davparf

Bought a used 2015 ES 350 and the dealership masked the fact that it had been owned by a heavy smoker. I'm at the point where I am ready to take drastic measures like replace the entire headliner - but wanted to see what everyone recommended. Here's what I've done so far:

1. Wiped down the entire interior with mild dawn soap and damp rag (to remove tar)
2. Cleaned carpeting with detergent and extracted with wet dry vac
3. Carefully cleaned the headliner with a mix of Tide Free and Clear and Oxy Powder (I figured if it sagged I would just get it replaced, I'm that frustrated)
4. Did a 1.5 hour Ozone treatment with a 32,000 mg/hr output machine (had a pro do it)

After all of this I am still smelling cigarettes. I get out of my car and my clothes smell like I'm a smoker. In a week I am having another company come out to do a Chlorine Dioxide treatment. I don't know what is left. I am getting discouraged, but hopeful the CLO2 treatment will help.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Dealership paid for the first Ozone treatment, but made it clear they wouldn't cover anything additional.

UDel

It is going to take time for that smoke smell to dissipate, the odor is embedded in the fibers. I would not spend a bunch of money trying to battle the smell, you have done just about everything you can. Did you spray/vac the floor mats? I would leave the car parked outside with the windows and sunroof open for a few hours a day when you can and just try to mask the smell for now. Find a air freshener you like, a cologne or perfume you like to spray on the floor mats, some leather treatments have a nice leather smell but it won't last long. If you have done all those treatments and you still smell it unlikely is going away any time soon no matter what you do and you are just wasting money trying to battle it.

Freds430

This guy is the master detailer.

davparf

Yeah this guy is good, although the badger hair brush on the headliner wouldn't touch my odor!

LeX2K

Never use laundry soap to clean an interior you'll never get all of it out no matter how many times you rinse. To get the smell out of the carpet remove it from the car and wash with rug and upholstery soap, rinse then wash again and rinse.

chinee

I don't have a solution for you, but I was thinking... if the last owner smoked with the AC blowing in recirculate mode, the AC vents and ducts are probably coated with tar, nicotine and all the cigarette smoke by-products.

Maybe changing the cabin filter? With my last car, there was an odd burnt oil smell that would not go away no matter what I did. Turned out the smell was embedded in the cabin filter. Changed that and the odor eventually dissipated over time (and an air freshener or two).

rmason

I don't think there's any real effective solution to this as other have mentioned, you'll never really get the grime off and out of the vents.
Sorry to say but If you're not a smoker and the previous owner was, you'll be smelling that until you sell it.

You might want to try masking the odor with something that doesn't bother you as much....like a wet dog or a pet ferret. j/k =)