Help Ammonia smell/liquid in trunk

[AndynFL]

My wife said our 2014 Passat TDI started to smell of ammonia and asked me to investigate. When I opened the door the smell was horrible. I opened the hood and the were no signs of a DEF leak so I went to the trunk. When I opened the trunk the smell was 10x worse. I checked around the DEF filler and again no signs of leakage. I then lifted the cover over the spare tire and there was liquid (DEF?) under the spare. All the carpet in the trunk area is dry and I can't figure out where it would be coming from. Has anyone seen this or heard of this before?

Thanks

 

[Mongler98]

mice, squirrels in the seats internal foam or something. my dad got a beater car once, 100% flawless buick with 10K miles on it for $700 bucks. why? door left open enough that squirrels made it a home. it smelled like 1,000 worse than hell itself. looks like you might need to remove the seats and pull up the carpet, take it outside and spray it liberally with white vinegar and dish soap and hose it off after it dries. that's how my dad flipped it!

 

[fatmobile]

Might not be a system leak.
Maybe someone spilled or leaked a container of DEF in the trunk
and didn't tell you.

 

[jmodge]

Whatever happened, get it out of there and treat the metal. We had that stuff around in bulk containers that were 4’ cubes, nasty! Imagine how meticulous refuse truck operators were dispensing that, us mechanics were glad to see that crap leave our fluids storeroom

 

[rocky raccoon]

There is no rule that says you can only have one problem at a time.
The fluid found in the spare tire well can be water sourced from a sunroof leak. Look for a separated drain tube in that area. Take a sample and smell it or put a DROP on your tongue. You will know if it is water or DEF.

 

[jmodge]

There is no rule that says you can only have one problem at a time.
The fluid found in the spare tire well can be water sourced from a sunroof leak. Look for a separated drain tube in that area. Take a sample and smell it or put a DROP on your tongue. You will know if it is water or DEF.

That’s a good point, but use someone else’s tongue

 

[AndynFL]

Mongler98 we have had the car since new and garage kept. Fatmobile I was the last person to add DEF and I don't store any in the trunk. Rocky raccoon and jmodge I looked for any obvious leaks and sprayed the car with water for 30 minutes and trunk stayed dry. I did clean it all out and it definitely smelled like ammonia but I would never DROP anything on my tongue without my buddy saying it was ok.

 

[rocky raccoon]

Well guys I guess I am Old School. I've done similar many times to identify fluids with no harmful effect. I'm not talking about drinking it, just a tip of tongue taste.

My only exception is brake fluid. I love that stuff and drink at least a pint a day. I know it is not really good for me but I can stop any time.

 

[jmodge]

Last time I experimented with fluids was out of paper bags on a road trip. Took a big pull expecting Bailey’s. Someone screwed with the order the bottles were going around and it was Cactus Juice. Never again worse part I was driving

 

[jmodge]

Second worst part was my buddy said it was ok

 

[mrsmart180]

If you find out what the problem is and fix it, you can get the smell out after by using a ozone machine, you just have to be careful because its poisonous.