wstevens

Well, the honeymoon is over for my car. The new car smell is gone. It lasted about a month. That's a pretty long time, I guess.

Now I have a new problem. Last week I picked up some Mickie D's drive-thru and the smell has yet to leave my car.

Every morning I get into my car and smell the special sauce. It makes me want to puke . Is the TL super-smell-absorbant or something? I may have to get the Zaino lether cleaner just to introduce a new smell into the car.

GaleForce

Drive with the windows open, leave them open overnight if you garage it.

Bxscig

How often do you eat McDonalnds in your car? I think that the new car smell is there its just that your noise doesn't pick it up anymore.

Bxscig

You probably got used to it by now.

daikon38

McDonald's, huh? nice...mmmm yum yum...*slaps gut*

I got an idea for a new smell!!!

Go to KFC drive-thru

just playin'...hahahahah

Pot80h

Try leaving one of those baking soda fridge deoderizers in the car overnight. Works on my fridge

neuronbob

The Japanese automakers are generally headed toward minimal scents in their cars. My new car scent only lasted a few weeks. As for food in the car, the best way to take care of it is to prevent it. Except on long trips, food is not allowed in my car. I store it in the cargo net in the trunk so I don't have to smell it two days later.

missmyprelude

My car sometimes smells somewhat like McDonalds about a half-hour after I eat there even though I "eat in". I'm not sure why...

ali_enterprises

I guess I am a little to over cautious if I ever do stop at a McDonalds, I go inside and order and then place it in my vehicles trunk and eat it when I arrive to my destination. I never bring any food or drinks into the cabin of any of my vehicles. I guess I care to much

JoganJani

Slap on the Zaino leather conditioner and the new car smell will be back. Also, as said earlier, leave windows open overnight and the McD smell will go in a day or two.

baddawwg

Yep - Z10 Leather in a Bottle - best interior product that I've used on my 00TL. Your car really does take on the smell of new leather for several days - ample time for MickeyD's to wear off.

icex731

haha im sorry...but i can not help but laugh...its such a funny situation....but i think the best thing to do is get a car freshner

JetJock

Get some of those baking soda containers made for removing odor's and put several...as many as you can afford inside the car with the windows closed for a few days, then leave the car in the garage with all the windows open for a few more days and that should clear out the odor. Also, use that Zaino leather conditioner which has a leather smell...and that should also help. That baking soda stuff really works..but you have to keep the windows closed otherwise it's not going to pull the odors out of the carpet and seats. Good luck!!

DavePA

Just be patient. The "new-car" smell may wane, but the leather aroma lingers for years, with or without help from protectants. What you smell is the grease odor from over-used cooking oils, and yes, it can be disgusting - not unlike the food! Give it time, and the tanned-hide redolence will return.

lindros2

I found that sprinkle-on carpet cleaners (odor-free ones being the best) remove smells like McDonalds. Baking soda is good but the TL's cabin is large and it's hot during the summer (normally cool and humid works best - that's why it's good in the refrigerator).

Intox1221

Look around in the bottom of the seats, or in the sides of the seats and center console. You are looking for a piece of food particle, prolly a lil chip of a fry or that ketchup (i hope that didnt happen) spilled around there. Or you could use the baking soda idea aswell along with driving around with the windows open. Leather usually doesnt absorb smell as much as fabric does, (to the best of my knowledge though), there are experts here who know better... soo good luck and let us know how it turns out. I am on the third week of my new car smell. lol

PoochaKannInc

I try not to put food items in my car. There have been times when I have gone through the drive-thru (never eating the food, just placing it in the car). But I drive a lot with the windows open, which helps with the smell of food.

I use Lexol monthly, so that helps with the smell. After doing the whole interior, I love the subtle smell of tanning oils and leather.

wstevens

I didn't actually eat the food in the car. I'd never do that. I simply placed the bag on the all-weather mat on the passenger side. The bag was only in the car for about 20 minutes.

That was a week ago and it still reeks.

It's not just me either. Several friends have noticed also, offering up comments like:

"Wow. Isn't this a new car? Is that current the built-in-Amercia new-car smell?"

(on a particularly hot day) "I feel like a fry in a vat of boiling grease"

"Just being in this car makes me feel like going and sitting on the crapper for an hour."

It's pretty embarrasing. Try wowing your friends with the voice-activated navi when all they can do is make Hamburgler jokes. Yes, the navi knows where the nearest italian restaurant is, and NO it does not know what type of creature Grimmace is.

I'll try the baking soda tonight.....

carcar

I don't have a TL.......yet, but my current car has a no-smell interior. Which is good....not the new car smell, but at least there's no bad smells, just no smells at all.

EXCEPT....when you turn air conditioner off and the fan just blows. It blows an awful, musty smell like mildew...just musty.....plus the humidity with the AC off, it gets pretty bad. So the AC goes back on and it gets cold. This goes back and forth quite often...and the thing is, it happens in BOTH of my cars!!!! One is a 2002, the other is a 1997.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be, since it's not actually in the cabin but in the air vents or something? I don't know that much about AC/air ventilation so....
I'm just confused...

carcar

DMZ

McDonald's????????

Neogeek

zaino is good, but it will not replace the original smell that came with your car. the zaino smell will be more of a traditional leather smell, which i love...

shawn744

i do the same thing, whenever i order/get food, i always put it in the cargo net in the trunk. my new car smell lasted a few months actually. any food smells eventually go away (1 or 2 days).