sonia's flingo on new cars
This morning, I woke up bright and early so that I could take in the beauty of a summer morning in Los Angeles.
That's a lie. You couldn't get me out of bed at 7:30 am just for beauty. But I will get up for the beauty of my atomic blue Honda Civic coupe.
I picked up my car from the body shop this morning after getting some repairs for a minor fender bender(I'm a good driver, I swear. He hit me.) When I got in the driver's seat, I was pleased to see that in addition to fixing the dents, the shop had washed, waxed, and vacuumed my car. But one thing did not please me. Go on, ask-what could I possibly be unhappy about, when my car is like new?
That new car smell.
So I know that alot of people really like "that new car smell," enough to go buy a spray bottle of it. But the truth of the matter is that the new car smell is far from good.
That smell that we crave is actually the result of certain chemicals found in the vinyls, paints, and plastics in the passenger compartment of a new car. The fumes that are released from these materials can cause headaches, nausea, even dizziness and sore throats. Apparently, these same compounds have been found in new buildings as well as new cars, so if you've ever felt sick in a new office building, it was probably more than a case of the mondays.
Many researchers have discussed the carcinogenic properties of these chemicals as well. I know, I know, everything causes cancer these days. But this is something that we can potentially avoid, by trying to use different materials or at least just airing out our cars.
Japanese automakers have been attempting in the past two years to cut down on the use of these toxins, and they have succeeded, at least marginally. By implementing better standards for their cars, they may be able to prevent an unneccessary tumor or two.
So next time you buy a car, revel in the beauty of a crisp morning by rolling down your car windows.
You can revel in the car too, just don't sniff it.
This morning, I woke up bright and early so that I could take in the beauty of a summer morning in Los Angeles.
That's a lie. You couldn't get me out of bed at 7:30 am just for beauty. But I will get up for the beauty of my atomic blue Honda Civic coupe.
I picked up my car from the body shop this morning after getting some repairs for a minor fender bender(I'm a good driver, I swear. He hit me.) When I got in the driver's seat, I was pleased to see that in addition to fixing the dents, the shop had washed, waxed, and vacuumed my car. But one thing did not please me. Go on, ask-what could I possibly be unhappy about, when my car is like new?
That new car smell.
So I know that alot of people really like "that new car smell," enough to go buy a spray bottle of it. But the truth of the matter is that the new car smell is far from good.
That smell that we crave is actually the result of certain chemicals found in the vinyls, paints, and plastics in the passenger compartment of a new car. The fumes that are released from these materials can cause headaches, nausea, even dizziness and sore throats. Apparently, these same compounds have been found in new buildings as well as new cars, so if you've ever felt sick in a new office building, it was probably more than a case of the mondays.
Many researchers have discussed the carcinogenic properties of these chemicals as well. I know, I know, everything causes cancer these days. But this is something that we can potentially avoid, by trying to use different materials or at least just airing out our cars.
Japanese automakers have been attempting in the past two years to cut down on the use of these toxins, and they have succeeded, at least marginally. By implementing better standards for their cars, they may be able to prevent an unneccessary tumor or two.
So next time you buy a car, revel in the beauty of a crisp morning by rolling down your car windows.
You can revel in the car too, just don't sniff it.
Labels: car smell
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