Remove New Car Smell?

[Oakstone]

Hey there,

I took possession yesterday. First new vehicle. My god the "new car smell" (off-gassing) gives me a terrible headache. I feel nauseated after 5-10 mins in the truck. Is there a way to speed up the process other than cracking the windows as much as I can?

Thanks!

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[Paul Neubauer]

I had the same thought when I picked mine up. The fact that these trucks are immediately delivered direct to customers instead of spending extended time on a car lots does not let the smells mellow out like they used to. I just drove with the windows cracked every day.

 

[tony72cutlass's']

The best thing to do if you don’t like it is keep it well ventilated. New car smell is a mixture of adhesives, VOC’s and plastics all off-gassing after assembly.

We have a mint 2001 mustang that still has new car smell after 21 years. It lives most of its life in the garage with the doors closed. It’s pretty interesting that it’s lasted this long!

 

[Snakebitten]

Let my grandkids have a ride in it.
Take them to lunch, in fact.
Problem solved. I'm just saying.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Carry out Asian or Italian will cure it.

 

[powerboatr]

you can rent an ozone generator at a rental place that does carpet cleaners usually
i rented one to do my parents used motorhome, it had a weird cooked SOMETHING smell
took about 12hrs and it smelled no more
iirc is was about 45 dollars for the weekend

 

[Grafx36510]

Carry out Asian or Italian will cure it.

Five guys take out tends to linger fairly long, too. But those fries…

 

[thebigdu]

If your truck had sat on chip hold for three or more months, the new car smell would be almost non-existent. I'm jealous.

 

[Grafx36510]

If your truck had sat on chip hold for three or more months, the new car smell would be almost non-existent. I'm jealous.

Mine was on hold a month and a half with shipping taking another 3 weeks, and an additional week for me to get in for pick up. Still potent. I would suggest windows open a crack, and an ozone generator. I suppose an air freshener might work as well, however it would probably not help with the headaches.

 

[gooby]

Alright I am an expert on the topic as I have probably the worst chemical sensitivities imaginable. Here is what I did, and my F150 that I took delivery of on August 27th I was able to comfortably ride in about 4 weeks after I got it, and now I have zero issue with it. The first two weeks or so I thought I made a huge mistake and would not be able to ride in the truck without having immediate headaches and allergy symptoms.

First and most important, air out the car as much as possible. All four doors open and the windows. You will need a few weeks of this, especially if you can get sun exposure to do this. I am in south FL so I had 85-90 degree sunny heat helping me. This is mandatory. I would immediately throw out your cabin air filter and just buy the replacement for 20 bucks. Same as OEM. Just because it has picked up some smells probably and won't hurt. Do not run your AC on RECIRCULATE. Make sure it is pulling in fresh external air at all times when possible. You want to run your AC on the absolute max heat as well for a few hours while the truck is in the driveway. Repeatedly heating up the car, letting the air and VOC's out of the truck. This helps a lot. I would say spend the first few months with AC recirculate off so that you can really dilute the interior air with fresh external air and have it sent out the windows.

Second off, take a non toxic unscented all purpose cleaner and brand new microfiber cloths. Wash them once on cold or normal with unscented detergent and vinegar in the rinse cycle. Every few days wipe down every surface of your car with the microfibers. Then throw them out after each use.

Use isopropyl alcohol as an interior window cleaner. Lots of residue and chemicals build up in the enclosed car and on the windows of the vehicle. You need to get rid of that residue and isopropyl alcohol is the best way to do it. Do not use this stuff anywhere else in the car as it it strips all oils and residues. I would use the blue disposable shop towels for this.

Buy charcoal bags from amazon. Put a few in the car. Throw them out in a few weeks when the odor dissipates and buy new ones.

Basically, repeatedly cleaning all surfaces, sun exposure and airing out, charcoal bags(get some big ones) and you should be fine in a few weeks. Don't expect it to be fixed in a day or two, but I promise you I have HORRIBLE chemical sensitivities(i literally live in an aluminum trailer with almost nothing in it due to allergies) and my f150xl was tolerable in a few weeks.

Useful info here: https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2020/01/offgassing-car.html

 

[discothan]

Let my grandkids have a ride in it.
Take them to lunch, in fact.
Problem solved. I'm just saying.

Carry out Asian or Italian will cure it.

Can't wait for the follow-up threads of 'how do I get rid of....'

 

[Grafx36510]

Alright I am an expert on the topic as I have probably the worst chemical sensitivities imaginable. Here is what I did, and my F150 that I took delivery of on August 27th I was able to comfortably ride in about 4 weeks after I got it, and now I have zero issue with it. The first two weeks or so I thought I made a huge mistake and would not be able to ride in the truck without having immediate headaches and allergy symptoms.

First and most important, air out the car as much as possible. All four doors open and the windows. You will need a few weeks of this, especially if you can get sun exposure to do this. I am in south FL so I had 85-90 degree sunny heat helping me. This is mandatory. I would immediately throw out your cabin air filter and just buy the replacement for 20 bucks. Same as OEM. Just because it has picked up some smells probably and won't hurt. Do not run your AC on RECIRCULATE. Make sure it is pulling in fresh external air at all times when possible. You want to run your AC on the absolute max heat as well for a few hours while the truck is in the driveway. Repeatedly heating up the car, letting the air and VOC's out of the truck. This helps a lot. I would say spend the first few months with AC recirculate off so that you can really dilute the interior air with fresh external air and have it sent out the windows.

Second off, take a non toxic unscented all purpose cleaner and brand new microfiber cloths. Wash them once on cold or normal with unscented detergent and vinegar in the rinse cycle. Every few days wipe down every surface of your car with the microfibers. Then throw them out after each use.

Use isopropyl alcohol as an interior window cleaner. Lots of residue and chemicals build up in the enclosed car and on the windows of the vehicle. You need to get rid of that residue and isopropyl alcohol is the best way to do it. Do not use this stuff anywhere else in the car as it it strips all oils and residues. I would use the blue disposable shop towels for this.

Buy charcoal bags from amazon. Put a few in the car. Throw them out in a few weeks when the odor dissipates and buy new ones.

Basically, repeatedly cleaning all surfaces, sun exposure and airing out, charcoal bags(get some big ones) and you should be fine in a few weeks. Don't expect it to be fixed in a day or two, but I promise you I have HORRIBLE chemical sensitivities(i literally live in an aluminum trailer with almost nothing in it due to allergies) and my f150xl was tolerable in a few weeks.

Useful info here: https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2020/01/offgassing-car.html

Just to add, use 90% or better IPA. I use printers IPA (99.9%) on my windows and it works wonders. Just be sure to use gloves.

 

[Paul Neubauer]

Just to add, use 90% or better IPA. I use printers IPA (99.9%) on my windows and it works wonders. Just be sure to use gloves.

So just to be clear... I use this on my windows...?

 

[Grafx36510]

So just to be clear... I use this on my windows...?

I mean you could, but will it actually make it to the windows? And if it does, I wouldn’t light up sport mode for any cops laying in wait lol.

 

[64Wing]

Not to make light of the OP's situation or look down at him. I found myself thinking the other day: gee, if they shipped my truck when it was done instead of waiting three months I'd have a much stronger new car smell. I love it, but I can understand if it's overpowering to some

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