More about new car smells

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Tue 8 Jan 2002 11:07
More about new car smells - Rebecca
The December issue of AutoTechnology (I really should get out more) has an article all about 'The Nose Team' at Audi. It's their job to smell various interior components, material and the passenger space in the car as a whole, in an effort to improve the car's smell.

Bits of interior are heated in preserving jars (the kitchen kind) then smelt by the Nose Team who grade the smell from 1-6. No parts or materials can score more than 3 or they won't be used. Definition of grade 3 is 'clearly noticeable odour, but not yet annoying'.

Special mention is made of leather interiors and fittings - these are not to smell "fishy or caustic or cheap like belts and handbags from Morocco" the aim is the smell of "exclusive English furniture"

So now we know.

Strangely no mention of toxic fumes etc, but not a bad article all the same.

Rebecca
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Tue 8 Jan 2002 11:08
oops! - Rebecca
SMELLED, not smelt
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Tue 8 Jan 2002 15:05
Re: oops! - Honest John
That was the one thing that bothered me about the KIA Magentis V6. The plastic inside did stink.

HJ
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Tue 8 Jan 2002 19:59
Re: new car smells - steve paterson
A few years ago, when Mitsubishi's were Colts, we had a customer who complained of a petrol smell in his car in hot weather - It did pong as well. We did all the usual checks and eventually contacted Mitsubishi. To cut a long story short the entire fuel system was replaced, tank to carb inclusive - all under warranty. It still ponged of petrol so a couple of Mitsubishi engineers were sent to inspect the car. They concluded that the petroelum based plastics of the interior were causing the smell. They refused to renew the interior. I must say that of all the Colts we sold this was the only one with this problem. Maybe one 'smelly' bit of plastic caused all the trouble.
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Wed 9 Jan 2002 07:21
Re: new car smells - THe Growler
THe Japs must really suffer: my local Concorde Autostore stocks mainly Nipponese accessories and there are no less than 4 supermarket size ranks of car air freshener. Most smell rather like (what I imagine to be) the waiting room of a house of ill-repute in Yokohama.
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Wed 9 Jan 2002 13:09
Re: new car smells - Kevin

Hey ! I know that place.

It's not in Yokohama though, it's in Mukahari, between the station and the Messe.


Kevin...
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Wed 9 Jan 2002 17:19
Re: new car smells - THe Growler
Kev:

Don't you mean Motihari? That's the junction where you change from the Delhi-Calcutta line to go north to Nepal. Known in the barrack-rooms as Grotty-Hari.
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