor on driver's side was rusted. I almost despaired and started thinking about selling the car, because I couldn't find the leak for a very long time. But I was lucky and found a good mechanic. He did not find the exact location of the leak, because it is somewhere between the layers of metal, but he removed the fender, treated everything with the sealant and seems like it fixed the problem. Now I make sure that the leak is really fixed, after that I will try to remove all rust from the floor and reinstall the carpet. And of course, after everything is completely dry, the smell disappeared and I don't have a headaches anymore!