Cabin oil / exhaust / coolant smell

[Sfar123]

Hey guys,
For many years during my 2011 E82 engine start up, there always was a faint smell of burnt oil or exhaust or coolant when i turned on the Hvac and would disappear few minutes after driving. I purchased my car brand new but this issue started around 55K and now its around 93K miles. I never bothered to ask the BMW dealer since i knew the answer would be Its due to a leak(s) or gaskets etc. My mechanic did not find any leaks whatsoever and his guessing diagnosis was there is some kind of oil leak in the Hvac unit that needs to be taken out and inspected. Needless to say after countless hours of research on the web i stumbled upon a youtube link where someone mentioned the oil smell can be due to a faulty seal on the engine oil cap. I went ahead and replaced it and low and behold it solved the issue. Its been well over a month now and no smell issues whatsoever. I just wanted to share my experience and hope this helps anyone who has the same issue. Its a shame we the consumers pay a premium for great cars like BMW and fork up so much for repairs and in return we get subpar parts that do not last. I guess the dealers have to make money too.
Hope this helps.

https://youtu.be/L8uJtNwB_r0

[Richkid79]

Thank you for your findings. Mine is not doing that but at 95k miles, I think I will for preventative maintenance.