Bmw factory battery leaked. Smell from leak is horrendous.. Any ideas?

[Sebringjetta]

Good afternoon, Driving back from Socal to Norcal noticed a sulfur/egg smell coming from rear of trunk area. Once I arrived home @ midnight noticed my power was out because of heavy winds (If you have PG&E in CA you know this well) so had no way of narrowing down this odor. Windows and trunk were kept open inside of garage. Once power was restored the following morning I tracked the odor to a 2 yr old factory battery that had leaked all over the battery well. The odor was so bad any soft bags, clothes etc had to be thrown away. The odor has worked its way into the interior and anything that's placed in the car has to be thrown away including my clothes after a 20 min drive as odor is absolutely horrendous. cigarette smoke would be better to deal with to give you an idea.

I have tried baking soda, deodorizers, sprays etc. I have cleaned out the vents, Rolled down windows and placed fans inside over night.. I have run out of ideas... Any help would be appreciated.

[smokinjoe64]

Originally Posted by Sebringjetta

Good afternoon, Driving back from Socal to Norcal noticed a sulfur/egg smell coming from rear of trunk area. Once I arrived home @ midnight noticed my power was out because of heavy winds (If you have PG&E in CA you know this well) so had no way of narrowing down this odor. Windows and trunk were kept open inside of garage. Once power was restored the following morning I tracked the odor to a 2 yr old factory battery that had leaked all over the battery well. The odor was so bad any soft bags, clothes etc had to be thrown away. The odor has worked its way into the interior and anything that's placed in the car has to be thrown away including my clothes after a 20 min drive as odor is absolutely horrendous. cigarette smoke would be better to deal with to give you an idea.

I have tried baking soda, deodorizers, sprays etc. I have cleaned out the vents, Rolled down windows and placed fans inside over night.. I have run out of ideas... Any help would be appreciated.

Suggestion to consider:

• Don PPE do a thorough compartment cleaning
• Dry sand - Scuff residue as necessary; re-clean/prep
• Repaint battery well - automotive primer, corrosion resistant topcoat

Level of effort definitely 'sticks'...likely best method to eliminate residual chemicals and odor from a contaminated 'closed space'.
In any case GL!

[DrFerry]

The battery probably out gassed hydrogen sulfide which is really bad for humans. The gas has probably seeped into the roof liner (foam backing) as well as the carpets and anything else that is porous. Here's a few ideas to try and help.
1) Engage the services of a professional detailer to steam clean the roof lining and carpets etc.
2) Open all the doors, windows and trunk and let the car air out by parking it in the sunshine with fans blowing into the interior in an attempt to chase out the odor.
3) Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and get some Damp Rid which absorbs odors from what I recall.
4) Rent or buy an air purification de-ionizer and sit it in the car running for 24 hours with the windows and doors closed.

[LOW4LYF]

Probably an Ozone generator will help.

[Scrippy]

Wear gloves and spray simple green on all walls of the battery area. Use an SOS pad to scrub all four walls and floor. Suck out with a wet dry vac. It will probably take 3 or 4 seassions of this. Shampoo and clean the whole trunk area and leave it open with a fan on it. The better option of sanding and reapraying the battery area would probably work best.