Hey all,

I was just curious about this because I can only seem to find smells that aren't supposed to be there after driving.

What should a car smell like after driving? I know it's just kind of a vague question, but is there such a thing as a normal smell after operating a car?

 

There are not normal smells like gas, oil, coolant, burning rubber! Other then that it usually smells like whatever air freshener you use.

 

Haha,

Sorry guess I should've been more specific.

I meant after a long drive, get home, open hood, stick face in and takena whiff. Lol

 

It tastes like coconut and metal

 

LMFAO


Noted.

 

Don't talk to me about smells.
Had a cat go "diarrhea"...all over my back seats last week. Spent hours cleaning it up....then cleaning it again even after it looked clean. Then I cleaned it again just for good measure.
And now, every time I get in the vehicle, I sniff to see if I recognize any offending odor.

So far so good.

Not the poor animals fault, just scared. But...gone is any vestige of new car smell. and I suspect I'm going to imagine bad odors for a long time.

By the way, I like Ozium auto freshener spray. The original scent kind of has a "New Car" smell to me, and it seems to aerosol so fine, that I don't feel it's covering everything, even though I still wouldn't spray it over my dashboard.

IMO....there is no definable how "should" a car smell after driving.
It's more like what you shouldn't be smelling.
If you are smelling too much of anything...gas, oil, etc...there could be a problem. You don't want to smell anything burning.

IMO...if your car is in good working condition, you shouldn't smell much of anything after driving.
Unless a nervous cat got into the back seat......

 

You should be even more specific and reveal the mystery of what it actually smells like.
Clearly it's not a common or recognizable smell, so describe it to the best of your abilities.
Otherwise there's endless possibilities and guess-work that nobody will want to undertake...

Normally you shouldn't smell anything strange and should only feel the heat wave off the engine when you stick your face in for a whiff after a long drive.

 

I'd always start with removing the cabin air filter. We have a mouse / mice problem even with 5 cats that are well fed (the problem). A lot of pee & poop and even a dead one can build up on top of the filter. This is from out CIVIC (garaged) but my FIT (outside) has problems too.

 

This has got to be one of the funniest threads on this site. Cabin filter is it, unless you're smelling.. you. You could buy a carbon filter sheet on amazon and try to jam it into the already cramped airbox, post filter. Carbon foam is the same junk used in air purifiers (that dont make awful ozone, invisible headache maker) and high end vacuums.. fish tank filter boxes.. it works like magic for clearing smells. Also good info on the cabins. Its amazing how much junk can pile up behind em.

The cabin filter is located on the front passenger side foot hole. Down there and to the left, inside/behind the dash. Hard to find, easy to access. Bring a flashlight and look for a rectangle several inches wide, an inch or two tall, with a cover that can be removed without tools.

 

LMAO thats what Ive been telling my wife.

 

Our dog urinated all over the back of the Fit. Smelled soooo bad for days. Wouldn't go away. So, I bought an Ozone Generator. First I detailed my Fit by shampooing the carpet (It kinda did the trick, but not really) and replaced the cabin filter. I placed the ozone generator in the FIT, closed all the windows and set it for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, I let it sit for another 40 minutes to an hour (Can't remember, it's whenever the basketball game finished). Anyway, I opened all the windows and aired out the Fit. Smell be gone. Doesn't have any smell at all, not even that silly "new car smell."

 

A used car I bought many years ago (not a Fit) had a smoker for a previous owner. I left a box of baking soda (partially open) jammed in the back seat.
The smell quickly became less of an issue, but I forgot about the little box. Then one day I discovered a weird dust coating on the entire interior. My brain cells rubbed together like two sticks and I realized that's not dust, it is baking soda!
Long story short I had to clean baking soda off everything. Years later I still found it in odd places, like on random screw heads.

tldr: baking soda gets rid of bad smells, but only if the box lid is off!

 

Lmao, this thread is cracking me up. So Ill share my story.

A couple of months ago, my wife decided it would be a good idea to bring a stray cat home.. like I was going to be overly excited and instantly fall in love.

Uh..no.

As SOON as I got into the car, it smelled like 5 MMA fighters just wrestled with the heat on full blast for 45 minutes.

Apparently the cat had sprayed dookie all in the back, and it was AWFUL. I tried everything. I even bought a bissell spot cleaner and spent 3 hours vacuuming the seats and trunk area...only for the nasty must smell to return a couple of days later.

Then I tried that Scentsy stuff and boy, that sure did work wonders. Have not smelled the musty poops since, and my nose thanks me for it.




If you find yourself with a smell you dont like, try these Scensty smells to work wonders. Email: morganmw02@gmail.com for more information.