Post Purchase Blues..... Smoker

Strad

Strad

Member
Messages
245
Hi all, I have just bought a car after a very quick viewing and 10 minute test drive (in a mask!). When I picked it up 2 days later it was massively apparent that the previous owner was a smoker, a heavy smoker...............
It’s a 3 year old Polo for my oldest daughter who is about to turn 17 / family run around so not exciting and I probably didn’t give it enough time or thought but was wearing a mask during the test drive and so didn’t think there was a problem.

It’s been locked up for two days with an odour remover and seems worse than ever when I open the door. The car has done just 11k miles so is in great shape other than stinking like an old British Rail smoking carriage so the question is do I keep it?

VW are taking it back for a day next week to give it a thorough clean but I have my doubts that it will ever be the car it should be. While I have not used it and have a cooling off period, do I hand back the keys or do you think it will easily remedied????
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,796
I wouldn't be surprised if a full valet could get the smell out. Equally I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.

Perhaps tell them you reserve handing the keys back until it's back from the cleaning? <shrug>

C
 
Scaf

Scaf

Member
Messages
6,586
Carpets and seats can be given a deep wet clean that will get rid of smell in them, but if the headlining and door cards have clothe then I think that’s much more difficult.

Personally if you have the option to do so, I would hand it back.
 
S

Simon1963

Member
Messages
819
I had a smokers car once. I we vacced all the carpets, seats and any cloth bits I could find. During cooler cloudy days it was mostly ok but when left in the heat it used to stink. It wouldn’t surprise me if detailers had something to get rid of it these days to an extent.
 
Strad

Strad

Member
Messages
245
Thanks guys. Classic case of act in haste repent at leisure..... it doesn’t sound very promising and if you are paying main dealer prices, you want the right car so let’s see if they will help me out here.
 
Silvercat

Silvercat

Member
Messages
1,166
Strad said:
Hi all, I have just bought a car after a very quick viewing and 10 minute test drive (in a mask!). When I picked it up 2 days later it was massively apparent that the previous owner was a smoker, a heavy smoker...............
It’s a 3 year old Polo for my oldest daughter who is about to turn 17 / family run around so not exciting and I probably didn’t give it enough time or thought but was wearing a mask during the test drive and so didn’t think there was a problem.

It’s been locked up for two days with an odour remover and seems worse than ever when I open the door. The car has done just 11k miles so is in great shape other than stinking like an old British Rail smoking carriage so the question is do I keep it?

VW are taking it back for a day next week to give it a thorough clean but I have my doubts that it will ever be the car it should be. While I have not used it and have a cooling off period, do I hand back the keys or do you think it will easily remedied????
Click to expand...
You need to get a professional valet of the seats, carpets, roof liner and door cards. The smoke will have left microscopic tar residue in the fabric so the smells will linger for a long time unless you can remove it through a deep cleaner. May cost you £50-70 to have it done professionally but it may be worth it.
 
jasst

jasst

Member
Messages
2,317
You can get specific odour neautralisers for smoke smells, they work to a certain degree, but you will never get rid of it completely,
 
Wack61

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,797
You will go nose blind after a while but if I had the opportunity to walk away now I would, it's not as if Polo's are thin on the ground
 
midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,233
Apart shampooing the seat cloth, carpets and heading followed by sheep dipping in Fabreze, use a scented candle to combat the smoking smell.
 
Mr S

Mr S

Member
Messages
821
Try an enzyme remover. Had an issue with my ex wife's car, previous owner had a dog live in, or so it smelt. Did a couple of rounds of thaat stuff and the smell was gone for good. However, maybe harder with smoke, as id imagine it gets everywhere, but worth a go.
 
philw696

philw696

Member
Messages
25,487
Dealerships I have worked in the Valeters have always used a intensive cleaner based on lemons and worked well with tobacco, wet dog and smelly people.
I have some in a sprayer amongst all my car cleaning kit.
 
M

Manc5

Member
Messages
395
My sister had a similar problem with a 2 year old Mito she bought for her daughter from an approved dealer. On the test drive car smelled lovely.. freshly valeted new car smell but after a couple of days post collection you could smell cigarettes quite badly. She spoke to the dealer and took the car back, the dealer had a full valet done by a 3rd party co. and replaced the AC cabin air filter and it was pretty much gone . That said after a few months / weeks when the weather was warmer the smell came back. So they used a meguiars air refresher canister and added a febreze car neutraliser and now as long as the febreze thing is replaced regularly i can confirm no smell... and she has had the car 3 years with no more complaints !
 
MrJoshua

MrJoshua

Member
Messages
175
www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

Dakota - Odor Bombs (Various Fragrences)

The Dakota Odor Bomb is a permanent, one-time odour eliminating fogger. If a bad smell is lingering in your vehicle, clear the air with an Odour Bomb. The Dakota Odor Bomb is more than an air freshener – it’s a car odour eliminator! Odours are eliminated permanently. This is not a cover-up...
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B

bigbob

Member
Messages
8,972
Dump it as it will always be on your mind. We all make mistakes - I once went through multiple BMWs in a few weeks - so just fix it. Ask them about a deal on a new Polo. I got one in 2018 on PCP to deal with the kids learning to drive. It's a great little car. Might hand it back at the end of the four years or just leave it at the end of the garages and see it as a cheap pool car for the family for the next few years.
 
Strad

Strad

Member
Messages
245
The smell this morning is terrible having been locked up all night so the ‘I want out’ email has gone in and I will call them if I don’t hear back soon.
Thinking about it, it was probably a trade-in car as it’s almost 3 yrs old but they are a main VW dealer and should have just pushed it straight out to trade rather than have a car like in the VW Approved stock. Will let you know.

Thanks again everyone.
 
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