[Jeff123]

Hi

Just changed the car a few days ago and other than one point i am happy; there is a slight smell of cigarette smoke. This is really annoying. I have tried to cure this on other cars without any real success, and tried:

- air fresheners
- a type of aerosol spray
- Fabreze
- giving the car a good (dry) clean and vacuum

I read on the 'net about a technique of soaking towels in distilled white vinegar and leaving them in the car overnight. This is supposed to "soak up" all the odours.

Also read about the smoke bombs that you can buy at Halfords of £20ish.

Any thoughts?

[McBeemer]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

Hi

Just changed the car a few days ago and other than one point i am happy; there is a slight smell of cigarette smoke. This is really annoying. I have tried to cure this on other cars without any real success, and tried:

- air fresheners
- a type of aerosol spray
- Fabreze
- giving the car a good (dry) clean and vacuum

I read on the 'net about a technique of soaking towels in distilled white vinegar and leaving them in the car overnight. This is supposed to "soak up" all the odours.

Also read about the smoke bombs that you can buy at Halfords of £20ish.

Any thoughts?

I no longer smoke in the car and have packed them up now, but had been smoking in the car for about a year. After speaking to a valeter, he suggested using this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works an absolute treat ... no trace whatsoever of smoking history & was easy to use.

[Jeff123]

That sounds great; might see if i can get some from Halfrauds today. Thanks.

[NISFAN]

In my experience, you might get the smell out for a short while, but will never get rid.

[McBeemer]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

In my experience, you might get the smell out for a short while, but will never get rid.

I didn't smoke too heavily in it before and always with the window open, so it wasn't too severe. After having "bombed" mine about 2 months ago and it's never been smoked in since, the smell really has gone .... Yes, it doesn't have the "new car" smell, but after 54k miles I wouldn't expect that!

[Jeff123]

To be fair, mines not too bad. It just has a slight smell of smoke. When you don't smoke yourself, you notice these things.

[JustChris]

In the evenings and weekends is your car parked privately and securely on a drive way? All the chemical and absorbing suggestions are great but I'd also suggest leaving the car as open a possible as long as you can will have a great effects. Not just windows full on doors if you can? Also driving with the windows as open as you can before it's winter works work wonders too I'd say.

Good luck, I hate the smell too

[R99]

How people do this to a car is a disgrace IMO.

I would never buy a car that's been smoked in. Vile.

Good luck getting sorted!

[MrChumley]

I used Autoglym Odour Eliminator in a hire car that reeked of **** (as an ex-smoker I really detest the smell and I notice the slightest whiff). It worked a treat. I only had the car for a fortnight though so don't know about long term effectiveness.

Maybe a combination of that and some masking smells like lots of shampoo and dash cleaner?

[MrChumley]

Originally Posted by MrChumley

I used Autoglym Odour Eliminator in a hire car that reeked of **** (as an ex-smoker I really detest the smell and I notice the slightest whiff). It worked a treat. I only had the car for a fortnight though so don't know about long term effectiveness.

Maybe a combination of that and some masking smells like lots of shampoo and dash cleaner?

LOL at our colonial cousins' auto-censorship. It's British slang for cigarettes, nothing to do with sexual preference.

[pickigar]

I had this issue in an AUC 730d I had. After a lot of research I tried chlorine treatment. You used to be able to buy them, but they seem discontinued now. I think I have one left if you are interested. Google Odor-rescue and see what it says. I too tried all the other "tricks" and apart from leaving the window open, not a lot worked..

[fluke]

I hate to say it but take it to a professional detailer. Somebody that's been in business for a while.

[Jeff123]

Been to Halfrauds and bought one of their "smoke bombs." At least, what they sold me was something that de-odourises the aircon. Its one of these types of spray that you leave working for 10 minutes with the aircon on full blast.

Easy to do - and after a few hours it seems to have neutralised the smell. In fact, I am pleased with the outcome so far.

Just thinking about this again though. 330d's aren't exactly flying off the forecourts these days. I have been monitoring prices for several months and they are all moving in one direction - downwards. I looked at a similar one to the car that I bought and it has been for sale for 140 days now. Some are much worse than that. 2-3 year old models (particularly pre-LCI) seem to be not moving at all; unless they are a desirable spec maybe. Anyway, i suspect that mine had been for sale for some time. The aircon was set to "recirculate" the air and the smell seemed to appear once the aircon really kicked in. Perhaps freshening up the aircon and allowing external air to come in will do the trick?

For interest, this is one of the cars that i looked at - they reckoned that "they only had £100 profit in the car" at that price. Looks like they in for a long wait if they stick to that price....

https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/inve...ting=123461793

[rlmesq]

Originally Posted by MrChumley

LOL at our colonial cousins' auto-censorship. It's British slang for cigarettes, nothing to do with sexual preference.

Do people on your side of the pond wonder why the loonies at Westboro Baptist Church spend so much time protesting against cigarettes?

[rlmesq]

Originally Posted by fluke

I hate to say it but take it to a professional detailer. Somebody that's been in business for a while.

That's actually a great idea. Last year my cat Rufus got into a scrap with a raccoon or other creature. My wife grabbed him and rushed him to the vet. For some reason I can't remember, she took my 435i and couldn't find his carrier.



He's usually fine in the car, but this time he panicked. My wife called and said Rufus was at the vet's and was going to be okay, but she had to rush the car to the detail shop because he'd spayed and pooped all over the back seat and rear shelf. It apparently smelled awful.

"If I don't get it done right away, you'll have to throw away your car," she added.

I had six months left on the lease and never smelled a single whiff of the incident. The detail shop offered to let me bring it back for a free follow up if they didn't get rid of the odor the first time, but it wasn't needed.

[Hooded]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

Been to Halfrauds and bought one of their "smoke bombs." At least, what they sold me was something that de-odourises the aircon. Its one of these types of spray that you leave working for 10 minutes with the aircon on full blast.

Easy to do - and after a few hours it seems to have neutralised the smell. In fact, I am pleased with the outcome so far.

Just thinking about this again though. 330d's aren't exactly flying off the forecourts these days. I have been monitoring prices for several months and they are all moving in one direction - downwards. I looked at a similar one to the car that I bought and it has been for sale for 140 days now. Some are much worse than that. 2-3 year old models (particularly pre-LCI) seem to be not moving at all; unless they are a desirable spec maybe. Anyway, i suspect that mine had been for sale for some time. The aircon was set to "recirculate" the air and the smell seemed to appear once the aircon really kicked in. Perhaps freshening up the aircon and allowing external air to come in will do the trick?

For interest, this is one of the cars that i looked at - they reckoned that "they only had £100 profit in the car" at that price. Looks like they in for a long wait if they stick to that price....

https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/inve...ting=123461793

Yeah I'm looking to buy a roughly 4 year old pre LCI 330d soon, so I like the idea of a price drop .. but it will be a blue performance one to Comply with euro 6, buying euro 5 diesels now isn't a good idea in my opinion, if you intend keeping the car a few years.

Spraying some febreze into the carpets etc might help with the smell too, it managed to eradicate the smell of sick from on old car of mine a few year ago.