newFitOwner

Yes, I admit it. I'm sensitive to burning/heating smells. I thought that if I bought new, the chance of having that would be lessened. Looks like it's a lot more prevalent than I hoped. The car is less than 3000km, and I am already quite bothered by it. I say burning/heating because it's not like it smells like smoke, but it sure smells like something -- like what a heater might smell like if it hasn't been turned on for some time. But it smells like that every day.

Googling says it might be a plastic bag caught under the car, but no, it isn't. Besides, it's just when the heater is turned up. I'm not sure how fumes from a heated plastic bag would make it up to the intake vents at the front, especially when the car is in motion. More googling says it's the catalytic converter, but same questions apply.

I'm beginning to think that this is just how heated plastic/carpeting/moulding smells, and there is no way to avoid it. If it originates at the heater inside the passenger compartment, filtration wouldn't help (and HEPA filters don't stop smoke, so they probably won't stop scents from heated materials). It does cause breathing problems for quite some time afterward, though I'm sure that depends on individual physiology. While I do get some aggravation with a few rented cars, I get the vague impression that it has to do with the expense of the car. The Fit is considered a cheaper car (was were Tercels in my past).

Do the generalizations in that last paragraph seem reasonable? I may not be able to get rid of the problem without incurring the steep drop in value of a new car, but at least I should understand the likely sources of the problem.

claymore

Dude you must be super sensitive. All you are smelling is the plastic interior parts"outgassing". Wait a bit and they will be gone. Try wiping down the plastic with soap and water to speed up the process. Or park with the windows down to let them escape. Run the heater on the hottest setting for awhile with the windows open.

newFitOwner

I realize that plastic outgassing takes on many different smells, depending on the product. I smelled it when the car was new (and in many new products these days). That is now gone. This smell only occurs when the heater is used.