Battery "smell"

[acarapella]

Hi.

This is going to sound weird, but you know that very "electronic" smell thats in the Apple store? well, my first TCH kind of had it, and this 08 REALLY has it. The smell is like what a new laptop smells like as it works hard for the first couple hours... make sense? I'm sure it has something to do with the batteries and the vent into the cabin. She just turned 40k. Any ideas?

[arabianobsession]

I know the very smell you're talking about.....not entirely sure why you will smell it in the cabin but both your batteries are in the trunk and I'm sure that because it is vented in the cabin is the reason you're smelling it. Now that I think about it, I've always smelled that smell in every hybrid I get into for longer periods.

[acarapella]

yea... well all camrys seem to have a smell... even my friends LE. I think its the foams they use today. Having owned 1999 camry, i can say that that is one more reason the older ones were better

[arabianobsession]

I agree. Personally, I think older Hondas are better than the newer ones as well.

[ukrkoz]

ha-ha-ha. you do have Plazmacluster, don't you? as if you do, it is producing ionized air, per design, and that's darn what smells like a new laptop. read user manual. static electricity, or whatever is that it does.

if you do not - sorry.

[ukrkoz]

A natural disinfectant

Built around technology from Sharp, the system doesn’t filter the air or use chemical cleaners, but instead generates positive and negatively charged ions which attach themselves to microbes and viruses in the air. The ions then bond, forming highly oxidative OH radicals which suck the hydrogen out of the impurity they’re attached to, killing it and leaving it to decay harmlessly.
It might sound like science fiction, but this airborne attack on germs is actually a naturally occurring reaction. In fact, your body already does the same thing internally.
The Plasmacluster system produces the same positive H+ and negative O2- ions that our own immune system does when fighting off an infection, but instead of cleaning your bloodstream of infections once they’ve occurred, Plasmacluster purifies harmful toxins in the air before you have a chance to breathe it.

[acarapella]

This isn't what makes the smell though is it? when the AC is on it smells more fresh than it does when I get in the car after it sits all day.

[ukrkoz]

well, from description provided, you describing static or ionic charged air. Plasmacluster does it.
if inside gains that smell when everything is shut down - that's different story.
also, you have high voltage devices under the hood.
the only 2 devices that can produce ozone type smell is Plasmacluster and HSD.

[ukrkoz]

yeah, batteries do not vent into cabin. neither one of them.

[arabianobsession]

They Hybrid battery has the vent on the back package shelf.

[acarapella]

ehhh screw it I bought ozium which works extremely well, some coconut air fresheners, sprayed some cologne on my cabin air filter =P

[arabianobsession]

That's one way to take care of it

[ukrkoz]

tell you joke

2 best pals worked a septic tank cleaning truck.
of course, they stank of you know what .

one decides to go married and asks his pal to be his best man. pal says - yes, I'd love to, but I stink so bad, I can't allow myself to go among people.
his buddy says - no sweat! buy a large bag of pine extract, fix yourself some real hot tub, pour that extract into water, soak in it for an hour or so, you'll be fine!
Ok, so wedding day comes, best man did pine extract treatment, sniffs himself - smells great!
cab's waiting downstairs, he sits into cab, they take off, and as a precaution, he asks cabby - hey, sorta strange smell inside?
cabby turns back, looks at him, and says - yeah, like someone shi-ed under a pine tree...

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by arabianobsession

They Hybrid battery has the vent on the back package shelf.

The package shelf 'scoop' is the air intake for cooling the battery. The vents (like for any outgassing) are through small tubes that go to the bottom of the car. The 12V battery vent is easily visible as a small vinyl tube to the front side of the battery - the traction battery is a bit less obvious, IIRC, you can see (barely) the vent from underneath.

[WhiteSands]

I agree, my choice would be the plazmacluster. Now that I think of it I don't recall it being mentioned on the 2012 models.