Can you get a smoke smell out of a car?

[arloiginla]

So I'm looking at a 2007 Mazda 3 sedan at one of the Mazda dealerships here in town. However, it smells like it may have been smoked in before. I thought maybe it was just the smell of hot leather inside but on a cold morning it still smelled the same. I'm not sure if it's smoke smell or not but it is a good possibility.

I've told the manager that the smell is a deal-breaker for me, but he assured me that they could remove the smell from it with ease. He said they would spray the interior down and clean out the air vents so that the smell wouldn't come through. He promised that afterward, one would never know the car had ever had a bad smell in it.

Does this actually work? Or does the spray just overpower the smoke smell and slowly over time, dissipate leaving the smoke smell behind again? Is it actually possible to completely remove a smoke smell from a vehicle, permanently?

If anyone has ever had experience with this input would be much appreciated

[Dion]

Years ago I bought a car off a cigar smoker. It was deal I couldn't refuse. Anyway, I could never get rid of the cigar smell. The winter was really bad as everytime I turned on the heat the smell would fill the car. I tried cleaning the vents and sparying the interior - nothing worked. In the end it took years before the cigar smell faded away.

[Sylvanfan]

Well I don't see why the dealer wouldn't just go ahead and do this to make the car that much easier to sell. I'd tell them to do it, and than you'll decide if it is indeed smoke free. Sounds like a load of sales BS to me.

[OBCT]

There are tons of ideas with a simple google search. They mostly involve "natural" options like vinegar, baking soda, vanilla extract, eucalyptus, fresh loaf of bread, etc, etc. There are many other products you can find in your house such as Lysol, Febreeze, dryer sheets, etc that are said to work wonders. Additionally, there are dozens of products designed specifically for deodorizing such funky spaces, such as "Perky Pucks", "Nature's Miracle", "Unsmoke", "Odor Ban", "Fresh Air", etc, etc, etc.

The biggest key, whatever you do, it seems, is to replace the vehicle's air filter(s) so that stray particles of the unwanted scent are not re-circulated through the car over time.

[sureLoss]

Gotta agree with Sylvanfan. If it was easy to do, why didn't the dealer do it in the first place?

[arloiginla]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Well I don't see why the dealer wouldn't just go ahead and do this to make the car that much easier to sell. I'd tell them to do it, and than you'll decide if it is indeed smoke free. Sounds like a load of sales BS to me.

I've done that, and will check it out again this week. however, I want to know whether that is just a temporary fix, or if it is a permanent solution.

[Kjesse]

Tell him to get it cleaned the way he says, and then you'll inspect it and decide whether or not the cleaning got the smell out.

Don't fall in to the trap of committing to buy for an agreed price if he gets it "cleaned".

I'm highly skeptical of his claims. There's no possible way he could know if the cleaning would actually get rid of the smell completely. In other words, he's guessing, to try to make the sale.

He has seen the car on the lot. He has no idea how much the person who owned it has smoked it it.

[Dion]

I don't understand why this vehicle wasn't fully detailed before it hit the lot. They had to have known that car of a former smoker would make it a tougher sell.

[arloiginla]

Originally Posted by Dion

I don't understand why this vehicle wasn't fully detailed before it hit the lot. They had to have known that car of a former smoker would make it a tougher sell.

Maybe they thought they'd sell to another smoker

Anyways, its been on the lot for at least a couple of weeks already and they've dropped the price, so I'm not complaining. Of course I won't buy until I know the smell is gone, I'm just afraid that their "methods" might be a temp fix and the smell will go away for a while, and then later on return, w hen the smell of the spray dissipates.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by arloiginla

Maybe they thought they'd sell to another smoker

Anyways, its been on the lot for at least a couple of weeks already and they've dropped the price, so I'm not complaining. Of course I won't buy until I know the smell is gone, I'm just afraid that their "methods" might be a temp fix and the smell will go away for a while, and then later on return, w hen the smell of the spray dissipates.

Problem is you won't know if it's a temp fix until after the sale has been completed. You might want to protect yourself by getting something in writing where they will try other methods if thier first attempt fails. Frankly i'd keep looking until you find a smoke free car.

[Ice]

I think anything the dealership does will be a temporary fix. Smoke smells and pet smells are nearly impossible to get rid of permanently.

[Bobblehead]

I've been told the smell would "come right out" and in NEVER did in the 4 year I owned it.

Tell them to try getting the smell out, and if it works, you'll take it. Don't sign anything until they have tried.

[EDBTZ12]

I've found that having a dead hooker in your trunk for about a month takes the smoke smell right out of your car.

[Ironhorse]

I think that unless they replace the headliner, I doubt that any cleaning will get that smell out completely.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

I think that unless they replace the headliner, I doubt that any cleaning will get that smell out completely.

My uncle is a smoker and I remember him taking a rug doctor to his headliner. The black crap that came out was disgusting. Still didn't remove the smell.

[ShaolinFlame]

Start smoking.

[shane_c]

Years ago I bought a 1986 Mustang GT convertible that the previous owner smoked in. Even the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. What I did was use Spray 9 on the dash, trim panels and leather seats to clean them. Then I cleaned the carpets and left a couple bowls of vinegar in the car for a few days with the windows up. For the most part it got rid of the smell.

[tigger777]

The smell will be there forever.

[Pastiche]

You will never get that smell out.

[troutman]

Don't pick-up hitch-hikers from Edmonton.