My car is soaked in cigarette smoke

My impreza is soaked in cigarette smoke.

We aren't talking the yellow tinge kind of smoke.

We're talking I can play etch-a-sketch with my armrest and a toothpick (minus the shaking park).

I've tried simple green, dishwashing detergent, and soaking it in vinegar... and while it's helped, I can still play etch-a-sketch.

It's so bad that I can't drive around with the windows up... and winter is slowly approaching so this needs to be remedied before then.

It's obvious that the previous owner smoked with the windows up and the AC/defroster on... with kids in the car no less (sometimes I HATE people!)

I'm debating selling the car and buying something else, but that is my last resort, because I love the car, and it fits my needs in life perfectly (except sometimes I wish it had a bed, both kinds ).

Can anyone lend some advice?

How cheap can you get an interior out of a wrecked one?

OK this is what I did on the EP3 that I had. 100K miles of the same type of abuse.

Took entire interior out of the car, seats, side panels the lot. Scrubbed with dawn, Woolite mix. DUMP baking soda like 5 or 6 BIG boxes in the car and wet it with a mist of water. close windows let sit.

Reassemble.

Then take the car and have it ozone treated at a detailer and specifically ask for the vents to done as well.

Simple Green should be able to take the film off. Are you leaving it on long enough? Try scrubbing it with a nail brush or similar, to get into the grain of the vinyl.

that E36 M3 is NASTY stuff man. I wish you LOTS of luck in getting it all out.

As often as STis and WRXs get wrecked.. can you get the interior out of one?

how about the HVAC stuff? is it possible to replace the filter with a carbon filter?

I think you're just going to have to take up smoking dude.

Just imagine what it did to the lungs of the DPO.

Dr. Hess wrote: Just imagine what it did to the lungs of the DPO.

Whats amazing to me isn't the people that GET lung cancer, it's the ones that DON'T. My grandmother is THAT person.... to the point the ceiling of her home was yellow when we cleaned it after my grandfather died. She's a good 2-3 packs/day, like 85, mean as hell, and I swear she'll be left along with the cockroaches after the bomb goes off.

I have recently been informed that if it's a non-bacteria rotting smell, that an ionic generator will get rid of the smell. They are used by people who clean the interiors of fire-smoke/damaged buildings. Also used by boat owners with that "holding tank" odor that migrates through the boat's sanitation plumbing. Also, try renting one of those carpet cleaners with attachments to clean furniture. The chemicals, swirling scrub brushes heat just might get that smell out. You might want to consider replacing the headliner--it's probably been acting as a big sponge for cig smoke. OR, give it to an experienced detailer, pay the money and be done with it. .

Didn't Mythbusters do something with Vodka and get good results? Just don't get pulled over, LOL.

my buddy sells cars and he told me recently that there is NOTHING you can do with this.

his dealer has used everything professional and a customer comes along and gets in and can instantly pick up the smell.

put a bag of horse manure in the trunk and you'll forget all about the cig smell.

SO

can I get away with swapping out the major interior pieces? The only problem with this is the headliner and carpet would stay and the HVAC stuff would stay...

or should I just say berk it and get a different car

For the carpet I have heard a pressure washer does wonders. Or just ditch it, if it's a winter beater. Rhinoline the MFer.

When I worked at Prime Nissan/Toyota, I had a Camry come in with a dead rat in the blower fan. We had some sort of stuff that I sprayed in the cowl inlet with the fan on high and the doors open for a couple hours. I mean, you could still smell it after I was done, but I was able to drive into the parking lot without instantly wanting to vomit at least. Wish I could remember what that stuff was. It was yellow and citrus-smelling anyway. I see Meguiar's has a similar product called Odor Eliminator, but what I used was some sort of professional supply product.

zorbex FTW

Fabreeze Extra Strength for fabrics and carpets in the dark blue bottle. Soak the fabric with it, spray the entire bottle in the car. Close doors, let sit, then air out. A friend who had a similar problem swears it got 90% of the smell out of her car. It's cheap. Give it a try, can't hurt.

I had a Corvette where the previous owner smoked a pipe. Couldn't seem to get the smell out no matter what I tried. I finally ended up taking it to a car detailer who steam cleaned the interior. I couldn't smell the pipe any more after that. Not the cheapest option, but it was money well spent.

Yep, steam clean and take the vents apart if you can. Pull apart as much of the inside as you can so they can clean under the seats and such.

triumph5 wrote: Fabreeze

I don't know what that stuff is, but it burns my sinuses like nothing I've ever experienced. It did nothing for the barn-stored seats in my current car.

In cases of light smoking, you might be able to get the stink out. If it's as heavy as you describe, I think interior replacement is the only way. It's that tar-like film that sticks like Gorilla glue to everything - door panels, headliner, carpet fibers, ducting... Come to think of it, you might want to try something like a tree-sap remover, or a mild solvent (check in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won't damage the substrate.) Maybe some really HOT soapy water and a brush assortment.

Good luck. My brother drove a mint Volvo 240 that was perma-smoked by the PO. We never got that smell out.