I purchased my Prius used about a month ago and love it so far. This board has helped me tremendously. I found posts for all of my problems but one. The previous owner was a heavy smoker and no matter what I have tried, I can't get the smell out. If you turn on the A/C after the car has sat, it hits you like a punch in the face. I tried the foam cleaner on the evaporator from the dealer (but I think the smell is past that into the vents). I scrubbed the interior. I sprayed Fabreze all over the interior (and into the vents). I put dryer sheets under the seats. Still having trouble. My brother who is a collision guy offered to help me take the dash apart and wash out the vents. But he didn't look thrilled about it. I am hoping someone has a better suggestion.
There's not much you can do to rid the smell. I've seen some people use tree type air fresheners and place them in the cabin air filter section (make sure you changed out the original filter). That way when the AC comes on, you'll get a fresh scent of TREES or whatever that's in there.
You can also redecorate http://www.car-freshner.com/userfiles/images/Little-Trees-Gallery/Black-ice-forest-kn.jpg
We just had some bodywork done, on another car we're babysitting. They detailed the interior, and dumped in some sorta cloying scent. I've had the car stored going on a week now with the windows cracked, done a short drive, scent's still going strong. I'd be cautious about throwing in more scent, just try to clear out the tobacco aroma. Baking soda?? Hmm, this has lots of tips: How to Get Rid of Tobacco Odors in Cars (with Pictures) - wikiHow
I'd suspect something died in the dash. I had a family of mice that died next to the evaporator - it smelled terrible for a few minutes then would clear out, only to return once the car sat. I had to pull the entire dash and airbox to clean them all out. edit: try this below first: Get an air freshener spray like Lysol/etc. Take out the cabin filter. Run the car until it is good and hot. Blast the heat on fresh air mode. Spray the stuff (entire can) into the external air intake over the course of a few hours. Prevent it from pooling by doing it slowly over time, but put the whole can in there. The goal is to avoid having liquid running inside the vents so you don't short stuff out. The entire inside of the vents will be coated over and over by the thin layer of Lysol/etc. If it isn't something dead, this will take care of it.
