How To Make Car More Airtight?

[Geertsen]

I set off an insect smoke bomb in the car (don’t ask) and the car filled with so much smoke you couldn’t see an inch through the glass (like the car was filled with custard it was that dense). However, about 20 minutes later the air had cleared significantly to ‘slightly smoky’.

All windows and doors fully closed, and vents on ‘circulate’ yet I could even see a cobweb inside the car moving in the breeze.

Is there any way to make the car more airtight so that the pesticide lingers longer? Car is a 2012 Ford.

Thank you

[Tony1963]

Could you see the smoke leaking from anywhere?
If not, the smoke was just ‘settling’ inside the car.
Did it do the job?

[RoadToad84]

As it's a temporary, and presumably, irregular requirement, could you seal the door gaps with cling film?

[Rausages]

There will be vents in the boot behind the bumper that let air out of the cabin. Pretty much all cars have them somewhere to equalise the pressure.

I assume it's a Ford Focus but if you google 2012 Ford Focus rear vents there are lots of videos about them as they leak water into the boot. It should help you find them if you want to cover them whilst you do the insect bomb

[Tony1963]

It’s smoke. And smoke consists almost entirely of water, with a tiny amount of solid matter. Once the water condenses and falls or comes into contact with a surface, the visible smoke begins disappearing. So, 20 minutes is quite a long time, and probably long enough for the smoke bomb to have done its job. It doesn’t do its job by hanging around in the air!

[Geertsen]

Rausages said:

There will be vents in the boot behind the bumper that let air out of the cabin. Pretty much all cars have them somewhere to equalise the pressure.

Tony1963 said:

Could you see the smoke leaking from anywhere?

Funnily enough, I could see a bit of smoke coming out of one side of the shut line between the boot hatch and bumper. A small amount but you could be right and it could hidden vents in that case.

[Geertsen]

Tony1963 said:

It’s smoke. And smoke consists almost entirely of water, with a tiny amount of solid matter. Once the water condenses and falls or comes into contact with a surface, the visible smoke begins disappearing. So, 20 minutes is quite a long time, and probably long enough for the smoke bomb to have done its job. It doesn’t do its job by hanging around in the air!

Tony1963 said:

.....If not, the smoke was just ‘settling’ inside the car.
Did it do the job?

Hopefully this is what’s happening, I didn’t know that, it just seemed to clear quickly to me. For some reason I was expecting it to stay smoky until I opened the door and the instructions said to leave it closed for as long as possible. I did it very late last night so time will tell if it’s worked!

[trickywoo]

What are you trying to kill?

[richhead]

You dont really want a car to be more airtight, if it was then slamming a door would make windows fall out etc, Never mind hurting your ears

[Richard-D]

richhead said:

You dont really want a car to be more airtight, if it was then slamming a door would make windows fall out etc, Never mind hurting your ears

Except he does, and he explains why too.