[kavadarci]

Hi,
The previous owner of my car was a smoker and after detailed cleaning inside, leather cleaning and protection, new floor mats i can still smell it, A LOT, specially on a hot summer day.

Any ideas how to get rid of the smell?
Thank you.

[tibra1]

I remember there being a fairly big thread on this and the consensus was that you can never totally get the smell out no matter what you use..

[spanner1751]

Personally, I haven't tried any of these tips, but here are a bunch:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t394...t_of_car_.html

[TOGWT]

It amazes me that even professionals still think they can eliminate odours by shampooing the interior, and spraying a deodorizer. Nothing is farther from the truth, technically, an odour is an invisible gas, and so it can permeate any material or crevice. Many odours are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria, mould, and mildew. Not only does shampooing not eradicate these odours, it spreads them over a much wider area

You eliminate odour-causing organisms with very specialized chemicals. Look for stains, if there are no stains, use the process of elimination; it is very effective when searching for the source of an odour; floor or seats (including foam underneath) mats or carpet? If the vehicle has velour upholstery, a spill can penetrate on contact. If it is vinyl or leather, it will run to the deepest seam. Pay special attention to the headliner and all glass surfaces (especially true of smoke odour)



“Odour Elimination” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...imination.html

[Bobble]

Ozone treatment, clean ventilation system, replace micro filter. If smell persists than you really need to find what has absorbed the smell and try specific cleaning agents for that. Most of the time if you get to this point a professional is needed with the right equipment and chemicals.

Good point on cleaning the glass, I eliminated about 90% of the odor from a MBZ that someone deathboxed in for years using the above, the last 10% was futlile without replacing the parts of the interior, it was tolerable to the buyer but the glass we had to scrape with IPA full strength and a razor blade to get the film off.

[abhishriv]

previous owner of my car was a smoker too.. i used one of those small steam cleaners on the headliner and carpets and thoroughly cleaned and conditioned the leather... then used autoglym odour eliminator spray on the headliner and carpets... didnt smell anything after. i let the car air out too over the summer i got it by driving with windows down and the smell is completely gone

[kavadarci]

Thank you for the great info. I will try some of the suggestions and see how it goes. This is my car from a smoker and find it that I can smell from miles away (specially that I am non smoker).

Thanks again.

[coolcobramatt]

Easy "band aid" fix is to put a few sheets of Bounce fabric softener sheets under the seats. Won't cover it totally but it should help somewhat.

[ianbiz]

headliner and ac cabin filter