Getting rid of cigarette smoke in used car?

[sethschmautz]

Hey guys,

Bought a used car (mostly) sight unseen . Was told point blank by the owner that the car had never been smoked in. The faint cigarette smoke that we smelled at the time was because HE smokes, and had just driven it 5 hours. The price was good and I took the guy at his word.

Here we are, 4 weeks later and the car reeks. I've had it Ozoned, when I had it professionally detailed, used a full bottle of febreeze auto, swapped the cabin air filter, and bought another product called "Treo" - all of which made it smell better, but it keeps coming back. Last night, I removed the rubber floor mats and (I may be going crazy, but) it seems like the rubber door seals smell like smoke.

Anybody have any experience with completely removing cigarette smell from an auto? If I can't figure something out in the next few weeks, I'm probably going to sell this thing - my wife and kids are going nuts.

Thanks,

Seth

[PNWbrit]

(I may be going crazy, but) it seems like the rubber door seals smell like smoke.

You are going crazy...

[skimaxpower]

Redirect car exhaust pipe into cabin interior. All of your problems (including cigarette smell) will gently fade away...

[mall walker]

Usually airing it out overnight will be enough in my experience. You sure there aren't any old butts in the car?

You also can try the stuff that is designed to get the smell of cat piss out of furniture (forget name atm) that stuff is pretty legit

[grinch]

Windows down and dogs hit on the door handles should do it....
But cereal . Get some essential oils. The good stuff. Super concentrated stuff. Shit lasts forever . Splash a few drops. Works great in my rv and always have it in the car for après safety meetings

[undertow2]

Fabric sheets for the win... Been there and done that with an Explorer and worked like a charm... And if you haven't already done it you should change the cabin filter...

[MRR11]

Was told point blank by the owner that the car had never been smoked in. The faint cigarette smoke that we smelled at the time was because HE smokes, and had just driven it 5 hours.

"So when somebody has B.O., the "O" usually stays with the "B". Once the "B" leaves, the "O" goes with it."

[1000-oaks]

Febreeze and air fresheners simply kill the human sense of smell, they do nothing to remove odors.

[Viva]

Park car in a sunny spot, close windows, toss in a cat, close and lock doors, come back in 10 days or so. Problem solved!

[sethschmautz]

You are going crazy...

Damn.

[Skistack]

[HankScorpio]

Fabric sheets for the win... Been there and done that with an Explorer and worked like a charm... And if you haven't already done it you should change the cabin filter...

Fabric sheets work well for stinky bike gear smell, not sure about smoke.

When the OP got it detailed, did you ask them to get rid of the cig smell specifically? I used to detail cars in college and we used this thing called a "bomb." It was a little canister, you pull a pin and leave it in the car for 24 hours and it got rid of the worst odors easily.

[dump]

Drivepur -- had a detailer do it for about $150 and it completely resolved the problem. I was skeptical but it worked and I was in the exact same situation as you.

[Lawless]

I had the same situation as you about a month ago. I had the local detail shop look at it and they did the drivepur smok treatment for about $50. It's still got a little smoke smell to it, but it's fading fast. I might have them do one more treatment once it gets hot out to finish it off.

[Cocximus]

Clean the seats dash, doors with some detailing products that also smell good. I just use pledge.

[Gerome]

I own an old Ford F-250 I bought from a welder that smoked. I've had the truck for five years and it still smells like smoke. I never actually tried to get rid of the smell because I never drive it though

[::: :::]

Live in it for a summer...guaranteed to smell like homeless guy

[sfotex]

[jmedslc]

http://clarkexecutivedetail.com

[sethschmautz]

I had the same situation as you about a month ago. I had the local detail shop look at it and they did the drivepur smok treatment for about $50. It's still got a little smoke smell to it, but it's fading fast. I might have them do one more treatment once it gets hot out to finish it off.

Closest I can find is about 4 hours away, but this looks promising.

[sethschmautz]

Park car in a sunny spot, close windows, toss in a cat, close and lock doors, come back in 10 days or so. Problem solved!

Ah crap. Bad timing. We were taking care of the neighbor's cat LAST week. Does this work with toddlers? I have a few of those on hand.

[Micol]

I heard a guy named jimmy mcgill say a chicago sunroof treatment does the trick

[iamchappy]

Lacquer thinner on a rag chased with a dry towel, hit carpet , headliner, seats if leather but don't over due it on the leather as it will pull some dye out of it, stay off plastic parts , use wax grease remover again chased with a clean dry cloth on those type parts, Windex on everything else. And a new cabin filter if your car has one. Will make a worn interior look refreshed.

Caution Be well ventilated or expect to loose many brain cells, a good paint respirator mask a must.

[sethschmautz]

Lacquer thinner on a rag chased with a dry towel, hit carpet , headliner, seats if leather but don't over due it on the leather as it will pull some dye out of it, stay off plastic parts , use wax grease remover again chased with a clean dry cloth on those type parts, Windex on everything else. And a new cabin filter if your car has one. Will make a worn interior look refreshed.

Caution Be well ventilated or expect to loose many brain cells, a good paint respirator mask a must.

That sounds dangerous (removing paint/dye from materials). Have you done this before?

Removal of the rubber floor mats has made a big difference, it appears. I may not be going crazy with the rubber seals (PNWBrit)... I've heard that plastics and rubbers in addition to carpet (headliner, etc.) can absorb the tar, so maybe I'll look into that a little closer. Thanks again for the suggestions.

[RShea]

In addition to the rubber mats just over time a car will start having issues of smell due to the plastics as mentioned, even if it never had any smokers in it. The film that builds up on the windows and the like can be partially due to the plastics and dash etc. exposure to the sun etc.