Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

I have had a TCH for 18 months now. It almost has 25k miles.
And, it still has the type of "new car" smell that I really don't like.
Especially after the heating system has been used or after it sat in a sun for a while, the odor is rather intense.
I have tried a number of things, i.e. comprehensive vacuuming, airing it out ( a lot), putting a in a charcoal activated cabin filter, etc.
but, the smell is still there and if anything, it seems to me to be more intense that it used to be. well, maybe I am imagining that it's more because it is starting to annoy me quite a bit more.

I figured that if it was just "outgassing", it would markedly diminish by now. But, who knows, maybe it's something different that is causing it. So:

what is your experience with your TCH "smell" after you have driven it for a few k miles: does it have an annoying/different kind of smell than other cars you drive? do you have any thoughts/advice?

i would appreciate any feedback you could share and if you could indicate if your car has cloth or leather seats.

Thank you, guys. btw, am really liking the car. that "smell" though...

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

I have washed my car a number times both on the inside and out. This includes the carpet and leather. I am not sure if that matters in the elimination of outgassing but mine has no "new car" smell at this point. The only smell I have is the musty smell from the AC/heat or the amazing ability of the TCH to suck in exhaust from the car in front of me (that really pisses me off).

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

When the heater and fan is on, the vent should also be open. That should clear out any smell once you're out on the streets. It's best to keep the re-circulate off (vent on) when on heat. This helps keep the windows from sweating and distributes the heat better.

In my city, the only time I smell exhaust is when i'm behind a diesel truck. If I see a truck a ahead of me I press the vent button to re-circulate. Once the truck turns off or I get ahead I go back to vent usually with the heater on low fan. During the summer I run the AC on re-circulate, so no problems there.

The cabin air intake on most vehicles is just under the windshield wipers. The engine compartment is sealed off by the firewall and a rubber seal that goes against the hood. They put the air intake high like that to keep it above the exhaust level. I can remember back in the 50's when pontiac and some others had cabin fresh air intakes just above the headlights. (croke) Air conditioners were rare back then and most simply used the vents and side vent windows.

I read where some TCH owners had that musty smell from the AC. That can be helped by running the fan on full speed with the re-circulate off for about a minute. This should clear out any collected moisture in the AC.

There is a AC water drain hole or tube under the car. If the car has an after market undercoat, that could easily stop up the AC drain.

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

Yeah, the exhaust thing is killing me. It seems that if I am behind any type of vehicle I am fumigated. It seems like the air is being pulled in through the engine intake in my car!

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

My toddlers say "are we taking the smelly car today?"
Got mine in May '06 and they still hate the smell.
But they like the smell in Grandpa's new car.

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

Have you had your car checked out by the dealer.

I forgot to mention that on humid days in heavy city traffic the odors would naturally be worse. When needed, I keep my heater on low and use the floor outlets. If it's a average day and not very cold I turn on the dash vents to stay comfortable.

I live in a small town of 35,000. I occasionally drive up behind or next to a diesel pickup. Then I get the diesel odor when sitting at a red light.

I had this same problem with the other cars I have owned, GM, Ford and Toyota. I don't think the AC filter in the TCM is capable of filtering out the outside exhaust odors. Any other odor problems, the dealer will have to check that out.

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

I have a check scheduled for my next service.

I cannot see how so much exhaust can get in through the intake by the wipers.

Also, if the cabin air intake is separate from the engine intake (as it should be), why in gods name is there an active charcoal filter on the engine intake? Why does the engine care? Are they simply trying to further reduce fine particulates from entering the system? If so, I wounder how hard hit the horsepower is due to the restricted intake.

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

I'm thinking if your smelling exhaust, diesel or gas you should be having headaches. Diesel for sure will cause a headache.

The engine is engineered as a package for high gas mileage and lowest emissions. If you cleared the engines air intake then the engine might run lean. That would depend on the computers ability to richen the mixture to match the extra air in the intake. The idea is that this this car is close to zero emissions.

I did find this pdf from toyota on the active charcoal filter for the gas tank. I see it connects to the injector air intake to dispose of any gasoline vapors from the tank. Another I read mentions the charcoal filter can rid the cabin of dust, fumes and etc. I don't think toyota used that method on this car. I guess their used for separate purposes. Looks like the TCH uses the plasma method to clean the air for the cabin.

I have a friend thats a toyota tech and is certified for hybrids. I will stop by next week and ask about your problem. I'm wondering if Peter's car has a different odor than what your experiencing.

Re: Does your TCH have a "smell"?
 

Thanks Jimmy. It very well could just be the dense air in Poughkeepsie, NY and the close "city" driving. Ultimately I don't mind keeping in on recirc as I do air out the car once a week to get a nice air exchange (blower on full and two windows open a bit). The problem is I don't notice AUTO turned the recirc off until I smell horrible exhaust.

I don't leave it around long enough for headaches, I do have a high tolerance for that kind of thing.

I will do some tests to see if I get the exhaust smell when I am the only car around.

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.