zoyajo

We have a very strong odor in our ES~much more than a new car smell~it's more chemical it seems~tough to describe, but makes our eyes burn and hurts our throats. Any one else have that problem?

psp

Better report it to the EPA or some other government agency. Maybe we can have a class action suit? Just kidding.

Have you checked under the seats to make sure there are no surprises? Ever hear the one about the dead fish under the seat? Have you test driven another ES and had the same issue or is this specific to yours? You might also consult an industrial hygienist or chemist to determine what class of compounds might be causing this reaction. If the car is making you sick complain but you need determine if it is all ES350's or just yours. Better yet, get an LS600h Exec!

350Dave

I thought my 350ES had a stronger than normal 'new car' smell than my other new Lexii, and it also dissipated faster (under 6 weeks), and I barely noticed any new car smell.

ES350Bob

There are so many chemicals outgassing in a new car or other things like putting new carpet in the house or painting. Fresh air for a few weeks if not longer would be good, so be sure you have AC set to fresh air rather than recirc for a while.

Also you may want to change the AC filter often for the first year. Like after 2 weeks of first owning in summer months, then once once a month from then on.

I'd say for the first 6 months always open windows when starting car for the day or after being in the sun for an hour or so, leave them open for first few blocks.

Lastly, if it is really a bad odor you may have something near the fresh air intake at/under back of hood, so look there with hood up to see if any debris is there like tree leaves etc., and if it continues ask dealer to be sure your condensate line is not plugged or clogged.

gnm313

If it is making your eyes burn, something is wrong. That is not normal

mmrfr

My Es stinks too but not in a literal way!!!!Just tranny flare, cheap paint,sorry xm reception, wind noise etc.

15951

The AC filter isn't nearly good enough to trap chemical odors (as evidenced by what he's smelling), and it definitely doesn't need to be changed 12+ times the first year you own your car!!!

If there is a chemical/solvent odor, then it might be from a cleaning product they used to remove a stain, etc. during prep. I would leave the windows down for awhile and give it a chance to dissipate.

zoyajo

Thank you all so very much for the advice~we actually have the Lexus dealership involved in trying to figure out this strong chemical odor. We did smell the same thing in the ES350 that was in the showroom yesterday. The problem is that no one there is affected by the smell like we are. To them it's just a new car smell~think they've been in there too long.......Again, thanks for the replies.

osokuko

If you smelled the same odor in the other ES at the dealership it could be the leather treatment used at the factory. I had the same but after leaving the windows down in the garage at night the smell from the black leather went away in a few weeks. Actually I kind of liked it. Oh yes and the first few weeks using the AC left a odor like mildew but that went away too.

ES350Bob

zoy...

Since the same was at showroom one, just park your car in direct sun for a couple of hours a day with all windows up, then before entering use key fob to open all windows for a few minutes to air it out before getting in to drive.

Try that for a week or maybe a couple of weeks and it should lessen your reactions over time as heating the interior accelerates the process of wearing down the new car smells. Also as well using fresh air intake rather than recirc will lessen it.

Many people are sensitive, and some more so than others, to the volatiles coming off all the new material in a new car.

P.S. I'm not an environmental chemist,
but have stayed at a Holiday In Express and love the Science Channel.