So the previous owner must have been a smoker. Anyone have success using any products to kill/reduce the nasty smell?

 

We use a combination of Auto Odor Eliminator in the vents, upholstery cleaner in the seats and carpets accompanied by an evening with an ionizer. You'll have an ozone smell for a day or two but it beats ashtray.

 

uhhh.....So to get it done well I should take it somewhere? Sorry to ask, but who are we?

 

Sorry about that, I work at a used volvo shop and that's how we do it. If you know any health nuts that have a little ionizer (looks like a small box with a fan in the front and some lights) see if you can borrow it for a few days, leave it in the car with the windows rolled up and the fan on at night.
you can get foaming aerosol carpet and upholstery cleaners at any large auto parts store for cleaning the tar/nicotine off the seats and doors. I'm sure someone sells odor eliminating sprays for the vents retail I just wouldn't know the name of it .

 

Cool, thanks for the advice. I'll try to round up some stuff this weekend.

 

I'd like to second the recommendation for the ionizer. I bought an ozone generator a couple of years ago to help eliminate dog odor from our home and will fire it up every six months or so. I've also used it a couple of times in our vehicles. They're readily available from tool rental places but I bought mine for around $300. Units that are significantly less expensive will not give your the concentration necessary for through/effective odor removal.

These are commonly used to eliminate smoke odors in hotel rooms, post-fire cleanup, or general odor elimination and disinfectation and their performance is nothing less than amazing. However, I have been careful not to use it too often, as I'm unsure of the long-term ramifications of ozone/oxidation on the polymers in rubber hoses and wiring.