If you plan to sell your car or trade it in for a new one, you’re probably concerned with its resale value. You’re right to do so—used car values are plummeting this year.
Due to manufacturing and supply chain issues in the auto industry during the pandemic, we saw a surge in demand for more affordable vehicles. Now that prices are normalizing, though, you’re likely to get less for selling or trading in even near-new cars.
That said, you’ll want to do whatever you can to maintain or even enhance how much your car is worth. We’ve previously noted some things to avoid that can devalue your vehicle, including skipping oil changes, scratching paint jobs, and making modifications. Yet that’s not all you need to take into consideration.
Even lifestyle habits that are hard to let go of can significantly impact your car’s resale value. The most crucial of them is smoking. Here’s more on how it can devalue your car and what you can do about it.
How smoking devalues your car
The main reason smoking makes your car sell for less is because of how pervasive cigarette smoke is. It can cling to not just the upholstery but even hard-to-reach places like the insides of air conditioning systems. And it’s not just a smell that many buyers will dislike—it also poses health hazards via thirdhand smoke. Unlike secondhand smoke, which immediately endangers anyone near you when you light a stick, thirdhand smoke sticks to surfaces and can stay there for years.
Anyone who touches an affected area may absorb a cigarette’s various toxicants and carcinogens through their skin, and these compounds may be more harmful since they can chemically transform over time. That distinctive cigarette smell indicates the presence of thirdhand smoke residue, which is why CarBUYERUSA finds it can devalue your car by as much as $1500—and that’s only if you haven’t left any visual signs of damage through cigarette burns.
What you can do about it
Switch to alternative nicotine products
The first step to addressing smoking’s impact is to ensure your car isn’t exposed to any more of it. Though this can be your sign to kick the habit altogether, you can also just switch to using smokeless alternatives whenever you’re in the vehicle. Heated tobacco products are a good choice if you want something closer to the real thing. These devices heat cigarettes enough to give you something to inhale—but don’t actually burn them.
That means they only emit minimal odor, which is part of the reason why many former smokers switched to popular heated tobacco brands like IQOS. If you’re fully committed to preventing further thirdhand smoke buildup, though, nicotine pouches are a great smoke- and tobacco-free option. These only contain nicotine, flavorings, and food-grade fillers, meaning they’re entirely odorless. Brands like ZYN, VELO, On!, and Rogue also offer them in strengths ranging from 2mg to 35mg to match your current cigarette consumption.
Deep clean your car
Once you’re sure you won’t add even more cigarette residue to your car, rid it of existing odors. Don’t take a shortcut with this step—anything other than a deep clean, such as simply placing charcoal or fresh coffee grounds in your car, will only mask the smell for a short time. Remove any items or debris from the interior before washing the seats, mats, and windows with a mix of hot water and bleach. However, you can opt to use car care-specific products from Chemical Guys and Meguiar’s to achieve a better effect. These brands also offer air fresheners that you can attach to a car’s AC while it’s running, so they can circulate and clean the insides of the AC system and other places you can’t reach on your own.
Seek professional services
If you can still smell cigarettes after doing a deep clean, it’s time to call in the experts. Professional car-cleaning services can take further steps like steam cleaning the ceilings and replacing your AC filters. They may also use specialized equipment like ozone generators to rid your car of pervasive cigarette odors. Though this can be pricey, you’ll get your money’s worth once you’ve eliminated any possibilities of smoking devaluing your car’s resale value.
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