[NPV]

Mods - Could not find a specific thread related to damage caused by Ambipur perfumes so posting here. Please merge/move if this isn't the right place, Thanks in advance !

Yesterday I met an expert electronics engineer who specialises in service/repairs of electronic equipment for automobiles. He had helped fix an issue with my old kenwood system several years ago so I took a friend along to his shop since he had a problem with his Kenwood car stereo's head unit. During a casual conversation about common problems in car stereos he asked me if & what perfume I use in my car. I mentioned I use the Pennzoil car freshners with flower/leaf fragrances and asked him why he was asking this. He immediately went inside his workshop and brought out a few car stereo / dashboard panels and showed me the plastic broken and melted in several places. He said after several experiences over the last 3-4 years they found that this was caused by Ambipur perfumes fixed on the AC vents !
I was very skeptical but today when I googled 'Ambipur plastic damage' I found several sites mentioning this. The engineer also said think about what that thing can do to your lungs if it can do this to plastic. Now I'm more convinced so wanted to share and get your views on this subject.

[SushilBajpai]

Really! I find this hard to comprehend. Why should this be the case? Does Ambipur use some solvents which finds its way to the plastic (in liquid form) - spills or leakages?

I don't use any de-odorisers in my car, but it would interesting to hear from other BHPians who do, if they've experienced such an issue.

[mb_jg]

It may be a combination of the liquid leakage & the hot sun. The bottle is clipped on the a/c vents, I've seen cars where the plastic's in contact melt with the heat during the summers. Not sure if the liquid is harmful in any way.

[msdivy]

I stopped using Ambipur precisely for this reason. The bottle leaked burned the plastic in dash board. The bottle was away from sun. Now I either use MyShanldan or keep scented dry flowers.

[Prass]

Leaked Ambipur reacts with plastic as I have seen in two different cars. I could peel off the loose layer of plastic in one and for a Fiesta the center facia surrounding the CD player was melted and surface looks boiled. It is not recommended to plug Ambipur to the vents adjacent to the music system. Better to avoid using it.

[sohail99]

Yup it can cause finish damage to dash plastics!!

My mom used one in her car. Once the car cleaning guy kinda put it back inverted and it leaked in a stream, kinda fading away the plastic from that area!

If you felt it, you could sense a depression in the plastic from where the perfume stream flowed!

I recommended her My shaldan and now she's happy with it!

I personally don't use any car perfumes, as my car always smells great from the protectants that I use on the dash!

[libranof1987]

Ambipur can damage the plastics if the liquid leaks out.

I think the damage that you are referring to is physical; mainly because of the perfume holder's pins that are shoved into the a/c vents (already very delicate due to cost-cutting).

If used properly, I don't think Ambipur should be a problem.

[naveen.raju]

Thanks for sharing this piece of information. As soon as I saw this, I searched google and was shocked to see the pics showing the damage caused by Ambipur. I had stopped using this last year and was using MyShaldan till last month. Then came across the new Ambipur model and purchased it. As of now am completely happy with it but this news kinda worries me. I dont keep it in the center console. I always prefer the driver side air vent since it's not directly in sunlight and my car got a pretty decent dark windshield tint. But my dad's been using this for years and going fine. Guess it's due to the leaking liquid from them that's the culprit.

[Ragul]

Forget your cheap plastic interiors my friends. These chemicals are well known carcinogenics and can damage your lungs when inhaled - esp when you get into closed car that has been leaking benzoids and other toxins all night.

Nobody ever paused and thought about their own lungs before buying these things?!!

--Ragul

[NPV]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Ambipur can damage the plastics if the liquid leaks out.

I think the damage that you are referring to is physical; mainly because of the perfume holder's pins that are shoved into the a/c vents (already very delicate due to cost-cutting).

If used properly, I don't think Ambipur should be a problem.

No, I'm not talking about physical damage to the vents due to the container being clipped on.
It generally affects things around the vent mostly the panel around the music system on the edges/panel gaps/joints. I saw several damaged panels myself-they had small portions that were melted/softened !
Apart from the car's interior plastics, most importantly think about what it can do to the human 'interiors' when we inhale that thing blowing at us inside the car

Originally Posted by Ragul

Forget your cheap plastic interiors my friends. These chemicals are well known carcinogenics and can damage your lungs when inhaled - esp when you get into closed car that has been leaking benzoids and other toxins all night.

Nobody ever paused and thought about their own lungs before buying these things?!!

--Ragul

Exactly !

[kingofmyworld]

AMBIPURE!!! This is the perfume which I hate a lot! My brand new sony HU was damaged by ambipure. Liquid leaked and fell on the front panel. Entire display was damaged. Buttons became soft and never worked afterwards. Now I use a spray or a solid scented block.

[rajeev k]

I have been using Ambipur for long and remember now that this was not seen in store racks/shelves for many months recently before it made a reappearance. None of store guys were able to give the reason of the non-availability. But now I get it.

[akshay4587]

3 years ago,while getting my Car ICED,Ambipur spilled in the glove box,and there were documents,a Pen drive and HU remote.
though nothing happened to pen drive and documents,its just that after 3 years they still smell of Ambipur,it was soooooo strong
though the HU remote,split open due to the perfume,i am still clueless how and why
though i am still using it in car,never faced any damage to plastics due to it,i dont like those perfume bottles sticking on to the dashboard.

[Jayabusa]

Shocking! That means people have actually been inhaling a chemical that can melt plastic!!!

[dot]

Originally Posted by msdivy

The bottle leaked burned the plastic in dash board.

Originally Posted by Prass

Leaked Ambipur reacts with plastic as I have seen in two different cars.

Originally Posted by sohail99

Yup it can cause finish damage to dash plastics!!

My mom used one in her car.

I think I understand what happens, but can you guys tell which car are the ones you are taking about? Thanks.