tobacco smoke odour in vehicle

[zygggy]

Just picked up an old Volvo in great shape except for a strong tobacco odour in the interior - recommendations for eliminating this problem would be greatly appreciated TIA

[Ed Pawlowski]

Drive it to Arizona desert. Open the windows. Leave it for 12 to 18 months.

I'd start by washing all the hard surfaces and then upholstery cleaner. There are odor eliminator solutions you can wash with.

[Tegger]

zygggy wrote in news:v6q3gadmm21fsm58c31col72i6i8ilp453@

4ax.com:

You'll NEVER get rid of it completely. It seeps into every nook and cranny of the ventilation system, into every crevice under the dash, inside the doors, under the seats, in the trunk, everywhere.

Use detergent to scrub every surface you can reach, hard or soft. Don't forget the headliner. Have the seats and carpets steam-cleaned. And then wait. Some of the stench will fade with time, the rest you may get used to. Or not. Febreze may help. Or not. Tobacco is pretty powerful.

There's a reason why smokers' cars tend to sell for less than non-smokers' cars. There's a reason why used-car ads make a point of telling you when a a used-car belonged to a non-smoker.

[Stormin Mormon]

Dear TIA (love that name),

I've been able to remove tobacco film with either pine cleaner, Amway Zoom window cleaner, or Simple Green. Also other products, but those will do for start.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[Dan Espen]

I don't smoke so like everyone else that doesn't smoke I'm hyper-sensitive to the smell.

But I try to control myself. A tiny little odor isn't going to do anything to you.

I'd say clean up the car, even splurge at a detail place. Then drive it around, especially parking in sunny places and driving with the windows open should make the smell tolerable in less than a year, maybe 6 months.

Since you can't get at all the places the smoke got to, some of the smell is just going to dissipate with a half life. It won't go away ever but it will drop below an annoying level after a while.

I have a little spray bottle of new car smell. One spritz and you can't smell anything else. Good if you are worried about offending a VIP passenger.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I was looking at cars a few years back. The dealer had a nicely priced, fully loaded "executive" car he thought I may be interested in. I sat in the front seat, saw a cigarette burn in the upholstery and got out. I've been fortunate in recent years to be able to buy new cars and no old odors and problems..

[David L. Martel]

Zyg,

Call around to the various auto wash places. Ask if they have an ozone generator.

Dave M.

[Doug Miller]

zygggy wrote in news:v6q3gadmm21fsm58c31col72i6i8ilp453@

4ax.com:

Sell it and buy a different car. That odor *never* comes out.

[ChairMan]

In news: [e-mail], zygggy belched:

Look for some stuff called Odoban