There’s an odd smell I’ve got a whiff of a few times it fills the cabin and disappears quite fast like screen wash does.
This doesn’t smell like oil or hot plastic and could be the cold brakes suddenly warming up or maybe the regenerator that works from braking I’ve also read that the brakes dry themselves somehow so it could be that.
Just checking if anyone has had anything similar or any suggestions.
Still running in though the car is still faster than the speed limits so using it as a daily driver is quite comfortable. Passed some milestones today including leaving the car in a supermarket car park, used the boot and the stop/start working in Friday rush hour traffic leading to the first night drive too as it was nearly a hour to cover the last 5 miles home. Noticed that the compact size is handy in the city and people like MX-5s so it doesn’t get bullied like some small cars.
Yep… brakes, clutch, plastic, coolant, screenwash, oil, exhaust, catalytic convertor etc etc all “smell” when brand new. It’ll wear off in a few hundred miles or so. Mine’s the same.
Hadn’t thought of the cat. The persistent rain has stopped my getting under the bonnet to investigate individual smells. It also means the blower is on constantly high to drag them in.
It’ll be a ‘VOC’ issue I’m quite sure. What people often assign to the ‘new car smell’ is those compounds being given off. Same in a house with new carpets etc.
Quite normal, and it will pass with time. Also at this time of year, with HVAC use as you say, it’s likely that it’s more noticeable and the car has had less time to ‘air’ naturally. Drop the roof for example in that slow 5 miles home and see how it compares
I’m looking forward to having the roof open probably second week of August for an hour.
Until then I have air fresheners stuffed everywhere in the cabin Yves Saint La Tarts Boudoir.
A 12 mile trip yesterday in the rain to pick up some fittings that were placed in the boot. When I got home I had to reach into the boot to pick up the box and got the strong whiff I was trying to describe.
It appears to be exhaust fumes in the boot. Quite strong and pungent. Next step is to find if the cause is back box or tailpipe but in the meantime, has anyone heard of this happening before?
Are you sure it’s not petrol?
Lots of pipework from filler to tank; if any of several pipe-clamps is not done up tight and it’s had a recent full-to-the-brim, you might smell it.
Exhaust fumes then.
Below the rear light clusters are some exit vents for cabin air.
Normally these are sealed by rubber flaps on the outside, unless opened by cabin air pressure. Look up behind the bumper, and you’ll see the little boxy bits poking through, and hopefully with the dangly flap closed.
If the Climate Control is set on recirculate AND the windows are shut AND the flaps are stuck open or missing AND there is a hole in the exhaust somewhere before the outlets, then it is possible the exhaust fumes might penetrate.
Definitely exhaust in the boot but not smoky enough to be a constant leak IMO as the last couple of times have been on very very wet days, after a good motorway run then transition to a stop got a whiff in the cabin and dual carriageway to home. Then I can’t rule out hot exhaust and steam rising to the vents you mention. I also need to work out if it’s getting through the bow somehow.
Before going to the dealer I may just use washing up liquid on the joint into the back box and centre joints to check for bubbles and smells inside the car.
The heater controls have been set on windscreen and pedals, 22degrees and blower on two since day one and apart from turning the blower up to max to clear steamed windows a couple of times that’s the default.
My BMW had boot vents behind the wheel arches not only allowing brake fumes in but rainwater into the wells unfortunately that’s where the electronics for the parking sensors live so needed constant drying out.
My Under Cover Aerodynamic Performance may be to be blame. Or in other words transitioning from 60mph to a stop the hot exhaust air is suddenly trapped and rises, somehow getting in to the car.
So between my stealth undercarriage and the dangly flaps I’m getting the dutch oven effect.
Found the smoking gun as it were. A quarter mile dual carriageway, a torrential downpour and straight into a supermarket car park, my favourite spot under a flyover in the back corner. Went to get the bags for life from the boot and saw the pipes steaming away moisture and a slight shotgun effect of the last of the exhaust gas rising lazily and disappearing back under the car. I would say that it’s just physics and not anything serious. Will sort out the flaps on the next sunny day.
It’s probably the whole of the new exhaust system that’s burning off. Remember back in the days when we’d go through exhaust systems every two three years on car (if you kept them that long) oh the smell of burning protective silver paint as you got about 2 miles down the road. I’ve had the original systems on cars still look newish 10 years on these days, they are much better, made to last. The back box on the ND looks like it was fitted a couple of months ago, it’s 11 years old this year.
You can see where spray from the wheel is hitting the pipe and box so added to the actual venting off from coatings it’s all rising up.
My Vectra exhaust and entire underside were still like new after 13 years however I had to weld new exhaust hangers on as they’d been made from mild steel and were all rotted. My first car a 180B was bought with a rotted exhaust, I was runnng with just half a down pipe for months. Sweet music to a 17 year old!
The standard ND back boxes are made from stainless steel which surprised me. My 2010 diesel Focus Estate that I bought new is still on its original exhaust after 130,000 miles. Ford seem to design window winding systems and gearboxes that are long lived. Perhaps Mazda should have learnt from them.
