Smells like fish

[BettyF]

I just bought a 2010 Ford Focus and the whole car smells like dead fish. I took it back to the dealer who said to leave the windows open. Didn't work. Anyone experience this issue? The car has 100 miles on it now and smell is intolerable. Dealer sprayed some orange scented stuff but just smelled like fish cooked in orange juice

Would really appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks

[jimfocus]

The dealer or a detail shop should have access to a de-ionizer which is a device that is used to remove odors like cigarette smoke in used cars, hotel rooms etc.

[BettyF]

Thanks JIm, will give them a call, but dont hold out much hope. Don't think they really care at all

all the best

Betty

[01slo-cus]

Not to state the obvious or nothing but, have you looked for a dead fish in the car? It's not totally unheard of for factory workers to play practical jokes or do stupid little pranks like that as the cars roll down the line.

[BettyF]

LOL, I actually thought about that but looked under everything, so unless they sewed something into the upholstry, I can't find it.

[locdowg7]

Pop the door panels off and check behind them.

[TolusD]

I would call the dealership and ask to speak to the sales manager. Tell them that you'll trash them on your survey unless they fix the problem and they likely will. If they refuse or if you already submitted your survey, ask the sales manager to give you the contact information for the insurance company that provides the dealer's garage keeper's insurance. If they refuse, contact the Deaprtment of Insurance in your state and tell them that you need to file a commercial liability claim and the business refuses to give you the name of their carrier. If that doesn't work, file a comprehensive insurance claim with your own insurance carrier and let them diagnose the nature of the stench. If it's your fault, your own insurance will pay for the costs less your comprehensive decudtible. If it's the dealer's fault, your insurance carrier will provide you with a letter denying your claim that you can use to file a small claim against the dealer who will then defer to their garage keeper's policy to cover the loss. You may also have the option to let your insurance carrier get rid of the stench and then subrogate the dealer's insurance carrier to get your deductible back as well as the rest of what it costs to get rid of the stench. There are a number of variables depending on what state you live in but you have tons of options. Unfortunately, all of the options involve you making allot of phone calls and potentially having to be a dick to the dealership management.

I bought my Focus new in 2005 and it had a weird chemical etching on the windshield. The dealer told me over and over that it would wear off over time and to this day it's as bad as the day I took the car home. Take my advice, try the survey angle first but if they stonewall, go for the throat before too much time passes. The longer you wait the harder it'll be to get anyone to listen to you or take you seriously. My guess is that when you hit them with the fact that you know how the insurance game works, they'll fix your car to avoid the increase in premiums that comes from having a claim filed.