Cigarette Smell in used car

[dad911]

I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke. However, during test drive, I did not smell the smoke in car, it was only 2 years old, 12,000 miles.

Bought it, now when I open the doors, I get a whiff every time.....

Tried fabreeze/changed cabin filter, odoreater.......

Any other ideas?

[81Kremer930]

We have this issue at our dealerships with trades, etc. We use an ionizer, plug it in, windows and doors shut, and leave it on overnight. This does the trick for us, hope this helps.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I spray Spot Shot upholstery cleaner (spray not aerosol) on every surface and scrub lightly, including the headliner. It also gets the carpet nice and clean. I had an A4 that had been smoked in so much that the Ecru interior was a tar yellow, when I got done it looked like new. Odds are that if it was smoked in there's some staining as well, even if it's subtle.

[stomachmonkey]

I used to smoke, a lot, but never in my cars or house.

Disgusting.

Hope you get it clean.

[sc_rufctr]

If all else fails take everything out of the interior but this is in extreme cases and you run the risk of breaking plastic tabs etc on the trim.
I wouldn't recommend this unless you feel confident you wont break anything and you've done this sort of thing before.

Take out the seats, trim, carpet and clean then seats and carpet as best you can. Making sure you get in all the nooks and cranny's.
You really can't do it properly if they are in the car because there are places that you just can't get to with the seats installed.
Taking the carpet out give you the opportunity to invert it and bash it to get all of the ash dust out of it. You could power wash the carpet if all else fails.
Sounds crazy I know but if it doesn't have sound deadening mat glued to the back of it and you let it dry in the sun you shouldn't have any issues.

Then take out the dash and disassemble all of the air vents and wash everything.
Use soapy hot water to wash all of the plastic vents and tubes. Take your time and make sure you wash every surface but be especially careful of the sealing foam because that can be brittle and fall to pieces.
Then try and get to the air conditioning condenser and the heater core but I wouldn't bother removing them unless they were caked in dirt. Just use and compressed air to blow them through as best you can.

All that may sound ridiculous but if the PO smoked in the car with the windows up and air conditioning on there's no other way to really clean everything.

[Por_sha911]

Ask the dealer or a detailer who they use. A buddy of mine does this for a living for dealerships. De-ionizer but far more heavy duty that any machine you can get your hands on.
That said, there are some cars where the smoke is so heavily seeped into everything that no matter what you do, the smell will always be there.

[john70t]

The industrial ionizers will destroy mold, turning it from black to chalk white overnight, but will it work with tar resin residue?

Air fresheners just cover up the source temporarily.

Consider renting a carpet cleaner w/upholstery tool, using a baking soda detergent. Baking soda absorbs. Pros also use open coffee cans during 'medical cleanup' situations with extended decomp.

[Turbo_pro]

The smell is the residue of tars on surfaces so it seems to me that wiping exposed surfaces with a strong houseful cleaner like 409 should remove a great deal of the residue. If the smoke has permeated the upholstery you might be screwed.

[wildthing]

Try a good interior detail first. I also have a bag of Zeolite in the car that seems to work.

If it doesn't, then try the more drastic measures above, e.g. Pulling the interior.

[widebody911]

I saw someone driving a newer car this week, while trying to smoke. They were keeping their cigarette hand out the window the whole time, and then sticking their head out the window to suck on it. It looked completely retarded, but only mildly more retarded than smoking does in th first place.

[dad911]

I'm not going to pull interior, not that bad, I'm just hyper sensitive. Grew up with both parents smoking, now I can smell it a mile away. I'm amazed I didn't smell it pre-purchase.

I have the dash apart, installing a remote starter, and the ducts seem clean, don't smell. Also changing the cabin filter with a Fram FreshBreeze.

Will try the SpotShot and baking soda first, thanks.

[javadog]

Find a good detail shop that can do an ozone treatment. $50-60 spent on one of those around here will get rid of the smell completely.

JR

[asphaltgambler]

Originally Posted by 81Kremer930

We have this issue at our dealerships with trades, etc. We use an ionizer, plug it in, windows and doors shut, and leave it on overnight. This does the trick for us, hope this helps.

^^^^^^^after a thorough cleaning, only way to go^^

[David McLaughlin]

Clean all surfaces of the car. Use carpet cleaner too. Open a can of ground coffee and leave in closed car for a couple of days.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by widebody911

They were keeping their cigarette hand out the window the whole time, and then sticking their head out the window to suck on it.

1). Crack window 1/2-1 in. Only one window open.
2). Set foot vents on high, creating positive pressure inside cabin.
3). Keep cig near window. Even large ash will be instantly sucked out. It doesn't even touch anything inside.
4). After smoking, open both rear and one front halfway for a minute.

The blond opens the drivers window all the way....because more is always better, right?
Burning ashes swirl around and around inside. My eyes. Hair. Clothes.
I tried explaining it.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by widebody911

I saw someone driving a newer car this week, while trying to smoke. They were keeping their cigarette hand out the window the whole time, and then sticking their head out the window to suck on it. It looked completely retarded, but only mildly more retarded than smoking does in th first place.

Maybe it wasn't his car?

I saw a young guy with boofy hair doing the exact same thing in a brand new Alfa but that car had trader plates on it.

I'm an ex smoker (now Vaper) and I really think it's dumb to smoke inside a car in the first place...... I'm not saying I've never done it but it's such a hassle. Why even bother?

-------------------------------------------------

To the OP...

I've taken a car apart and cleaned it like I posted to get rid of the smell from smoking.

Honestly it was the only thing that worked for this car. (Toyota Camry)
The owner was a girl I was dating some years ago. She was an Audiologist from Canada and she "Hated" the smell of smoke.
She bought the car almost on impulse but like you didn't notice the smell before buying it. I suspect the detailing done by the dealer masks the smell but only temporarily.

She'd owned the car for about 6 months before meeting me and she had tried everything to get rid of the smell.
You should have seen the smile on her face after I "cleaned" it.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Another little thing, make sure you change the pollen filter. That will be the first place that the smoke smell collects, and you get a whif every time you turn on the fan.

[aigel]

Time does a great job IMHO - and leave the car in the sun with windows down. That did it on my MS3. After about 6 months it was gone, even after I gave up odorizers.

G

[Bill Douglas]

I find farting in the car helps.

Then to get rid of the farty smell; a few drops of vanilla essence on the carpet will do the trick.

[Willem Fick]

Had a similar issue on my wife's previous car. Febreeze and other products really only worsened the effect. Finally got rid of the smell as follows:

• Used an air-con deodorizer/cleaner (aerosol bomb) first, as a lot of the smell seems to come from the internals of the air circulation plumbing.
• Cleaned the carpets and upholstery properly with upholstery foam.
• Wiped all surfaces with a strong soapy solution (kitchen cleaner)
• Sprinkled bicarbonate of soda liberally on all carpets and upholstered areas and let the car sit for a few days, after which we simply vacuumed up the bicarb.
• If there is still a hint of the smell left after this, then leave a paper bag with bicarb under one of the seats for a month or two. Make sure to agitate the contents often.

I can vouch that it also helps to clear the odor left by milk and even vomit (yes I have small kids) from cars...