SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 14:41
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Monkfish

Hi

Just looking for some advice. I've test driven a used Seat Leon Estate. It's a great car and exactly what I'm looking for at a decent price. The only issue is that the dealer hasn't valetted the car yet and it smells strongly of smoke. They have assured me that they will clean it thoroughly and get rid of the smell but I'm not convinced. I think they'll probably make it smell ok by using air freshner, but the smell might come back, leaving me with a smelly car. The obvious answer is to get something else but there dont seem to be many of these around in my price range.

Any advice about whether its possible to completely get rid of smoke? Have I got a case for asking for reducing the price to cover the risk of the smell coming back?

Thanks

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 14:59
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Galaxy

I personally would never buy a car that had ever been smoked in.

It's about the first question I ask!

I've had cars which have been smoked in many years ago and I believe the smell (and discolouration) never completely goes.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 15:20
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - HobbesFNM

I once fell for the 'we'll be able to get rid of the smoke smell' line from a dealer.

In fairness, they did keep trying, so I got at least 3 full interior valets from them without cost, but it still took a least a year, if not longer, for the smell to be completely eradicated.

I'd steer clear, unless the deals really compelling or the car quite rare/hard to find.

Edited by HobbesFNM on 25/04/2016 at 15:21

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 15:55
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Engineer Andy

You are correct - it doesn't, unless any soft materials are effectively washed as clothes on a weekly basis, which is unrealistic. My dad stopped smoking 10 years ago, yet there's still a residual cigarette smell in my parents' living room, especially on the furnishings (the cigarette particles seep into the foam, not just the exterior coverings and are thus impossible to remove), as well as the 'yellowing' discolouration.

Given that most non-smokers would not entertain buying a car formerly owned by a smoker, that surely drops the asking price by a considerable amount, as (for the most part) only smokers will buy them.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 16:42
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - gordonbennet

If you've never smoked yourself then good chance your own sense of smell is keen, and no matter what they do you will still smell it.

It gets deep into the roof lining and upholstery, the car would have to be ridiculously cheap circa half price for me to consider it at all.

Not just cars either, we've lived in this bungalow roughly 14 years, the lady before was a chain smoker, the bathrooms have been gutted completely and refurbed top to bottom, nothing is the same yet when we have a shower and things get damp (shower room is a full wet room now) i can still smell smoke faintly, yes so addicted was she that even the en suite had heavy smoke residue.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 17:54
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - RT

If you've never smoked yourself then good chance your own sense of smell is keen, and no matter what they do you will still smell it.

It gets deep into the roof lining and upholstery, the car would have to be ridiculously cheap circa half price for me to consider it at all.

Not just cars either, we've lived in this bungalow roughly 14 years, the lady before was a chain smoker, the bathrooms have been gutted completely and refurbed top to bottom, nothing is the same yet when we have a shower and things get damp (shower room is a full wet room now) i can still smell smoke faintly, yes so addicted was she that even the en suite had heavy smoke residue.

And if you used to be a heavy smoker but gave up decades ago, your own sense of smell is often even keener.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 20:43
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Cyd

Given that most non-smokers would not entertain buying a car formerly owned by a smoker, that surely drops the asking price by a considerable amount, as (for the most part) only smokers will buy them.

Apparently, the second hand value of a smoked in car is usually at least 10% lower.

The smell can almost never be erradicated.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 17:18
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - ifekas

Don't buy it! It's a good thing you noticed the smell; when I bought my last car, the smell was disguised, and while the smell wasn't always noticeable, it took over a year for it to mostly go away; and that was after having the seats, carpet and headlining washed.

Even I was surprised how long the smell lingered; and a lesson learned the hard way for me!

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 17:48
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Bromptonaut

I bought a Pug 205 in 1997 that had previously been driven by a chain smoking driving instructor. Got rid of worst of smell after a year or so but it was still there if left in strong sunshine or unused for a week or two.

Used to work in an old office building with a few cellular offices occupied for yeasby successive chain smokers.

Eventually the whole place was declared smoke free and the rooms deep cleaned. Six years later when we moved out you could smell smoke as soon as the carpets were disturbed.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 25/04/2016 at 17:51

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 19:14
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - primus 1

I wouldn't buy a car that has been smoked in no matter how good the deal was, I see quite a number of newish, high end cars with the driver chuffing away with the window down a tiny amount they must stink

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 19:25
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Monkfish

Thanks for the advice. Probably won't buy it then. I really like the car otherwise so I was trying to convince myself that it was a good idea.

I havent looked for used cars before.What's the best place to search for them? I generally just go on Autotrader and look within 15 miles but is there anywhere else I should be looking? Are there people who will deliver cars from further away?

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 20:27
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - bathtub tom

Depends on what sort of age and price range you're looking at. If it's fairly recent I'd recommend Motorpoint.

When I last bought a car I found that even main dealers were advertising their stock on ebay and Autotrader.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 20:33
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - gordonbennet

eBay's ok too, and don't forget forums catering to your marque.

For an unusual car be prepared to travel a long way, if still under maker's warranty with a bompproof service history then nationwide search, at my end of the budget range i'm buying sold as seen basically so again any distance, same for private purchases, much depends on your own mechanical skills.

Subaru i bought via ebay auction and travelled 170 miles by train, you can get some right bargains by travelling.

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 21:46
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Smileyman

Smoking used to be permitted on the London Undeground - the smoking permitted coaches always had a yellow stain on the ceiling ... the smell was always present - even on the few occasions when the carriage was empty - I avoided these carriages like the plague, my clothing was a good indicator to others of where I had spent the past 40 minutes (usually standing - no seats free!) on my way to/from school

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 22:13
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Eddy56

+1 to all the above. Years ago I fell for the same "we'll valet it" line from a dealer. The car smelt of smoke for the whole time I owned it. I had it valeted twice - shampoo to all fabric and then wet vac'd and even had the headlining steam cleaned, but nothing really worked. The smell did fade over time but never went entirely. My wife was furious with me, as was I with myself. Never again! Walk away!

Edited by Eddy56 on 25/04/2016 at 22:14

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Mon 25 Apr 2016 23:49
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Ethan Edwards

Years ago I bought a nearly new Princess. Along with the brown velour upholstery and fake wood I thought it had brown tinted windows. Actually turned out the previous owner was a heavy cigar smoker. Took several washes of the interior but it faded to virtually nothing. Can be done but you'll need to put the effort in and stick with it. If not best pass on it.

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Tue 26 Apr 2016 07:31
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - madf

Bowl of warm water with added vinegar left in car overnight. Replace daily for a year. Result : less smell.

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Tue 26 Apr 2016 10:14
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Monkfish

Thanks again. Motorpoint seem to have 20 of the exact car I want due in soon. Looks a bit too good to be true given that there are so few of these around. Any idea why this might have happened? Is there anything I need to consider about buying a car from them? I believe their cars are usually ex-lease or ex-rental. Any negatives to buying one of these?

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Tue 26 Apr 2016 16:38
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - Engineer Andy

Motorpoint apparently get most of their cars from the rental market (up to 2 years old), with some other new stock sourced from dealers who just can't shift them including from the few RHD countries in Europe such as Ireland and Cyprus (where my Mazda3 was originally shipped to before ending up [del. miles only] to Motorpoints Derby site).

Note that at the moment, probably due to the VAG 'dieselgate' scandal, more VAG (especially VW) cars will be available on the nearly-new/del miles from Europe market, including some SEATs. I found Motorpoint to be fine when I bought my car through them. I can't comment about what they do about cars used (partly) by smokers (ex-rentals), but its likely they won't be stained/smell anywhere near as bad as those actually owned by a smoker.

I suppose its handy to be able to pop down to your local main dealer to look over a second-hand car, so you can thoroughly check it over for signs of the former owner being a smoker (including having a good sniff of the fabrics!), rather than travelling a good distance away to a 'supersite' for a car that will likely be sold in a week or two anyway if you rejected it. Website photos are fine for a new car - no substitute for a good look for second-hand ones.

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Wed 27 Apr 2016 00:36
SEAT Leon ST - Advice needed - Buying a car that smells of smoke - bathtub tom

Motorpoint seem to have 20 of the exact car I want due in soon.

When I wanted a car of a type Motorpoint had, they'd 36 available - when I 'phoned them they said they could move any I'm interested in to my local branch. They accepted my assertion they wouldn't move 36 to near me and gave me the codes of those at my locality.

Only four were at my local branch.

I bought one of them.

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