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Car Scents Review
(October 24, 2011)Prior to being contacted by Opal Products who asked if we’d like to review some of their products – we’d already come across the California Scents range a few months beforehand. There was a fair bit of talk on the forum DetailingWorld about these car scents, and so our interest was caught.
A lot of people we talk to hate the traditional car scents, such as those trees you hang from your rear-view mirror and other sorts that you buy from large car part stores. They tend to be overpowering with a sickly scent nothing like Pine or Orange or whatever else they say. A lot of the time they smell more like toilet fresheners than anything else, and the strong smell makes for headache territory.
So, after reading a fair amount on the above-mentioned forum, we bought a few of the little round tins. First impressions are that these look unusual, like nothing else out there, and also very cool too. Names such as Desert Jasmine, Laguna Breeze, Hollywood Tropicana and Malibu Melon are as appealing as they come, and almost enough to make the mouth water.
Opening the lid, there are 3 organic, biodegradable pads inside, which provide the scent. When it comes to fragrance, they are simply amazing and we’ve not come across one we don’t like yet. They kind of remind us of the sweet shops we’d go to when we were young where upon walking into the store, the smell of a thousand varieties of confectionary would hit you like a candy floss wall. Lovely, but here are also definite elements of realism to the aromas as well.
There’s none of the usual headachy, sickly-sweet smell, and although these are strong, they are not over-bearing like other scents.
As mentioned, we’d tested these for a good 3 months before Opal Products contacted us, so we’ve had more than enough time to see how they lasted. The tins say the fragrance will 60 days, but we had a good 12 weeks out of ours and they were still noticeable to people getting into our cars! A tip for these to make them last longer; after a couple of months, take out the pads, turn them over and return them to the tin and also add a a few ml of water – this will give them a new lease of life.
Some of the tins come with handy vented lids, which can be passed onto the next tin you buy, if there’s not one included. Handily, these tins also fit into cup holders, which is a good place to stop them flying about as you corner!
