Fishy GLK....
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Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 47
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From: Surrey, BC
2010 GLK350
Fishy GLK....
a few weeks back, my family and i bought fresh fish from steveston pier in richmond. since we did this on a whim, we didn't have a cooler or anything and placed the raw fish in the trunk (in plastic bags, of course). however, the smell seemed to still have leaked out and now still emanates strongly whenever i get in the car with the windows rolled up. i've tried everything so far to get rid of the smell: steam vac, lysol, taking out the trunk's floorboard, febreeze and even baking soda. the smell has lessened a bit, but is still there. anyone here have tips on how to get rid of it? any opinion will be appreciated. needless to say, the new car smell is sadly gone.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 419
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From: Florida
2026 BMW 550e X DRIVE, 2024 GLE 450e SUV
Fish Smell
Go to Costco and buy a 2 boxes of Kirkland Fabric softener sheets. Leave all the sheets in the box. Just remove the clear plastic wrap. Leave the boxes in the area for 2 months. The smell will be gone. Your car will smell like fabric softener but its better than fish........ Good luck...Frank
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,828
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From: United States
2008 R350 & 2008 C300
Sounds like the smell got into the cabin filter...might have to get a new one. Don't tell the service manager that you put a fish in there, just claim it smells like fish and see if they will cover the cost of the filter lol. And hope he doesn't read this message board ha ha.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 27
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From: The Lone Star State
2010 steel grey GLK with lighting pkg
you can go to bed bath & beyond and buy zero odor and see if that works.
here is more info: http://www.zeroodor.com/
or you can try this one ( saw it on discovery channel's pitchman show): https://www.whatodor.com/flare/next
here is more info: http://www.zeroodor.com/
or you can try this one ( saw it on discovery channel's pitchman show): https://www.whatodor.com/flare/next
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 291
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From: Germany
M-B GLE, Porsche 911 Turbo, Porsche Boxster (spouse)
Chilledbenz's filter explanation sounds pretty plausible. You might also try an enzymatic odor remover on the carpet mats, I've found this class of cleaners to be quite effective.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 596
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From: Savannah, GA
2021 G63
maybe it's your nose? j/k. 2 things i don't mess with when it comes to my cars, fish and sand. both will live in the cars for a long time. no matter how much you vacuum, sand will always stay.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 47
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From: Surrey, BC
2010 GLK350
i'm tempted going the farbic softener route, but 2 months is a long time to remove the smell. then again, it could stay for a year otherwise? but i might try that.
the enzymatic odor remover... what is that? i have never heard of that before. and how do i find it?
as for the cabin filter. i doubt that this is causing it as the smell builds up when the car is off and closed. but when i start driving, the smell subsides...
thanks all for the responses. off i go for more febreezing!
the enzymatic odor remover... what is that? i have never heard of that before. and how do i find it?
as for the cabin filter. i doubt that this is causing it as the smell builds up when the car is off and closed. but when i start driving, the smell subsides...
thanks all for the responses. off i go for more febreezing!
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Super Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 808
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From: nyc
528i, GLK
enzymatic odor remover is like those Pet stain/odor remover, you can get them at any pet store. Its aimed for organic type of odor.
The problem with sprays is that its targeted at specific area... Febrez is good but may not be enough if you don't know where the fishy smell is coming from. You should have something like carbon active odor remover to leave in the car over extended period of time.
But I agree with chillbenz, if all else fails, get them to change carbon filter.
The problem with sprays is that its targeted at specific area... Febrez is good but may not be enough if you don't know where the fishy smell is coming from. You should have something like carbon active odor remover to leave in the car over extended period of time.
But I agree with chillbenz, if all else fails, get them to change carbon filter.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 47
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From: Surrey, BC
2010 GLK350
good news! the smell is fading away. after a few weeks and constantly airing out the interior in the garage, as well as using up an entire bottle of febreeze and spraying the trunk every day, the smell has almost completely disappeared. it reappears once in a while but otherwise, it's gone. i was about to go for the enzymatic deodorizer but noticed the smell weakening, so i just gave it some time. also, thanks to me taking apart the trunk to find the source of the smell, i found where the fuse was for the cigarette lighter is, as i dropped a penny in that outlet and shorted it out.
i guess there's a silver lining in every situtation.
i guess there's a silver lining in every situtation.
