Buying a used Tesla Model Y from a previous vape owner?

[D.E.]

i thought it was good price with full self driving capabilities and also has a full vinyl wrap on the entire vehicle. as a techie, i’m more curious to try out fsd and know it isn’t perfect and not for the regular driver

That wrap may tell you a lot, people that really care about their cars wrap them. I assume you’re talking about a clear wrap to protect the paint. Mine’s partially wrapped, front and leading surfaces. It prevents paint chips, damage from little acid smashed bugs, etc. A quality wrap is expensive and if applied new, it likely preserved that perfect paint for you.

 

[xply]

That wrap may tell you a lot, people that really care about their cars wrap them. I assume you’re talking about a clear wrap to protect the paint. Mine’s partially wrapped, front and leading surfaces. It prevents paint chips, damage from little acid smashed bugs, etc. A quality wrap is expensive and if applied new, it likely preserved that perfect paint for you.

It's not a clear wrap but a vinyl colored wrap that's maybe several shades lighter than the new quicksilver Model Y paint that is rumored to be coming out. It's very subtle compared to the white paint underneath. I thought it looks really nice and unique without being overly flashy like other vinyl wrapped vehicles. I think vehicle wraps cost around 5k-7k in the bay area. I don't know the brand of it though, but so far it is intact. I doubt the dealer has any information on it.

I was already thinking of getting PPF on a new tesla if I purchased one anyways, so it is convenient to already have it on. I read vinyl is less protective and more for looks compared to PPF, but I figured it's better than nothing. and yup I thought since it's just a year old car, they might've put the wrap shortly after purchasing the vehicle.

I will update you all once i check it out again later today . I'll pretend to be like my dog and sniff the entire interior

 

[D.E.]

It's not a clear wrap but a vinyl colored wrap that's maybe several shades lighter than the new quicksilver Model Y paint that is rumored to be coming out. It's very subtle compared to the white paint underneath. I thought it looks really nice and unique without being overly flashy like other vinyl wrapped vehicles. I think vehicle wraps cost around 5k-7k in the bay area. I don't know the brand of it though, but so far it is intact. I doubt the dealer has any information on it.

I was already thinking of getting PPF on a new tesla if I purchased one anyways, so it is convenient to already have it on. I read vinyl is less protective and more for looks compared to PPF, but I figured it's better than nothing. and yup I thought since it's just a year old car, they might've put the wrap shortly after purchasing the vehicle.

I will update you all once i check it out again later today . I'll pretend to be like my dog and sniff the entire interior

I’m not an expert but I don’t believe the colored wraps offer the same protection that the clear PPF wraps do. I’d ask that they remove that wrap and examine the paint prior to purchase. I believe it is possible to damage paint if not removed properly. I think the standard is to remove it if there are standards for used cars. I wouldn’t buy it if the wrap isn’t removed. Chances are that the paint is fine but you don’t want to find you bought a problem, especially if it wasn’t necessary.

 

[woolymammoth17]

I’m not an expert but I don’t believe the colored wraps offer the same protection that the clear PPF wraps do. I’d ask that they remove that wrap and examine the paint prior to purchase. I believe it is possible to damage paint if not removed properly. I think the standard is to remove it if there are standards for used cars. I wouldn’t buy it if the wrap isn’t removed. Chances are that the paint is fine but you don’t want to find you bought a problem, especially if it wasn’t necessary.

I think the OP wants it specifically because it has a wrap, though.

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

This is highly NOT true. If you smoke/vape, you will not know the difference, but non smoker/vaper can detect right away.
Cigarette and vape all have chemical particles that will float around in the car and land on any surface/crack/gap, and so on.

I quit vaping 4 years ago. I’ve flipped many cars in the past 3 years - a few Subaru’s that were (of course) highly vaped in. One of them had really bad build up on the dash and window. Nothing a good cleaning didn’t fix. Others were not bad at all because the (vaping) owner took good care of their interior.

As someone who used to vape and hasn’t for a long while, I can tell you with certainty that any lingering after effects are not an issue because it’s simply not the case - it’s a stigma that you’ve convinced yourself because “you smell something” in a car. The juice that vapers smoke (or vape) is made out of 3 ingredients: flavoring, nicotine, and a suspension agent such as vegetable glycol. The flavoring and nicotine are gone once the product gets heated and consumed. The glycol is no different than the stuff found in gummy candies - it’s biodegradable.

Now cigarette smoke is a whole different story. I won’t argue with you there that residual matter gets in the cracks and small spaces. Plus the smell gets embedded in the fabric.

But, water vapor.. nah, that stuff is gone pretty quickly. If you think that a formally vaped-in car is the same a formally cigarette smoked-in car you are sadly mistaken - they are two completely different animals with entirely different chemical properties. Lingering cigarette smoke/chemicals in a car are not the same as someone vaping in a car.

Please take a second to realize this. I get you, you are non-smoker/vapor good on you!

I have a friend who works for a large vehicle rental company. He checks in cars that have been smoked in despite the warnings not to and the fine’s associated with it. He can never prove that a customer vaped in the car. He can however always prove that a customer smoked cigarettes in the car.

 

[woolymammoth17]

I quit vaping 4 years ago. I’ve flipped many cars in the past 3 years - a few Subaru’s that were (of course) highly vaped in. One of them had really bad build up on the dash and window. Nothing a good cleaning didn’t fix. Others were not bad at all because the (vaping) owner took good care of their interior.

As someone who used to vape and hasn’t for a long while, I can tell you with certainty that any lingering after effects are not an issue because it’s simply not the case - it’s a stigma that you’ve convinced yourself because “you smell something” in a car. The juice that vapers smoke (or vape) is made out of 3 ingredients: flavoring, nicotine, and a suspension agent such as vegetable glycol. The flavoring and nicotine are gone once the product gets heated and consumed. The glycol is no different than the stuff found in gummy candies - it’s biodegradable.

Now cigarette smoke is a whole different story. I won’t argue with you there that residual matter gets in the cracks and small spaces. Plus the smell gets embedded in the fabric.

But, water vapor.. nah, that stuff is gone pretty quickly. If you think that a formally vaped-in car is the same a formally cigarette smoked-in car you are sadly mistaken - they are two completely different animals with entirely different chemical properties. Lingering cigarette smoke/chemicals in a car are not the same as someone vaping in a car.

Please take a second to realize this. I get you, you are non-smoker/vapor good on you!

I have a friend who works for a large vehicle rental company. He checks in cars that have been smoked in despite the warnings not to and the fine’s associated with it. He can never prove that a customer vaped in the car. He can however always prove that a customer smoked cigarettes in the car.

I think you'd be shocked to learn what is actually in a lot of those bulk vape juices that come from other countries with less stringent regulations than the US.

 

[xply]

update: I did not get the car. here's the story:

Side note: one thing I'm appreciate about Carmax is that they let you inspect the vehicle on your own without the salesperson watching your every move, unlike traditional dealerships. This was also my first time shopping at a Carmax.

Anyway, the first thing I did as I entered the vehicle was give a good whiff of the headliner, seats, door trim, carpets, and vents. There was definitely some very faint but unusual scent, not like a new car smell, but rather fruity or an air freshener kind of scent. Honestly, I've never been in a car with someone who has vaped inside before so I don't know what to compare it to. I thought, maybe that scent is just how the cheap Tesla interior smells like (this is literally the first Tesla I've been in). I proceed with the test drive and park at the nearby to inspect the interior a bit further.

I take out my 2500 lumen flashlight and proceed to look in every nook and cranny that a regular cleaning by the dealer might not catch. I sweep my finger along the corners of the dashboard and notice on my finger some black and white lint, which looked like facial hair shavings at first (I attached a picture of the drive stalk that had some of these facial hair looking dust as an example). Maybe it's just lint from the carpet or the lining in the trunk, I thought. But as I inspect the dashboard further, I notice more of it throughout the entire dashboard. It's not visible from a distance, but as I slide my finger across the surface, I pick up not only more of it, but also some shiny specs of dust. I thought this is a bit odd. It almost looked like glitter but way smaller in size and was only visible by shining a bright light against it. As I wave my flashlight around the rest of the vehicle, I notice more of these fine shiny particles in the door pockets, inside the vents, and on the driver and passenger seat rails on the floor. there was an unusual amount of dirt on these rails, I thought.

As I examine the floor underneath the driver seat, I notice small white foam remnants from possibly the seat cushion. I firmly tap on seat cushion noticed more of this foam like seat material flaking onto the floor. I have no clue what it is, if that's a defect in tesla seating in general or if it's related to vaping or smoking. But I thought that was a bit odd too.

So at that point, I thought to myself, there are so many questions I have that I don't think I'll ever get definitive answers on. I'll have to make a decision based on the evidence I've observed so far. On the way back to the dealership, I turn on the fans to full blast. After about 5 minutes of driving, I noticed my face feeling a bit flush and my throat feeling a bit dry. I normally experience those types of symptoms when I'm around cigarette smoke. But the car still emitted that fruity freshener faint smell. Maybe the symptoms were just a placebo effect from all of my thoughts about the car, who knows.

I get back to the dealership and tell the sales person my thoughts. I notice a sense of disappointment that the sale didn't go through, but he was also understanding and respectful. I left the model Y with all of the specs and features I want and head home. Ah well, will continue my search for the next near perfect tesla.

 

[ScoobyDoo82]

I think you'd be shocked to learn what is actually in a lot of those bulk vape juices that come from other countries with less stringent regulations than the US.

Not really.. not surprised at all. People get what they pay for. When I vaped I made sure that juice I got was of high(er) quality. Produced in the USA in a high quality ISO-7 lab with certified ingredients. I never shopped with “bulk” international resellers that obvious reason.

But the point of the thread.. “that vapers ruin cars just the same as cigarette smokers” is like comparing a crack-head to a weed smoker. They are not one in the same.

 

[yobigd20]

Its a dealbreaker. Walk away from it.

 

[TesLEEZ]

I bought a car from Carmax about 10 years ago. Test drove it in spring, everything smelled fine and it seemed like a clean car. However, after the first real hot 90f+ day of summer came around, the smell of cigarrettes came out of the seats. It was horrible. I was glad when I finally got rid of the car.

 

[240vPlug]

Cigarette smell is awful. If the owner was regularly smoking in the car the smoke gets into every nook and cranny of the car. Its impossible to remove completely. You can cover it up, but it will come out especially if the car is out in the sun.

The vape car should be fine though honestly. What you describe doesn't sound like its from vape. Based on what you said though I think walking away is the right decision.

 

[SilverString]

Cigarettes stink, even after years. So maybe some nicotine and THC vapes stink. But I can tell you for sure many do not, like a Juul for instance. You can hit a Juul all day long in a non-smoking hotel room and no one will ever know. Most vapes produce a vapor and not smoke, so nothing clings to surfaces. it's only nicotine and glycerin essentially, whereas cigarettes contain tar, and other nasty, sticky, and carcinogenic substances. Not promoting the use of vapes or saying there are not harmful and smelly ones, but they are a lot different than cigarettes.

But like someone said, let your nose be your guide.

 

[jeremymc7]

The smoke you see coming out of cars from vape pens isn’t smoke, it’s water vapor.

Not nearly in the same class as cigarettes or weed.

I can smell a cigarette seeming a block away. I mean you can you can smell it in an empty field but not a person in sight. Never had any problems sitting a table over from someone vaping.

 

[TesLEEZ]

The smoke you see coming out of cars from vape pens isn’t smoke, it’s water vapor.

Not nearly in the same class as cigarettes or weed.

I can smell a cigarette seeming a block away. I mean you can you can smell it in an empty field but not a person in sight. Never had any problems sitting a table over from someone vaping.

The smoke you see in Vape pens is propylene glycol or Vegetable Glycerin. Water vapor would probably burn your mouth, since it needs 212F to create smoke/vapor.

But I would be careful, because many vape users I've met also still smoke an occasional cigarette.

 

[D.E.]

update: I did not get the car. here's the story:

Sorry it didn’t work out. I can’t imagine what that whisker stuff was. Good luck with the hunt.