Expert: Gary - 3/25/2008

Question
Hi Gary,

I have a similar problem as the person who posted "Solvent Smell" on 6/27/2006.  I was recently involved in an accident that required replacement of the right, rear passenger door and some kind of repair to the two panels around the door.  When I picked up my car I noticed a strong chemical smell, which the body shop informed me came from the sealant they used.  After a few weeks, I brought my car back to the shop and they told me that they would use a less odorous sealant.  As of today, the smell in the cabin subsided, but it is still fairly strong in the trunk.  My questions are:

1) What is causing this smell?  Is it the sealant?  Will this smell cause any long-term damage to my health?

2) Should this smell even be there?  Ideally, I would like my car in its pre-accident condition, but is this realistic?  

3) Should I follow the advice in the “Solvent Smell” post?

Thanks in advance.


Answer
Hi Louis,

1) As to what is causing the smell I'm not certain. It is probably from the paint material that was used during the repair procedure. I don't know what type of "sealant" that they may have used that would cause that strong of an odor. Concerning your health, if it was me I would avoid smelling the odor if possible if given the choice. Long term wise it's probably not concentrated enough to cause long-term damage but who really knows. That's like asking what causes cancer. No one truly knows everything that causes cancer.

2) The chemical smell can be avoided sometimes by using a body shop that has a baking paint booth. What this does is force drys the solvents from the paint. As far as pre-accident condition, In my opinion a car that has had substantial damage cannot be repair to pre-accident condition. Unfortunately that's part of the world we live in today.

3) Heat, air movement, and sunlight are the key ingredients to curing paint and solving your chemical smell. Point a box fan at the repair area and let it blow on it while you're not using the car. Try and park where the sun will be on it for the biggest portion of the day. Hopefully the odor will subside in a few days.

Gary