I recently took out another one of the lovely NYC Zip cars just to find it smelling awfully of the vanilla air freshener that was tugged in the drives side pocket. Is this going to become a standard feature? I don't hope so, the revolting smell of VOC laden air fresheners is horrible enough in many New York cabs and a common feature in ill tended to rental cars. One of the joys of being part of zip car is that you share cars with sensible minds that have an awareness of environmental and human health - something that is hard to reconcile with the chemical scent of air fresheners that can among other reactions cause nausea and allergic reactions. Keep up the good work. N.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2004

Answers

I agree, these smells are nasty. We don't use any air fresheners or scented cleaners. We have had members (what were they thinking?) place air fresheners in Zipcars on occasion -- if you encounter one please let us know and feel free to discard it as soon as possible.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2004

If a truly nasty smell is discovered in a Zipcar, it should always be reported to Zipcar. If Zipcar notices a pattern (i.e., this always follows the reservation of a particular member), Zipcar will warn this member about rules regarding leaving Zipcars clean and not burning any substance inside of the car. Further repeats of this complaint will enable Zipcar to exercise their rights with regard to continuing a non-compliant member.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2004