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Ford Patents a Way To Remove 'New Car Smell' (freep.com)

Ford has filed a patent for a method of eliminating the new car smell after a vehicle has been purchased. In the U.S., "new car smell" is beloved, but in China, customers find the odor disgusting. From a report: While the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hasn't issued a ruling on the "vehicle odor remediation" patent application, and Ford hasn't committed to moving forward with the project, the paperwork explains what creates the odor so many Americans like: That new car smell is caused by volatile organic compounds given off by leather, plastic and vinyl. Chemicals used to attach and seal car parts may also contribute to the odor. People notice odors when compounds are released, which occurs when a car sits in high temperatures.

Ford scientists describe baking the car until the odor disappears, which happens after compounds are released. The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on.The system includes special software and various air quality sensors, and works only when fitted to a driverless or semi-autonomous vehicle. A lot of technology is involved in the patent application. The car would determine whether conditions are right to expel compounds, and the car would drive itself to a place in the sun and bake away the offensive odor.

79 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. Alternate solution by stealth_finger · · Score: 3, Funny

    Pay a couple of big fat sweaty people to sit in it farting and burping for a couple hours.

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    1. Re:Alternate solution by quenda · · Score: 2

      Pay a couple of big fat sweaty people to sit in it farting and burping for a couple hours.

      I believe the Chinese solution traditionally involves fish heads, but durian fruit imported form SE Asia is becoming more popular.

    2. Re:Alternate solution by bettodavis · · Score: 1

      Another alternate solution: rent it as Uber cab for a couple of days.

      After that you'll want to thoroughly disinfect it with bleach.

  2. Also, by sheramil · · Score: 1

    That new car smell is caused by volatile organic compounds given off by leather, plastic and vinyl. Chemicals used to attach and seal car parts may also contribute to the odor.

    It's also given off by the plastic dashboard, which was injection-molded but the tool was so insanely complex that they kept getting pale creases and they used that boot polish that comes in a bottle with a foam applicator to paint the creases out.

    ... not that I'd know.

  3. People like the smell? by djinn6 · · Score: 1

    I've not heard of anyone who likes it, though it's not a topic that comes up very often and there are some who like the smell of paint thinners and acetone.

    1. Re:People like the smell? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      I've not heard of anyone who likes it

      You must hang out with an incredibly like-minded group. The new car smell is something that generally polarises people. There are plenty of people out there who like it. Myself included. That said it can't be good for you.

    2. Re:People like the smell? by LostMonk · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People like the associations the smell invokes - an exciting new addition/change in your life that you're going to enjoy - not the odor itself. Same as enjoying the mixture of paint thinner + cleaning detergents + plaster + wood shavings + wet cardboard ... it all combines into "new house smell".

    3. Re:People like the smell? by markdavis · · Score: 2

      >"People like the associations the smell invokes "

      That might be true, but not true as an absolute generality. Some people, myself included, just like the smell, itself. And it varies wildly. For example, from the parent post- I like the smell of paint thinner, but hate the smell of acetone. I have to assume that some of it has to do with genetics and not associations.

    4. Re:People like the smell? by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      My thought was why would they want to get rid of the new car scent apparently enough people like it that febreze makes it as an air freshener.

      https://www.febreze.com/en-us/...

    5. Re:People like the smell? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I also don't know anyone who likes it.

      But I remember a story, probably actually on /., a decade ago: the smell is put into the cars deliberately. There are companies that tried to "optimize" the "new car smell".

      Unfortunately the only car that I bought new had the smell still after 10 years ... unbelievable, I really hated it.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re:People like the smell? by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 1

      I've not heard of anyone who likes it, though it's not a topic that comes up very often and there are some who like the smell of paint thinners and acetone.

      don't forget gasoline as well. And nitro methane. Man I used to love the smell of those. Gas smelled better when it was leaded in my opinion, but cox fuel smells awesome lol. I do kind of like the smell of acetone as well. And some pain thinners too. Not in the "i'm gunna huff these things" kind of way but when I fuel up or have to paint or clean paint kind of way :)

    7. Re:People like the smell? by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      Yeah it is like the smell new PCBs have... opening the antistatic bag on a motherboard or video card is more exciting than it probably ought to be!

    8. Re:People like the smell? by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Funny

      I like the smell of new tires, shoes, and...may favorite, a freshly cracked can of tennis balls.

      I must have been a dog in a past life.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    9. Re:People like the smell? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      I must have been a dog in a past life.

      In a past life? Yeah right. You can't fool me!

  4. Smells are additive. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And you're a voter. (An alias for "complete moron".)

  5. Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Viol8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    .... that don't require volatile organics in their manufacture. Perhaps this current fashion for glueing everything could be reverted back to rivets and bolts for a start. And there are plenty of plastics that don't release volatile compounds for months after they're purchased - eg you wouldn't be too happy if your food smelt like a chemical plant after you took it out the packaging.

    1. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      I have the perfect car for you
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    2. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by Cyberax · · Score: 1

      Hey! UAZ is a monster car. It works even if mistreated horribly and usually can be repaired in the field.

    3. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Sure, but it's going to be more expensive. You won't pay. They don't even put spare tires in cars any more because it increases the price and the weight decreases the gas mileage. You want cheap, cheap, cheap and don't care what materials are. You use phones made with slave labor because they're cheaper for fucks sake.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    4. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      They don't put spares in cars any more because they use up trunk space and that's a competitive point. They still put spares on pickup trucks because they can be stored beneath.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re: Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      They only put a donut under the bed of my Ford pickup.

      A spacesaver spare is still a spare, albeit a shit one. Sorry to hear about your Ford, though.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      But then they would have to have different manufacturing for China, re-test it all for durability and long life etc. They know how those materials perform over 20 years and in all sorts of conditions from desert to sub-arctic.

      It's probably easier just to treat the car to get rid of the smell.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      They don't put spares in cars any more because ...
      In some countries they can get away with it ... in others they don't.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    8. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      They don't put spares in cars any more because they use up trunk space and that's a competitive point. They still put spares on pickup trucks because they can be stored beneath.

      Actually most cars still have a well for a full-sized spare, the manufacturers just cheap out for aforementioned reasons.

      My boss was just telling us about a Malibu he used to own - had a flat, and when he went to change it, in the well where the spare should have been Chevy installed a 12v air compressor and a bottle of that green goo shit that never works... but no spare.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    9. Re:Perhaps time to investigate other materials... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      My boss was just telling us about a Malibu he used to own - had a flat, and when he went to change it, in the well where the spare should have been Chevy installed a 12v air compressor and a bottle of that green goo shit that never works... but no spare.

      It costs money to redesign that well, so some vehicles are getting the goo and compressor before they get the well taken away to improve trunk volume. As they buy less spacesavers, they get a worse price on them...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  6. Why Ford? by mentil · · Score: 1

    If I wanted to sit in a hot car for a few hours and get baked until the smell goes away, I'd buy a Volkswagen.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  7. Re:Explain to me please by Viol8 · · Score: 4, Funny

    When you've grown up and mummy doesn't drive you everywhere and you have to get yourself to places that don't have public transport or nice men driving Ubers (yes, they're cars too), perhaps you'll understand.

  8. What In The Fuck by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    How can you patent parking a car in the sun and leaving the windows open?

    1. Re:What In The Fuck by Rei · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Welcome to Ford. Marketing slogan: The future is built.

      Apparently "the future" means that Ford will leave your car idling in the sun while they sell off data about where you live and work to the highest bidder.

      On the upside: one good recession and Ford will go bankrupt. They're barely hanging on as it is. Which is why they're getting so desperate with extra revenue streams, like that "selling your personal data" idea. That said, I'm sure the Ford brand will still live on; it has plenty of fans. Whoever buys them will probably just keep the lines running largely as they were before, after ditching Ford's accrued debt.

      --
      You people make me envy the deaf and the blind!
    2. Re: What In The Fuck by MemeRot · · Score: 1

      They patent the computer system that parks it there and monitors the gases

    3. Re: What In The Fuck by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      fucked on race day

      FTFY

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    4. Re: What In The Fuck by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      Fucked On Recent Deal

      The question is, can Ford remove the bullshit smell from their decision to harvest and sell data from their customers?

  9. Obligatory "Christine" quote by uncle+slacky · · Score: 1

    "Ain't nothin' better than a new car smell...'cept maybe for pussy"

    --
    Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it.
  10. Re:Explain to me please by Calydor · · Score: 1

    Because I don't live in a city, and the nearest place to buy groceries is about 10 km away.

    --
    -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  11. I hate those christmas tree air fresheners by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The ones that people dangle from their rear view mirrors.

    To me they're the odor equivalent of scraping your fingernails across a chalk board.

    (Of course these days everyone has whiteboards and nobody knows anymore what a chalkboard is or what scraping your fingernails across them sounds like.)

    And it's easy to get rid of that aroma, just throw the damn things out.

  12. Re:Wrong patent application linked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Correct link to patent application: VEHICLE ODOR REMEDIATION

  13. Re:Explain to me please by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    why you think you need a car?

    So you're not trapped within a ~five mile radius of where you live.

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
  14. It's cultural by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Americans love the smell because they associate it with getting a brand new car. This is a big deal in car culture.

    Chinese hate the smell because it represents chemical contamination, something they know all too well. In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of six months or so when they leave it vacant. They have to let all the materials outgas before they can live there.

    So it's the different culture in China where every product is toxic and any off smell means you're being poisoned. Even if you buy from a reputable company there's always some middle manager somewhere who is going to substitute inferior materials for the quality materials her factory paid for and pocket the difference.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re:It's cultural by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      Actually the smell is associated with stuff that is cheap.

      People who can afford a Ford in China can also afford better furniture. The current fashion is for heavy, solid wood stuff. Incredibly uncomfortable but then again many of them slept on blankets as kids. And of course wood, even treated wood, smells different to plastic.

      The west isn't so different really. People are okay with the new car smell in more affordable motors, but when they buy an expensive one they expect better materials too. One of the most common complaints about car interiors is too much plastic, or too cheap plastic when softer touch synthetic materials would be preferred.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1, Redundant

      Americans love the smell because they associate it with getting a brand new car. This is a big deal in car culture.

      Exactly. The olfactory nerves are directly wired into the brain. And smell memory is maybe the most potent memory there is. New car smell instantly makes me happy. The smell of crayons takes me back to pre-school. The shore smell relaxes me. That's the good side of olfactory memory.

      Chinese hate the smell because it represents chemical contamination, something they know all too well.

      And we have the bad side. Many concentration camp victims would freak at the smell of chlorinated bleach. And some of the plastics and synthetic rubber coming from China has a distinct naptha smell which would fit within your analysis of their hate of chemical smells. Some others have what I think is estrogen mimics all through them.

      Anyhow - very insightful post.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    3. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Actually the smell is associated with stuff that is cheap.

      I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what he wrote. olfactory memory is one of the most potent sorts of memory. Probably evolved to keep us from eating tainted or rotten food.

      There are some Chinese products that I have a visceral and immediate negative reaction to. I'm pretty certain it is an estrogen mimic in some of their plastics, although I've never analyzed it. Smell is powerful, and I think for many people mysterious.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:It's cultural by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Careful, that's sounding dangerously close to the great soy boy panic of 2018...

      Close enough.

      THere is a strange sort of denial that I have seen among some people regarding the existence of the Estrogen mimics - usually to ridicule anyone who dares to broach the subject, in the dmanner that some folks might ridicule anti-Vaxxers.

      Yet theere is absolutely no scientific denial that Estrogen mimics and phytoestrogens have an effect upon humans.

      Precocious puberty in females caused by excessive estrogen/estropgen mimics causes health problem in women, and bynecomastia in men is also caused by messed up estrogen to androgen ratio.

      Atrazine, BPA, DDT, Dioxin, Endosulfan, PolyBrominated biphenols, Polyclorinated biphenyls, phthalates, Zeranol, 4-MBC in Suntan lotions, BHA food preservative, FD&C red No 3, Increased consumption of soy and phytostrogenic food.

      While a definitive proof that this overdosing of estrogen mimic and endocrine disrupters are not part of the worrying drops in testosterone production in men, there is a political reason to deny it, and smacks of tobacco industry denial of tobacco's carcinogenic effects Now given that purposely giving a male estrogen is considered an important and necessary part of transitioning from a male to appearance of a female, it is going to take a real interesting tack to pretend that phytoestrogens and endocrine disrupters have no effect on the male of the species.

      I know a few folks who accept that the effect is real, but are actually pleased with that. But they seem to gloss over that while men's health issues are of no concern to them - they forget that females are harmed by this as well.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  15. Or simply... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...park the car in the sun with the windows slightly open, and the engine and heating on. Why make life more complicated than that? Oh BTW, yes. The chemical smell of new cars is disgusting as well as the smell of exhaust fumes, burning engine oil/lubricant, and petrol/diesel fumes. Cars just smell foul all the time. They're also loud. The sooner we move on from ICE cars the better.

  16. ...as far as I know... by timerider · · Score: 2

    ... that "new car smell" is actually a perfume! They put that in to mask the actual smell of a new car which is mainly glue.
    So maybe just "don't spray it in" would be the obvious way to not have that smell?

  17. I had the impression people liked the smell of new by ReneR · · Score: 1

    should they not work on and "patent" the other way round: how to retain it the longest?

  18. Ummmm.... by dohzer · · Score: 1

    Ummmm... can you patent something that my body does naturally?

  19. The "science" of patenting common sense. by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "...The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on...A lot of technology is involved in the patent application."

    You parked the car in the sun, cracked the windows, and turned on the fan. This is now considered "science" when removing a smell from a car interior? A generation ago we called this common sense.

    I guess I'm getting too old for such patented stupidity.

    And no, putting this "technology" into an autonomous car doesn't make you a genius. That just makes you greedy because you're going to charge the customer another $2000 for some bullshit feature they never asked for. Also known as 21st Century product design.

    1. Re:The "science" of patenting common sense. by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      Speaking of common sense, most manufacturing processes that require heat utilize an oven, which provides uniform heat under highly controlled conditions, and if done on an assembly line, generally is the cheapest and most efficient option to boot. You know, like baking paint so it dries out in an hour instead of a month. Putting something in the sun sounds like something thought up by a 2nd-grader who forgot that sometimes it rains outside.

      It's just another excuse to file and patent and attach the automotive equivalent of, "on a mobile device".

  20. Re:Personally I like new car smell by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    well you may need to beat the remove fee off the sales forum when you buy a new car

  21. Leather smells great by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

    My car (not a Ford) is seven years old and I can still smell the leather.

    They better not "fix" that.

    1. Re:Leather smells great by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      You actually like the smell of leather?

      You don't? Granted, all smells are subjective, and I actually don't like leather seats in cars (not because of smell but because of the feel), but there's not much that compares to the smell of an old leather holster, camera bag, etc.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    2. Re:Leather smells great by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      You actually like the smell of leather?

      Yes, I even sometimes wear it.

  22. Re:Explain to me please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'd rather use a ride sharing service. I don't have to deal with insurance, or maintenance, or repairs or parking or tickets,..... or...., etc. or getting shamed for owning a car.

    Jesus H. Mother Fucking Christ.

    Did you grow up on a boneless chicken farm or something?!?!

    How the fuck do you even walk without one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebral_column

    Grow a fucking spine.

  23. You could also buy a Tesla by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...

    There are photos of phalanxes of unsold Tesla automobiles parked outside.

    The most likely explanation is that they were being stockpiled to maximize the number of U.S. customers who could benefit from the expiring "FIT" credit of $7500. By stockpiling the cars, Tesla was able to not cross the 200,000 unit number in 2018 Quarter 2 ending June 30. Crossing that statutory number in Q3 didn't count against the credit, hence Tesla ran their factory 24/7 so the cars they made plus inventory met the sales rush from the phased-out credit. There is also full credit in Q4 after which the credit is reduced by half by 2019, and so on.

    Many Tesla critics pointed to these cars stored at airport or industrial park lots as baking in the California sun with attendant degradation. But we now know that proud owners of Tesla cars were spared having to inhale to toxic fumes of the New Car Smell.

    1. Re:You could also buy a Tesla by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Many Tesla critics pointed to these cars stored at airport or industrial park lots as baking in the California sun with attendant degradation. But we now know that proud owners of Tesla cars were spared having to inhale to toxic fumes of the New Car Smell.

      I wonder what the Tesla critics have to say about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?....

      Dangerously close to howaboutism on my part, but I think letting unsold vehicles to rot is a crime.

      Maybe Fort et al, could sell the Chinese these brand new vehicles? Seems they should have outgassed by now.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  24. The New Kid smell by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1

    I purchased a Toyota from a family member, purchased it during his family-formation years.

    16 years later, one is entering college and the other just graduated. When you get into this car and before the A/C kicks in, you still get a whiff of the unmistakable New Kid small.

  25. WTF? by coofercat · · Score: 1

    Let me get this right... they've patented "leaving a car in the sun with the windows open a bit"? Is there anything that can't be patented in the US?

  26. Done in Italy by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    In the 80s, I believe. Apparently, nobody in Italy wanted it.

  27. Re:Personally I like new car smell by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    It's just VOCs and noxious hydrocarbon vapors.

    That's why Americans are buying this:
    https://www.chemicalguys.com/N...

  28. Ozone-Generator by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I just put my ozone generator in my car for a couple of hours if it has any smell I don't like, be it wet dog scent or musty smell from too much wet weather. It kills all the smells.

  29. Re: Personally I like new car smell by MemeRot · · Score: 1

    " It always feels great to slip into a brand new car and breathe in the scent of freshly-tanned leather, the musk of clean carpets, and the pure essence of clean plastic and rubber car parts". Hmm. That's one way to describe carcinogenic volatile organic off gassing.

  30. But, but... by puddingebola · · Score: 1

    But I like new car smell. I can remember as a kid there was a car wash near my house and one of the interior scent options they'd spray in your car was "New Car Smell."

    1. Re:But, but... by neo-mkrey · · Score: 1

      I also like the smell or new car. But I also like the smell of paint thinner, fresh blacktop and diesel.

  31. Re: Personally I like new car smell by supremebob · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yeah, the strength of the smell really varies on how long it was sitting on the lot.

    I got my new Mini Cooper customized straight from the factory, and damn smell of the plastics off-gassing was enough to give you a headache for the first few weeks I owned it. I ended up having to leave my windows open in my garage to let it dissipate. First world problems, I guess.

  32. Fat Greasy Burger Eater by johnsie · · Score: 1

    It smells better before that fat, greasy burger eating American get into it and drops the mac sauce all over the upholstery

  33. Re:In America, it's disgusting too. by PPH · · Score: 1

    or kiss the neck of a woman

    I wonder how this works out for RealDolls.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  34. Re:Explain to me please by PPH · · Score: 1

    getting shamed for owning a car

    To avoid the even greater shame of being seen taking public transit. And showing up for a job interview after having sat in a puddle of hobo piss.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  35. Is Lyft available in more places? by tepples · · Score: 1

    places that don't have public transport or nice men driving Ubers

    I'd rather use a ride sharing service.

    Viol8's comment was referring to places where the Uber ride sharing service is not available. Or is Lyft in a lot of areas where Uber isn't? What am I missing?

    1. Re:Is Lyft available in more places? by Calydor · · Score: 1

      You're missing the part where Uber isn't a ride sharing service but a pirate taxi service.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  36. drive itself to a place in the sun by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    The new Ford Iguana...

    Damn thing drove off to Arizona and left me here in the frozen north.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  37. Re:Explain to me please by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

    Because when one drives a stick shift, getting a used one isn't an option since people think The Fast and Furious movie franchise is how one drives a stick shift.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  38. Sounds great for the environment. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    The process described in the patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows slightly, and optionally turning the engine, heater and fan on.

    So, they've patented a way to make global warming worse? Thanks Ford.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  39. Is this an Onion Article? by genfail · · Score: 1

    Because Ford getting a patent for "parking in the sun with windows slightly open" sounds like an Onion Article.

  40. To each his own by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

    If there's a market for it in China, then by all means go for it. I personally can't stand when my car finally LOSES that "new car smell". You get a good 2-3 months of it and then I spend the rest of the life of the car using "New Car Smell" Little Trees which don't really smell the same but its still a pleasant scent.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  41. Re: Personally I like new car smell by slacktide · · Score: 1

    From the same vendor, I prefer Stripper Scent. It really has that âoenew stripperâ smell. https://www.chemicalguys.com/S...

  42. All the "baking" you need... by ZoomieDood · · Score: 1

    Baking soda

  43. A steep price for reducing volatiles by GPS+Pilot · · Score: 1

    In China when they buy a new apartment and furnish it, there's a period of six months or so when they leave it vacant. They have to let all the materials outgas before they can live there.

    Maybe that's what they would like to do, but this pings my BS meter.

    Paying six months of rent or mortgage on a place you're not living in is a financial hardship in any country.

    --
    That that is is that that that that is not is not.
    1. Re:A steep price for reducing volatiles by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      It's normal in China. When they buy an apartment, it is four bare walls with pipes sticking out. It takes two years to furnish before it's livable. You can move in early if you want, but all the other apartments near you are going to have construction noise, dusty workers hogging the elevator, etc. Chinese people consider they will live in the apartment their whole lives so it's not a big deal to them.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  44. Re:Explain to me please by reboot246 · · Score: 1

    You'll have to forgive them. They think the whole country is like their big city, with public transportation and ride-sharing services everywhere. When I look out of my front door I see TREES, not wall-to-wall concrete.

    My work today was 95 miles from home. Nearest grocery store to my home is 7 miles. My doctor's office is 12 miles away. Our office is 23 miles. Last Saturday I went to see a youth football game that was 52 miles from home. And all of this is "local".

    I'm sure there are residents of other states who live in more spread out areas than I do. The people posting here have no clue how big the country is.