GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I bought my Vibe November 12th. I only drive it 3 or four times a week because I've still got a beaten up Nissan pickup to drive to work. There is still a strong/annoying plastic/new car smell obvious each time I get into it. A couple of minutes with the sunroof or windows open eliminates it. But the air in there always gets at least a little toxic if I let the car sit for a day or two.Does anyone else with a Vibe bought near or before the time I bought mine still think their's smells?Just curious.KSNeptune

i like that smell.

I like that smell too. They have actually tried to duplicate that scent to sell as a freshener. Maybe yours is much stronger than usual. Does it smell like spray paint?

I like the smell too. The smell of new. I was gone during the winter but now that it's warming up, the smell is back. I love it!

The smell to me is like plastic degassing, or whatever the solvent in the adhesives used in the interior was.I may simply stick a box of baking soda in there to see if that helps.I think it's taking so long to lose the smells because it stays parked in a garage when not driven (out of the sun), and only gets driven a few times a week to air out. And if it's winter cold outside, I usually won't open any windows or the sunroof.Thanks for the respnses.KSNeptune

I LOVE THE NEW CAR SMELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I even bought some car freshener in the "New Car Scent".

quote:The smell to me is like plastic degassing, or whatever the solvent in the adhesives used in the interior was.Bought mine Nov. 15th. It too had a VERY strong smell and I agree it smelled like plastic or foam degassing. Strong enough it'd practically make my eyes water after parking out in the sun with the windows closed while at work.I left all the windows and sunroof open every time I parked in my garage for probably the first three weeks and haven't had a problem since.

Hmm....maybe they switched over to a different kind of adhesive around the time that your cars were built. It might have some sort of solvent in it that ate away at some hidden plastic component(s). I bought mine at the end of September and only had the regular new car smell. I really love that smell. I find that it comes back stronger if I turn on the vent air recirculation button. Make sure that your vents are not set to recirculate so they draw in fresh air. Most of the new car smell comes from the carpeting. In my old car, when I shampooed the carpeting once a year, the new car smell would slightly return for a few weeks after the shampoo smell dissapated.

Was this only an issue with the 2003?Just bought a 2007 with less than 8k miles and my eyes teared up during the short test drive. I've tried Fabreeze and the odor has diminished somewhat but I can smell it on my clothing after driving short distances.I suspect this car has been setting in the Texas sun for two years with very little ventilation.I was able to locate the "SmellBeGone" and have ordered some to try.This is the only issue with what seems like a great car. And to think, I chose not to purchase an Aura because I expected GM to drop the Saturn line.....who knew????

I like the smell as well, however one time when my daughter spilled milk in the car, yeah it was stinky, I got this thing at my local hardware store, ACE hardware I believe. It looked something very similar to a mesh bag of white rocks, but that took the smell out of the car in no time. I just wish I could remember what it was called. Oh and occasionally mine still smells new as well.

i've had my vibe for over six months and i still have the new car smell. i've used those lemon and squash air freshner but those smell don't last long or maybe i'm just use to it lol but yah i want to get rid of my new car smell =/

for your reading pleasure -- it should fix your issues http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1057

interesting thread haha

I remember reading somewhere that the much-loved "new car smell" is actually pretty toxic for prolonged periods. It's all the plastic and chemical treatments and junk still swirling around in there. Mmm mm.