I work with a guy that has just leased a new Dodge Ram 1500 a few months ago. It is a nice ride and has great power for a v-6. I am not a pickup truck guy but I have to admit I like it for what it is.
Anyhow, this guy smokes like a guy that’s about to go the electric chair and he smokes in all his vehicles. Its his choice and more power to him but myself and another guy were looking at his new truck and it dawned on us when he turns the truck in at the end of the lease it will probably smell of smoke. We mentioned this to him and he said hes leased many years ago (I assume in the 80’s or 90’s) and it wasn’t an issue.
I find it hard to believe that will fly in 2016 (or 2019 when it goes back). He already has his mind made up and again more power to him but I cant help but wonder what will happen turn in time.
Do they charge a “cleaning fee”? Charge for diminished value? Or does it really not matter?
I have an overly sensitive sense of smell and I can tell when a vehicle has been smoked in even once. One of our trucks at work went out of town to have the lift repaired under warranty and the dealer drove it back once it was fixed towing a vehicle behind it to return to the shop. As soon as i got in the truck I could tell it had been smoked in, it quickly went away but I picked up on it and others could not.
Surely it will be an issue at lease end.
Ive turned in a lease but it was perfect except for all of the bodywork that had been done (it was done at the dealer but its only new once). I had no issues.
Some leases may have a non-smoking clause. Many newer cars have no ashtrays and smoking may then be considered a fire hazard. I see numerous smokers tossing their still lit cigarette buts out of car windows. This has caused some major forest fires already.
I’m amazed at how successful the anti tobacco crusade has been. Fifty years ago it was perfectly acceptable to smoke in hospital rooms, on 727s at 35,000 feet and subways under the streets yet today smokers are virtual lepers. I’m glad I quit smoking when cigarettes were <$2 a pack and have a great deal of empathy for those currently addicted.
Despite the drastic reduction in the number of smokers I see thousands of filter butts at some street intersections and it looks trashy but there isn’t much concern for discarded cigarettes causing a fire in this part of the country.
And contrary to many ex smokers the smell of cigarette smoke seems pleasant to me unless it’s so thick I can’t find the door knob to get out of the room.
It’s all about the lease. I suspect there is a clause that imposes a fee for smoking in the vehicle, but no one will know unless they read the lease. You can wait until the lease is up and listen for his complaints if they charge him.
I don’t smoke, but if I did, I wouldn’t want to be penalized for smoking in a vehicle that I leased. I have never leases a vehicle. For one thing, I don’t want to be told what I can and can’t do in the vehicle. A friend of mine leased a Nissan Pathfinder. He drove it carefully, maintained it well and didn’t exceed the mileage limit. Yet, he was charged for worn tires.
“And contrary to many ex smokers the smell of cigarette smoke seems pleasant to me unless it’s so thick I can’t find the door knob to get out of the room.”
You reminded me of a nagging question I’ve had since Oregon banned smoking within 10 feet of commercial and government doorways. Is smoking banned within 10 feet of the entrance to a hookah lounge?
I’ve certainly bought used cars from smokers, and getting the stink out is pretty much endless. You think you’ve done a good job and one humid day it stinks anyway. The yellow glop that comes up on the rags when you wipe down the surfaces is really surprising. I used to smoke (quit 1989) and I certainly wish I hadn’t.
There’s no smoking allowed inside in public places in California, and people have to stay 25 feet away from doors and windows when they are outside, around here. No smoking in parks, playgrounds, stadiums, etc.
Except you can smoke “medical” marijuana in those outdoor venues and parks. Go figure.
I have a colleague who’s a chain smoker . . . at least 2 packs a day
Anyways, every vehicle he ever sits in reeks, because even if he’s not actually smoking inside the vehicle, the stench is on his clothing, and it transfers to the vehicle
Actually, he’s been out for several weeks, because he had a heart attack
He’s a smart guy and always willing to help, so I hope he quits, for his own good
My grandmother smoked her entire life, and the headliners of her cars were always yellowed, as was already mentioned
[quote=“wentwest, post:9, topic:95313”]
“I used to smoke (quit 1989) and I certainly wish I hadn’t.”
[/quote]That statement could be taken two ways. I think and hope you wish you hadn’t started smoking. I wish I hadn’t started. 48 years now. When I’m asked if It’s really that hard to quit I answer “No. I’ve quit dozens of times”. All local school grounds and most city parks ban smoking. I understand this with the slobs throwing butts on the ground. I would never do that. The parks also ban E-cigarettes. I don’t get that as they have no butts. Last time I was in Hawaii they banned smoking within 50 feet of doors or windows.
I quit smoking almost 40 years ago and I’m glad I did. Neither of my kids grew up considering smoking as being a normal part of adulthood, and neither smokes.
And you raise a good question about smoking and leased vehicles. However, it’s his problem and his problem only. Were he to write to us, I’d probably make a suggestion, which he’d probably ignore, but he didn’t.
I once bough a low mileage car from a smoker. Luckily the seats were still covered with transparent vinyl, so I removed those. The rest of the car took some time; it took a lot of Bounce towels under the seats to neutralize the stink. Parked it in the garage with the windows down for 3 months.
My wife and I quit smoking New Years Eve 1969, cigarettes were 75 cents a pack then, I believe.
Good point. I’m glad I quit and I wish I had never started. Nicotine addiction is like alcohol addiction, and the only way to quit is to quit, over and over again every 5 minutes, for as long as it takes. Which might be the rest of your life. You just can’t ever take a puff or a snort or a vape. Ever. For me it’s been 27 years and I’m completely afraid of tobacco in all its forms because I know how fast I can slip back into addiction.
A carton of Camels or Luckies was $1.79 in Washington DC in 1963. 10 packs! They got me, and held me hostage for more than 25 years.
@sgtrock21, you have my sympathy and support. You don’t have to quit for the rest of your life, just for 5 minutes, over and over until you get good at it.
I think some people can and some can’t, genetics or whatever. Dad is 86, survived 3 heart attacks (runs in the family), has dementia but is physically healthy. Mom is 72, other than some polyps in her colon hasn’t been sick a day in her life. Both have smoked since their early teens.
Grandpa died of lung disease, and was so forgetful in his latter days he would have a cigarette going in the living room, a lit cigar sitting in the dining room, and be standing in the kitchen lighting his pipe.
I had 2 relatives who died before their time from smoking. Statistically smoking is a killer. In a ludicrous court argument, a representative of the tobacco companies argued that smokers cost the government less overall because they drew social security for a shorter period!!!
