[Alpine328]

Yep, spilled an entire large latte in my 2008 328i.

Hit the brakes and it SPLASHED out across the forward part of the console and deposited most of it in the passenger floorboard.

What did I do? Completely removed the center console, cleaned the carpet, and let a fan blow on it for two days.

No Stain! ... but it smells like Sour Milk.

PROBLEM:If I can't kill the odor...suppose I'll have to replace the front carpet.

QUESTION: Just how hard is it to replace the carpet? And just how much should that carpet cost?????

Getting the console out was difficult enough. Hate to think of the work it will take to replace the carpet, but I want my car smelling new again!

Thanks!!

[rosskie]

take it to a detail shop tell them to clean carpet they can clean it and kill smell

[Alpine328]

BUMP...

Please, someone tell me how difficult it is to replace the front carpet.

Thanks!

[tphaeng]

Originally Posted by rosskie

take it to a detail shop tell them to clean carpet they can clean it and kill smell

i'd do this first before replacing the carpet, but that's just me

[RickC]

Try leaving some Baking soda on the carped for a day or so and then vacuum up. It will take in the remaining smell

see the attached link

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bak...et-odors.html#

[carve]

Go to a hardware store and get a wet/dry shop vac. Don't get the junkiest one- suction counts. You don't need to go huge though, sine you're dealing with a small area. You can get a compact 1.5 hp one for $40-60. Go get some carpet shampoo. Get all the areas that were spilled on throughly saturated with a strong shampoo and water mixture. You may need to remove one or both of the front seats. Careful of the speaker under the seats. Really work the liquid into the carpet. Suck up as much liquid as possible with the shop vac. You may have to make several passes, as it'll suck up stuff close to the surface, but due to the deep saturation, liquid will continue to wick up. Getting this wicked-up liquid out is the main goal, because that's where the bad stuff is- at the bottom of the carpet. You may even want to repeat the whole process. Make sure you give it plenty of time to dry with the windows down.

Afterwards, you can spray it down with some febreeze, or maybe a vaccum-up carpet deodorizer or some baking soda (although again- it's the deep-down stuff you really have to extract.

This aught to do the trick. If not, you could try removing the carpet and hosing the whole thing down from the back. That's a far bigger job though. I think new carpet won't be necessary or cost effective, but it'd definitely get the job done.

[LeadFootWOT]

Originally Posted by Alpine328

BUMP...

Please, someone tell me how difficult it is to replace the front carpet.

Thanks!

Much more expensive and difficult than the aforementioned alternatives.

[roadkillrob]

steam cleaner and some natures miracle after that if needed will kill the smell.

[Quasimodem]

I bet you are thinking that that was one expensive latte. I feel your pain. If it helps any, dream a little:

http://www.cleanfreak.com/Qstore/p002102.htm

[eggbone]

methinks thou are an idiot for allowing such a thing to happen

[Tim_78]

Ok, here is the deal:

The front carpet shouldn't cost more than $300-350. However the labor part is going to be a pain. I had the same issue and had the front and rear carpets replaced. The dealership quoted me $1600 just for labor. Seats have to come out, mid console has to come out and the whole front dash has to come out of the car etc etc... 12-13 hour job they told me !!! I said NO THANKS.

I have a BMW technician buddy and he helped me to put the whole carpet in the car, we basically took everything out of the car. Removed both seats, mid console, lower interior trim etc etc. There are so many cables and stuff underneath the carpet and if you don't remember where goes where you are screwed. Without his help I wouldnt be able to put the interior back together. It is really alot of work and quite difficult.

If you dont mind the price tag I would recommend it since my car now smells like a brand new car. But try to clean it first like the other members suggested. If nothing works out then replace the front carpet. I would try to negotiate with the dealership and see if they will give you a deal. Also try an independent BMW shop.


In any case good luck with it.

[WilliamE92]

Pull the seat, steam the carpet (find a way), and hit it with a hearty dose of baking soda.

Replacing the carpet is going to be quite an undertaking from what I understand.

[GMWNashville]

not totally sure you need to replace the carpet...HOWEVER...if removing the console was difficult for you i wouldnt attempt to replace the carpet...you would be better off paying someone qualified to do it...

[Quasimodem]

There's a DIY for removing parts of the center console, but not the whole thing. I had a smaller spill near the center console and followed the DIY just to try to get under the carpet to clean it. I was hoping that when I got done with the DIY it would be clear how to get the rest of the console off. It was not. You would probably need that Bentley manual to do it without breaking anything. I gave up. One thing I did not do is pull the top off the automatic shifter. They glue that on somehow that I felt I was going to damage the tranny pulling up with so much force. But I found a way that I could shift it out of park and get all the parts off anyway.

I felt really stupid after that spill.

[Psukhe]

Like the majority say -- I'd get it professionally cleaned first.

[Professor///M]

Go buy a spot bot or steam cleaner. And stop using the cup launchers like that.

[srcstc]

I'm pretty sure the dash and seats need to come out. where you located?

[parksar]

My daughter spilled an entire thermos of milk in my Mdx. It's not enough to clean the carpet. You have to remove it and check for mildew/moisture on the foam padding on the underside and the floor. If the padding underside is wet, just cut it away. It's almost impossible to fix that. Shampoo the carpet, let it dry and then give it some doses of pet stain remover product that you can buy at pet smart. If you are patient and do it all thoroughly you can fix it.

Believe me, it wasn't fun, but I did get rid of the problem completely. The key is going slowly and being very thorough.

As an aside, when i was a kid my dad spilled two full gallons of milk in his 1976 Lincoln town car that had thick shag carpet. He had it detailed many times, but could never get the AWFUL smell out because he didn't remove the carpet and clean the underside and whatever had soaked through. He eventually had to sell the car because we couldn't bear to drive in it.

Good luck. Feel free to pm me if you wanna talk through it.

[Alpine328]

Originally Posted by srcstc

I'm pretty sure the dash and seats need to come out. where you located?

I'm now an expert at removing the center console, but... If I have to remove the FRONT carpet to TOTALLY clean it, why do I have to remove the dash??

Everyone's input has been GREAT! Thanks!
I had a local pro-cleaner spay/saturate the entire passenger floorboard on Saturday and it's totally dry...BUT the smell came back when the sun bakes the car. Next...rent a steam cleaner and clean the crap out of it.

I don't want to remove the carpet ...but... if that's what it takes, then...

[Asiann]

Just a thought but you might want to get some WeatherTech floor mats or something comparable to avoid this next time

[Bobble]

Check on detailedimage and try the CG extreme odor remover. Never used it but at $11 bucks plus sh I'd try that before removing the carpet. It lists coffee as one of the things it neutralizes.

[BRAISKI]

Get those steam cleaner thing and try it. However try to check with your local detailer, they may charge you an arm and a leg.