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There are plenty of great things about buying a new car. You're the first person to own it, you get to settle into it, and you don't have to worry about what (if any) problems there are with the previous owner. But, if you ask anyone who's bought a new car what their favorite part is, chances are you'll get one off-beat response: the new car smell. Yes, that aroma that comes with every new car, be it a cheap commuter like a Nissan Versa or a true luxury cruiser like a BMW X5, that slowly fades away over time, to some dismay. You might know it by smell, but you may not know what goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. So, what is the science behind the new car scent?
New car smell may fade or dissipate at a higher or lower rate depending on the car and materials in it. Please consult the ingredients in different cleaning solutions and air fresheners to make sure that you are getting the closest available smell to a new car smell.
What Is New Car Smell?
Why Do New Cars Smell So Good?
Mitsubishi
New car smell is the scent typically associated with buying a new car. While there is no official name for it, it is what usually occurs when cars are brand new and sit in dealerships or showroom floors. The lack of use of the car often helps the smell stick around, and still having the smell can be a sign of keeping your car fresh and clean for longer. The scent has become ubiquitous with new cars and has become a mini-cultural phenomenon, with the idea of the smell signaling success by way of a brand-new car.
McLaren
Over time, the scent does fade. Part of the exclusivity and prowess that the smell provides is that it is temporary, and because of that, the lack of smell is usually one of the first indicators that your car has been broken in. The smell itself can and has been replicated; and we’ll get into how that works later on in the article. However, the pure original smell is only available in new cars. This is why, even if a used car is freshly detailed and cleaned up, you may get a clean car smell, but never the true new car odor.
Where Does New Car Smell Come From?
And How Do Manufacturers Create The New Car Smell?
Subaru
The science behind the new car smell is fascinating and boils down to a combination of chemicals used in car production, as well as the materials found in the interior of your car. First, there are the chemicals. When creating a new car, numerous synthetic materials are used throughout various parts of the interior. Parts of the car, like the dashboard and seats, which are often covered in materials like leather and plastics, need to be treated in order for them to look fresh and new, and because of that, the chemicals that come off them can help contribute to the new car smell. These are called volatile organic materials, or VOCs. They include such chemicals as xylene, styrene, and ethylbenzene, chemicals often found in treating plastic and leather. Over time, after these chemical compounds are applied to your car's interior, they start to leave the interior surface of the car and infiltrate the surrounding air. Because there is nowhere for these chemicals to go, given that, for the majority of new cars, the door is closed and there's little human interaction, they often stay in the air and permeate, making them smell even stronger. Despite how many times we've used the word chemicals, there is no need to fear - none of these are toxic to humans or animals.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
