Mr. Fix it Posted April 26, 2018 Report Share Posted April 26, 2018 Having just bought a new to us Journey with low Km's after a week the smoke stank started from the previous owner. the dealership was kind enough to not disclose that this was a smokers SUV which surprised me that a fire chief owned it! a bit of an oxymoron if you ask me... The dealer keeps spraying their candy smell into it but not addressing the real issue. The moment I turn on the heater it hits us like a brick to the face. I'm trying to get them to ionized the interior but it looks like I'm on my own for this one. A local business that specializes in this technique claims it will kill off all bacteria causing the stank... I'll post once it's done on how it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAWheat411 Posted April 26, 2018 Report Share Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) You might have already thought of this. But have you changed the cabin air filter? They have some infused with febreeze. Edited April 26, 2018 by JAWheat411 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 26, 2018 Report Share Posted April 26, 2018 Agree. ^^ Unfortunately, it will just take time, multiple cleanings and lots of air fresheners. 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neto Posted April 27, 2018 Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 I would be interested to hear how an ionizer performs for this task. I have wondered in the past, and tried to get my father-in-law to go that route to defume an apartment the family manages for him. (We ended up pulling all of the carpets and flooring, and painting the subfloor with an oil-based paint. The carpet had to be replaced anyway, as did the flooring. The smell was still there to some degree, under the paint smell.) A friend who has a bed-n-breakfast has one, and tells me that they work well. I've heard of others say (real) charcoal left in a vehicle will help. I bought a used PU some years ago that reaked of cigarette smoke, and since the seat was broken down anyway, I pulled it out & replaced it with one from the salvage. While I had it out I used a commercial carpet cleaner my wife had rented anyway to do the carpets in our home, and shampooed the carpets, headliner, and door panels. It did a pretty good job of it, but interestingly, the time when I could still smell it the most was on a real cold morning - more than when it sat outside in the summer. (I would have thought that the heat would bring it out more than the cold.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km-04 Posted April 27, 2018 Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 You may find good results with the following items. My wife's Explorer had a not so good scent coming from the vents after we bought it. Took it back to the dealership three times and they just sprayed a "scent" to mask the odor. I finally told her I'd take care of it. Bought a can of this and used just half of it and the smell was gone and has not returned. Did a little digging online and found out you don't really need to buy this product, you could just use Lysol or some such disinfectant. I went with this because Lysol makes me gag worse that roadkill, and the stuff I bought came with the handy dandy tube to stick into the vents to get down deep. https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-C-Pro-Vent-Duct-Cleaner-10oz/55351429?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227076257677&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=189505809350&wl4=pla-486400762712&wl5=9060227&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=55351429&wl13=&veh=sem If the smell is in the fabric, try this; https://www.amazon.com/Scent-A-Way-Max-Kit-10-Piece/dp/B06X9QBPX4/ref=zg_bs_3413671_25?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=90WEAWAZW7CFQC6MWV0S I hunt and try to reduce my human scent as much as possible. This stuff really does work. I use it all the time, not just for hunting. I keep a bottle in the car all year long. When filling up at the gas station you sometimes step in the previous persons gas spill. A few squirts of this and the smell is gone in no time. I spilled some liquid from some artificial fishing bait (Berkley Gulp for those that fish) on a pair of gloves and wanted to see if this could handle it. I had to spray it twice, but it did get rid of the scent (I know, I could have just washed them, but where's the fun in that?). There are tons of brands out there, you don't have to use this particular one. I buy it in bulk at the end of the season for next season and to give to members of my family that just need to get rid of a stinky odor. Just google scent elimination. Hope this helps. jkeaton and Mr. Fix it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 I’m getting this done tonight and will hold off on comments for a few days and later report on the week after too to let the readers here know how it works 2late4u and jkeaton 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 On 2018-04-25 at 9:05 PM, JAWheat411 said: You might have already thought of this. But have you changed the cabin air filter? They have some infused with febreeze. I have and it’s improved but not perfect jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km-04 Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 Looking forward to your post. Hope I helped at least a little. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 10 hours ago, km-04 said: Looking forward to your post. Hope I helped at least a little. I appreciate any positive input on how to deal with the aroma's that permeate the cars we drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 The ionizer man showed on time and he was a very social person. the 30 minute treatment turned into close to an hour after getting distracted chatting about the cost of housing and what not. The cost was $100 taxes in. Had a very ionic aroma when I reached in to turn off the engine. Updates to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km-04 Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 Sounds good so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 (edited) After day 1 of de-stanking i am pleased so far with the only aroma left is the synthetic sweet smell that the dealership hosed the interior down with but it is about a 3 out of 10 on that aroma. The rest is a very neutral pleasant aroma to the interior. Updates to follow as the days pass. Edited May 3, 2018 by Mr. Fix it OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 After day 2 I am still happy with the neutral aroma OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 Day 3 The ion aroma is disappearing and leaving a Dodge Journey plastic aroma OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 Day 4 , no smell anymore very happy with the results! 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km-04 Posted May 6, 2018 Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 Glad to see it's working for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Fix it Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 So the final on this is that the ion treatment worked. i have since though sold the Journey due to the flood of other suspension issues encoutnered inthe short time of ownership and traded it on a new 2017 DGC Crew edition. Take care everyone. Best of luck with your DJ's! 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darthstar7 Posted June 13, 2020 Report Share Posted June 13, 2020 Easy solution purchase an ozone machine place it in the car for 1hr and let it air out and repeat if needed. These ozone machines will kill all living organisms so keep away from people, pets and plants. John/Horace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozey66 Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 Holy thread-resurection Batman! OK, so buying an o-zone machine is not something the average consumer would EVER need to do, especially at the price a decent one goes for... however, renting one is not a bad idea for someone that just want's to clean their own car. I can buy a decent machine for $200-400 and would if it was part of my life to need one, such as a detailer, etc. I can rent one from a tool company (Sunbelt, etc) for about $30/day. Or if I don't want to hassle, I can spend about $75-100 (like the OP did) to have a pro come to me and get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 sold on amazon Enerzen Commercial Ozone Generator 6,000mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer Sterilizer (6,000mg - Black) by Enerzen 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,411 ratings Amazon'sChoicefor "ozone generator" Price: $83.99 & FREE Shipping. Details & FREE Returns Darthstar7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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