Love the new Prius, but the chemicals on the interior are Killing me ...

There has been a post and a thread about this issue before. I think most people leave the car in the sun with the windows down a bit for a couple of weeks.

My wife and I didn't notice too much smell, and liked the 'new car smell' that is there; but a lot of people have complained on here about it, so you're not alone.

 

Buy one of those inexpensive box fans. Open front windows. Open hatch (turn off dome and hatch lights). Lower smaller side of back seat. Prop fan upright in hatch to blow toward front of car. Use extension cord from fan to garage outlet. Crank it up full and let it blow all night. Febreeze all the upholstery the next day. Better... clean all fabrics with upholstery cleaner.

 

My sister said that the stuff they used in the detailing smelled like grapes. But, I can understand how it is an overpowering smell.

 

New car smell is bad for you.

 

I so seldom have a new car that I love the smell. I don't have new cars often enough for the smell to be bad for me. It's like eating bacon once a decade.

But if the smell irritated my eyes, nose or something, I guess that would be different. Good luck!

 

I hate new-car smell. It makes me physically sick. I doubt a fan would help much, but leave the windows open, if you can park the car in a safe place, and in a week or two it should diminish significantly.

I do not know if they have no alternatives to those chemicals in the manufacturing process, or if they do it on purpose because some people have learned to associate that smell with "new" and like the feeling it gives them that their car is really new. A lot of repair shops will actually spray "new car smell" into cars, on the assumption that people like the feeling that their newly-repaired car is "like new." Most will refrain if you ask them ahead of time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(formerVWdriver @ May 1 2007, 08:39 AM) [snapback]433143[/snapback]</div>

I have to agree I have always liked the new car smell. Its not something most of us get to 'sniff' too often so I try to make it last as long as possible That being said I didn't find the Prius odor to be any different from any other new car I had so I'm not sure what the OP is discribing. I'm assuming some people are just sensitive to some odors...of course maybe I like toxic chemicals

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darken @ May 1 2007, 07:35 AM) [snapback]433199[/snapback]</div>

Me too. <_<

 

i just bought a prius last week, brand new (had 1 mile on it) and I didn't have any weird overpowering smell. There was new car smell but even that wasn't very strong. My recommendation would be to have the windows open as often as possible, esp. while driving. That should take away the smell over time and in the short run while the windows are open and you're driving you shouldn't be able to smell it as much.

 

I got slightly nauseous in the first few days of ownership driving my car across the country. All that plastic out-gassing is rather stinky.

It still smells, but not bad anymore. I've just got the "regular" new car smell.

 

I just got my Prius Touring Edition two weeks ago and have put about 400 miles on it. It still has the new car smell but not overpowering at all. The smell will eventurally go away, just like my 07 Camry XLE after a few thousand miles the new car smell is gone.


Wayne

 

Is it possible that you had the chemical treatment of the interior? My wife ordered that for mine and it stunk to high heaven for a week. I had three air fresheners hung in the car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusmaybe @ May 1 2007, 02:57 PM) [snapback]433382[/snapback]</div>

Why not the same as the Matrix? Or it could different from both of them since it didn't make either list. Or maybe all Toyota's have the same chemicals. How reliable are those tests anyway?

If it bothers you, I would just air it out as suggested previously and I'm sure the noticable smell will be gone in a few weeks. It will be 1 month tomorrow since I picked mine up (came direct to dealer from the factory for me) and I can barely even notice the smell any more. I never did anything special to air it out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darken @ May 1 2007, 07:35 AM) [snapback]433199[/snapback]</div>

Some people do. And that's a personal choice. But the "new car smell" should be offered as an optional extra, rather than included in all cars, where those of us who find it sickening would not have to smell it.

I agree that my Prius, when new, smelled no different than other new cars. It's just that I cannot abide that smell.