New (Used) Car - Smoking Smell

[Johnny Doe]

So I bought a new car today, a '67 plate Mercedes E220d AMG Line. 9k miles on the clock, from a Mercedes garage, was happy with the price.

All the way home I had a nagging feeling that along the 'just valeted for sale' aroma, there was something else. Mrs Smiles, got in when I got home and immediately said 'this has been driven by a smoker, you cam smell it.' I realised straight away that was what had been bothering me.

So...I've mailed the dealer just now, but I'm not sure what I want. Can they treat the car and banish the smell? Is there any risk to my kids, lingering carcinogens etc?

 

[weltweit]

What material are the seats, if they are a fabric then the smoke may have penetrated and be hard to get fully out. If they are leather then I would rate the chance of getting rid of the smell as greater. Could be in the carpets though, perhaps another valet focussing on those materials might help.

Risk to your kids, I would be surprised.

 

[Looby]

I’d have thought a really good valet would get the smell out. I have smoked in cars and I don’t think they smelled of smoke after a clean but I might not have realised.
It’s shit that they’ve sold you a smelly car but I can’t see any risk from it. It’s not ok though, not on a car that age from a dealer. If it was a shitbox that’s different.

 

[weltweit]

..
I have smoked in cars and I don’t think they smelled of smoke after a clean but I might not have realised.
..

Looby I was a smoker and couldn't smell it, but my non smoking friends found the smell disgusting.
Since I packed up smoking - I smell better in both (three) meanings of the words !!

 

[Johnny Doe]

I'm gutted to be honest. I was really pleased that I'd convinced myself to get something not new, not spend half as much as I'd budgeted and, I believed, got a bit of a bargain. But I'm not driving a car that stinks and makes mine and family's clothes stink.

It looks so good too :

 

[Spymaster]

I've had this before. You need to get Dakota Non Smoke and spray it into the car. Works a treat. You might need to give it a couple of goes.

 

[discokermit]

start smoking. then you won't notice.

 

[Johnny Doe]

What material are the seats, if they are a fabric then the smoke may have penetrated and be hard to get fully out. If they are leather then I would rate the chance of getting rid of the smell as greater. Could be in the carpets though, perhaps another valet focussing on those materials might help.

Leather and a suede-like material

 

[weltweit]

Harry Smiles you mentioned you got a good price, they may have factored in that it didn't smell perfect. That said Spymaster's product looks promising and leather seats won't have collected much smell I wouldn't have thought, that just leaves the carpets pretty much to attack with the product.

 

[StoneRoad]

Good luck it getting it cleaned - a good, professional valet should be able to clean and treat the trimming and carpets to get rid.
Otherwise, invest in some good air freshners. The one with a name related to breeze it quite good ...

I turned down several cars over the years, just for that very reason.

One "dealer" tried to tell me that the last owner had been a non-smoker ... not with a used (dirty) fag-lighter & ashtray, plus the stinky tab-end smell ...

 

[Saul Goodman]

Spill some milk under the front seats.

 

[danski]

Don’t forget the ceiling/ roof. Made of some kind of fabric too and the smoke wafts upwards.
Probably the cause as I doubt that would’ve been done in the valet.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

start smoking. then you won't notice.

And then torch the car - aroma problem solved.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Buy a dog and take it swimming, before taking it home in the car.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

 

[MBV]

I didn't try it but I read one method which is to leave a bag of opened coffee beans to get rid of car smells.

 

[two sheds]

Spill some milk under the front seats.

kipper on the radiator

 

[DownwardDog]

You can get rid of many interior smells with ozone treatment. Pro car detailers will usually have the equipment. Don't leave the kids in the car while the ozone generator is raging.

 

[Saul Goodman]

kipper on the radiator

Sounds like a Debbie Harry track.

 

[spanglechick]

You can get rid of many interior smells with ozone treatment. Pro car detailers will usually have the equipment. Don't leave the kids in the car while the ozone generator is raging.

I was going to suggest this. I bought an ozone machine to try and combat the smell of weed in my house from my ex boyfriend smoking it in the spare room.

They’re supposed to work quite well - in the end I’ve not used it because I also got an air filter which stopped it getting worse.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

What material are the seats, if they are a fabric then the smoke may have penetrated and be hard to get fully out. If they are leather then I would rate the chance of getting rid of the smell as greater. Could be in the carpets though, perhaps another valet focussing on those materials might help.

Risk to your kids, I would be surprised.

Tertiary smoke , third hand smoke, is a risk to health.

Concern over 'third-hand smoke'

Study on third-hand smoke that lingers on things like clothes and furnishings which can be as dangerous to babies and children as second-hand smoke

www.nhs.uk

 

[weltweit]

Tertiary smoke , third hand smoke, is a risk to health.

Concern over 'third-hand smoke'

Study on third-hand smoke that lingers on things like clothes and furnishings which can be as dangerous to babies and children as second-hand smoke

www.nhs.uk

Interesting study certainly. SheilaNaGig are you proposing Harry returns the car and gets his money back?

 

[platinumsage]

You'd be relying on the goodwill of the dealer by asking them to do anything about it or take the car back, because it’s not a fault and it’s something that, if a big problem for you, you should have investigated before buying.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Tertiary smoke , third hand smoke, is a risk to health.

Concern over 'third-hand smoke'

Study on third-hand smoke that lingers on things like clothes and furnishings which can be as dangerous to babies and children as second-hand smoke

www.nhs.uk

He’s bought a diesel motor, what’s coming out the back of that is infinitely more dangerous to everyone than traces of some three month old cigarette smoke.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

For some bonkers reasons I've joined a couple of car detailing groups, like valeting but next level with prices to match. It appears they can do almost anything.

Why not see who does this in your area, get an even shinier car and maybe bill the garage for part of the cost.

 

[Spymaster]

For some bonkers reasons I've joined a couple of car detailing groups, like valeting but next level with prices to match. It appears they can do almost anything.

Why not see who does this in your area, get an even shinier car and maybe bill the garage for part of the cost.

The garage will tell him to do one. It’s not a mechanical issue and presumably he test drove it and checked out the interior before he bought it. Unless it was specifically sold as ‘not smoked in’, they’ve done nothing wrong.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

The garage will tell him to do one. It’s not a mechanical issue and presumably he test drove it and checked out the interior before he bought it. Unless it was specifically sold as ‘not smoked in’, they’ve done nothing wrong.

Tbf I don't shop at that end of the market. However I'd have thought if they hid the smoke smell with the just valeted smell, then it's slightly deceptive. Of course they don't have to, but sometimes a little bit of goodwill goes a long way to getting repeat custom.

 

[Spymaster]

Tbf I don't shop at that end of the market. However I'd have thought if they hid the smoke smell with the just valeted smell, then it's slightly deceptive. Of course they don't have to, but sometimes a little bit of goodwill goes a long way to getting repeat custom.

Perhaps, but I think it’s more likely they’ll tell him it was given a valet before he took delivery and point him towards an air freshening product. They’re certainly under no obligation to do much else but as you say they may do something out of goodwill.

 

[Pickman's model]

I didn't try it but I read one method which is to leave a bag of opened coffee beans to get rid of car smells.

What's so special about opened coffee beans and can I make them at home?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What's so special about opened coffee beans and can I make them at home?

Grind them, filter hot water through them, add milk and you have a cup of coffee, goes really nice with a snout.