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  #1  
Old 03-09-2011, 07:03 PM
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Left sunroof open and it rained the one time I forget to close it

So unfortunately did something incredibly stupid-left the sunroof open and it rained that night on my bmw x3, 04. Came in the morning to find the seats soaked and the carpet pretty wet as well. Car was under a tree but a lot of water still seems to have gotten through. Headliner was wet as well.

I toweled up the seats and got out all the water that I could manage. I then left for work, got back around 4ish. I cleaned and conditioned all of the leather and let that dry for a bit. Then I took a hair dryer and dried the carpet under the floor mats (took those out, letting those dry. Should I do anything else to those?). The carpet seems to be dry, and the leather seats seem a good bit better to me after being conditioned and cleaned. Currently its sitting in the garage with all doors closed and each window opened a little bit, with a fan blowing at max speed in the car. The heated seats still work and the seats still move and adjust fine. I think everything seems to be dry now (seats, albeit being a little damp seem to be drying fine, carpet is dry, and so is the center console.

Is there anything else I should be worrying about? Any chance of rust, mildew, or anything else bad?

Have I pretty much done everything I can to dry it and prevent problems, or am I missing anything?

Thanks in Advance,

04x3
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  #2  
Old 03-09-2011, 09:07 PM
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I've had a slew of convertibles and it never failed that at least once, it would rain while the top was down. Even when you are in the car and downpour gets you, it takes a while to get that top up. And I never had a problem with any of the cars from water. In fact, my detailer recommends leaving an open water bottle in my car when it is parked to provide some moisture for the leather.

The thing I do avoid when mixing electronics and liquids is turning on any of the electronics while they are wet. So next time, I would let everything (all non-essential electronics) dry first before using them. The fan was a great idea though!
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  #3  
Old 03-09-2011, 11:05 PM
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Yeah just took the fan off after it was on for 5 hours or so. I did hair dry all of the wet carpet for about 45 minutes, however it's still damp. Not completely wet but still damp. Is there a large risk of developing mildew or mold? I've left the windows and the sunroof open and parked the car in the garage for now.
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  #4  
Old 03-10-2011, 12:40 AM
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I hate to admit it but I have done this too. And I would recommend that you place a space heater in your car and let it run for 12-16 hours. Even though your carpets may feel dry the foam pad underneath surely has water.moisture and that sit there and it will not dry. I have pulled mine up just to double check, I didn't want any rust.
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Old 03-11-2011, 06:06 PM
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Try to pull the seats and carpets.
The foam underneath probably has quite a bit of water just asking for mold to grow....
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  #6  
Old 03-11-2011, 07:51 PM
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How do I remove the carpets and seats?

Edit:
Just got home, the car smells fine and the leather actually feels good after being conditioned and cleaned after it was soaked

The carpet feels completely dry, should I still lift it up? The seats move, heated seats work, everything seems completely normal, speakers still work (Although I didn't suspect any water got in them).

Last edited by 04X3; 03-13-2011 at 11:17 PM.
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  #7  
Old 03-16-2011, 08:07 PM
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Back again, and unfortunately I'm starting to get a bit of a musty smell in the car after a few days. What should I do?

TIA

Edit: The car was aired out some more in the sun, and I put some damp rid in the X to suck up any excess moisture. It seems like its all gone, because the damp rid won't pick up anything--Not even a single drop! I left it in there last night and will check the car soon (should give the damp rid 12+ hours to work some more) but I think I'm out of the clear for now. Thanks for the help everyone!

04x3

Now since the interior is dry I can finally detail it and the rest of the car xD

Last edited by 04X3; 03-20-2011 at 10:44 AM.
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  #8  
Old 03-23-2011, 12:04 AM
ard ard is online now
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You got good advice at first but seem to have ignored it.... now you will pay the price.

With water exposure the ABSOLUTE first thing you do is open it up, eleveate temperature and aerate. In the garage, all doors open, fan, space heater. Remove as much as you can. Seats, carpeting, etc.

if you do this immediately, you might avoid mold.

Now you have mold and will always have the smell until you replace the moldy carpets, padding, door panels, seat cushions, etc. I can guess that the carpet padding under the carpet you feel is probably still wet.

Bills for this run thousands.

If you do not have a garage or the ability, paying a few hundred to a professional would have been the plan,

Whats your VIN? Future owners will want to know....
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  #9  
Old 03-23-2011, 08:39 AM
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Uh bro if you really wanna know the smell is all gone and The car is completely dry.
I did let it air out and even put damprid in the car after it was dry-the damprid picked up almost nothing after 40+ hours of being in the car. I live south so it has been aired out in a lot of sun and it's perfectly fine now
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  #10  
Old 03-23-2011, 01:20 PM
ard ard is online now
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OK bro, thought you posted it was smelling musty.

Close the car up for a week, let us know what it smells like.... a car that has only ambient moisture with a properly working AC/ventilation system will not have any issues... a car with moisture trapped will not smell good.

Glad it has all worked out for you.
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