So, I have had my 2008 CLK350 for a couple of months now and it still smells great - like when I bought it from the dealer as CPO.

My silly question is, does MBZ do something to preserve that great smell? Does it have to do with the cabin air filter? My other car, 2007 Saturn Aura, smells musty compared to my MBZ.

 

MBZ actually employs several "professional smellers" to detect bad odors in their cars. They try to make them smell pleasant instead of like "chemicals". My CLK has an "old leather smell which I like, but my wife hates - she says it smells like "old people". I guess it's a matter of preference.

 

I dropped my son at the airport a few months back and he commented that my car smelled "new". I was thinking it was my meticulous care ; turns out it was/is "engineering".

 

Care & no eating, farting or fornicating in the car helps enormously.

 

All of my cars smell new - because I have 3 rules: no dogs, no smoke, no food. Corollary to that is no kids, but for some of you that isn't an option!

And, if you're into it - Griots Garage has (or at least used to) an interior car scent that I like, it smells like leather.

 

Yes ~ I'm a smoker & I have never smoked in one of my cars. It's a no-no.

 

I'm not sure this ever got answered directly.... does anyone know for sure?

 

I took from Rodney's reply that they engineer the odors/smells of the materials used.

 

I think its so important that your car smells nice. I keep little sachets under my seats that make my car smell like pomegranate and vanilla.

I had my little brothers staying with me for the last week (6 & 9) and I was cringing at something every thirty seconds lol. I can't imagine having any Benz around babies 24/7... I'd go insane.

 

There was a magazine article I read once about a lady who works for MBZ as a professional smeller. It may have been in the old "Mercedes" magazine, or maybe in one of the many automotive magazines I subscribe to, but it was quite interesting.

As for adding odors, I cannot stand "scents" in my car. i'd much rather it smell like old musty German leather than anything. I think my ML320 had the best aroma - it just smell like really high-quality leather. I hate new cars that smell like some sort of weird plastic chemical.