Does your TCH have a "smell"?
Think green.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 733
From: New England
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
There was some discussion regarding outgassing in a thread titled "Can we get a Forum for the environment?", and some links were posted that had to do with chemical offgassing in various models of vehicles.
There was a link where you can enter a particular vehicle, and data regarding chemical offgassing is listed. Here is the page regarding the TCH.
http://www.healthycar.org/vehicle.de...p?getrecno=184
There was a link where you can enter a particular vehicle, and data regarding chemical offgassing is listed. Here is the page regarding the TCH.
http://www.healthycar.org/vehicle.de...p?getrecno=184
Last edited by Gairwyn; Dec 1, 2007 at 11:11 AM.
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 12
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
My TCH smells like farm animals. Search the threads and you will find several references to barn or farm animal smells from various people. My wife smells it too. Car has about 23k miles on it, but the smell started between 5 - 10k miles. Until then it just smelled like a new car. The vehicle has cloth seats.
I have complained to the dealer, of course to them it just smells "new". I have taken to putting an air freshener in the trunk as I firmly believe the smell originates there, and not in the back seats as I initially thought. The dealer changed the cabin filter, put disinfectant in the vent system and still the problem is the same. I do not think it is normal outgassing as there is no film on the windshield.
I have no solution to the problem, nor an identified source for it. It just smells. It is worse when the car has sat overnight. When you open the doors in the morning the smell hits you. Once you are driving it dissipates or you get used to it.
I have complained to the dealer, of course to them it just smells "new". I have taken to putting an air freshener in the trunk as I firmly believe the smell originates there, and not in the back seats as I initially thought. The dealer changed the cabin filter, put disinfectant in the vent system and still the problem is the same. I do not think it is normal outgassing as there is no film on the windshield.
I have no solution to the problem, nor an identified source for it. It just smells. It is worse when the car has sat overnight. When you open the doors in the morning the smell hits you. Once you are driving it dissipates or you get used to it.
Think green.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 733
From: New England
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
Farm animals, huh?
Interesting. If you follow the link above and go into the details, it seems like the TCH has a lot of bromines off-gassing; bromines are used in flame-retardants. They are listed as being in the soft door trim and the front seats.
I googled "bromine smell" and found that the word bromine originates from another word (I think it was from French) that means "stench". Some descriptions said bromine smells like rotting vegetation, and originates from seaweed.
So, I don't know, maybe it's the bromine. I wonder if seat covers or fabric replacement would make the smell go away.
Interesting. If you follow the link above and go into the details, it seems like the TCH has a lot of bromines off-gassing; bromines are used in flame-retardants. They are listed as being in the soft door trim and the front seats.
I googled "bromine smell" and found that the word bromine originates from another word (I think it was from French) that means "stench". Some descriptions said bromine smells like rotting vegetation, and originates from seaweed.
So, I don't know, maybe it's the bromine. I wonder if seat covers or fabric replacement would make the smell go away.
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 529
From: Big Canoe GA
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
Farm animals, huh?
Interesting. If you follow the link above and go into the details, it seems like the TCH has a lot of bromines off-gassing; bromines are used in flame-retardants. They are listed as being in the soft door trim and the front seats.
I googled "bromine smell" and found that the word bromine originates from another word (I think it was from French) that means "stench". Some descriptions said bromine smells like rotting vegetation, and originates from seaweed.
So, I don't know, maybe it's the bromine. I wonder if seat covers or fabric replacement would make the smell go away.
Interesting. If you follow the link above and go into the details, it seems like the TCH has a lot of bromines off-gassing; bromines are used in flame-retardants. They are listed as being in the soft door trim and the front seats.
I googled "bromine smell" and found that the word bromine originates from another word (I think it was from French) that means "stench". Some descriptions said bromine smells like rotting vegetation, and originates from seaweed.
So, I don't know, maybe it's the bromine. I wonder if seat covers or fabric replacement would make the smell go away.
Time for Gas-X, local Wallgreens. lol
Green Guy
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 13
From: British Columbia
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
My wife is very sensitive to harmful odors. She has been bothered by the new car smell, but after almost 5,000 km she says it has dissipated significantly. With the Plasmacluster system on she doesn't smell anything, but will notice a slight odor when first getting in the car.
While I have a poor sense of smell and have never noticed any odor, I do get instant headaches from chemical vapors. I have never had a headache while driving in the TCH. We have cloth seats.
If we had an unresolvable odor after 18 months of driving, we would be forced to get rid of the car. Actually, I doubt my wife would tolerate it for more than six months.
While I have a poor sense of smell and have never noticed any odor, I do get instant headaches from chemical vapors. I have never had a headache while driving in the TCH. We have cloth seats.
If we had an unresolvable odor after 18 months of driving, we would be forced to get rid of the car. Actually, I doubt my wife would tolerate it for more than six months.
Pragmatist
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 490
From: South Florida
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
I have only had mine for a day, so of course it has a "new car" smell. ;-)
But, it seem to have less than I remember from previous new cars.
Perhaps they are just using plastics that have less volatile chemicals, so the plastics off-gas less quickly, and take longer (perhaps many months) to finish.
But, it seem to have less than I remember from previous new cars.
Perhaps they are just using plastics that have less volatile chemicals, so the plastics off-gas less quickly, and take longer (perhaps many months) to finish.
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,389
From: Mid Hudson Valley, New York
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
I have only had mine for a day, so of course it has a "new car" smell. ;-)
But, it seem to have less than I remember from previous new cars.
Perhaps they are just using plastics that have less volatile chemicals, so the plastics off-gas less quickly, and take longer (perhaps many months) to finish.
But, it seem to have less than I remember from previous new cars.
Perhaps they are just using plastics that have less volatile chemicals, so the plastics off-gas less quickly, and take longer (perhaps many months) to finish.
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 523
From: Ottawa, Canada
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
Mine had the "new car" smell for about a month to 6 weeks. After that, people stopped noticing it. I've now had it for almost 6 months, and there are no disturbing smells, no film on the windshield, or any other related problems (knock wood). My wife has a super-sensitive nose, and also has no complaints.
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 13
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
Everyone: thank you for the all the responses. I hope others can share their experiences... am really curious whether this is an issue with many TCH or just a few. In other words, is this "normal" for this car or is it particular to the car I happen to have. Now, to be fair, my wife doesn't really care. She can smell it a little but it doesn't seem to bother her. As I said, for me, it's more and more annoying.
Interestingly, our second car (new Accord Hybrid), has some "new car" smell, too. It has only about 1000 miles and I can tell you, in terms of the "smell", it is so much less intense than what I can smell in Camry. And, of course, we have driven our Camry for about 25,000 miles and year and half - so, really, it's not unreasonable to expect that all the "outgassing" should have finished by now...
Therein lies the question, i.e.: is what we are smelling:
1) continual effect of "outgassing"
2) a sign of a defect in our car
3) normal for TCH - and, simply, "unfortunate" for people who are more "smell" sensitive.
Interestingly, our second car (new Accord Hybrid), has some "new car" smell, too. It has only about 1000 miles and I can tell you, in terms of the "smell", it is so much less intense than what I can smell in Camry. And, of course, we have driven our Camry for about 25,000 miles and year and half - so, really, it's not unreasonable to expect that all the "outgassing" should have finished by now...
Therein lies the question, i.e.: is what we are smelling:
1) continual effect of "outgassing"
2) a sign of a defect in our car
3) normal for TCH - and, simply, "unfortunate" for people who are more "smell" sensitive.
Would you describe your odor as a chemical odor? Have you taken it to the dealer?
Super Moderator
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,261
From: NW Georgia
Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
CAH,
Do you realize that this thread is a YEAR old? You have also started THREE different threads that I know of on this board alone for your problem. Leave the one you have on the "General" forum there and kill the rest OK?
Do you realize that this thread is a YEAR old? You have also started THREE different threads that I know of on this board alone for your problem. Leave the one you have on the "General" forum there and kill the rest OK?
