Why does my car smell like fumes when I start it?
Why does my car smell like fumes when I start it? 1. Exhaust Leak (Smoke Smell) If you begin to smell exhaust in the cabin, but it just smells vaguely musty and smoky like regular exhaust fumes, you may simply have an exhaust leak somewhere behind the catalytic converter. This could be a damaged muffler or a cracked exhaust pipe. Why does my exhaust smell bad when I start my car? But here's the scenario. Lately when I start the car (after a long idle period, such as starting the car in the morning after letting the car idle overnight)....