The story of "Swamp Thing"

[c-bass]

Originally Posted by timmyc

OH. MY. GAWD. You have some work cut out for you, my friend!


The frogs?! WTF?!

Hope you got the X for a song......

I got it for $1200

Yeah I'm not sure wtf is going on with the frogs. Were they stuck in there? Why wouldn't they move if they're going to die??

[c-bass]

Now that this thing was home It was time to get the carpet dried out and the interior cleaned out.

This thing was GROSS!!!













How in TF does this happen???













No that's isn't rice crispies, it's a 1/4" of dead bug carcasses

[Happy]

“SWaMp THiNg”

I love it!

[c-bass]

While I was vacuuming I noticed a couple times if I came close to the end of the carpet at the door jam some visible water would get sucked up. I did mention that the carpet was WET so this didn't surprise me all that much...

However I wasn't expecting what I saw when I took a peek under the carpet



All the low spots in the floor had at least 1/2" of water just sitting there, nevermind the foam being soaked





Investigating a little further, I decided that the only thing that makes sense at this point is to take the carpets out...except that to remove the front carpet in a BMW is ridiculous (other cars I've owned also) and that's NOT the level of commitment I'm willing to get into at this point.

I took out the rear section of the carpet which was completely saturated in water and propped up the front as much as I could





Well this escalated quickly...




So for the next few days I used a combination of synthetic chamois, sponges and whatever else I could think of blot, squeeze, pinch and absorb all the water I could out of the underside of the carpet, which is obviously the most water retentive material known to man.

Even after days of the hot sun and all my efforts the underside of the carpet was still damp so I strategically placed several small fans under and left them running.

Now it's time to try and clean this:

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by c-bass

While I was vacuuming I noticed a couple times if I came close to the end of the carpet at the door jam some visible water would get sucked up. I did mention that the carpet was WET so this didn't surprise me all that much...

However I wasn't expecting what I saw when I took a peek under the carpet



All the low spots in the floor had at least 1/2" of water just sitting there, nevermind the foam being soaked





Investigating a little further, I decided that the only thing that makes sense at this point is to take the carpets out...except that to remove the front carpet in a BMW is ridiculous (other cars I've owned also) and that's NOT the level of commitment I'm willing to get into at this point.

I took out the rear section of the carpet which was completely saturated in water and propped up the front as much as I could





Well this escalated quickly...




So for the next few days I used a combination of synthetic chamois, sponges and whatever else I could think of blot, squeeze, pinch and absorb all the water I could out of the underside of the carpet, which is obviously the most water retentive material known to man.

Even after days of the hot sun and all my efforts the underside of the carpet was still damp so I strategically placed several small fans under and left them running.

Now it's time to try and clean this:

Suggest you rent a dehumidifier from a construction equipment rental outfit if there's one near you. Stick it inside for about a week with the drain tube running outside and it will thoroughly dry out the interior relatively quickly. Good luck!

[Purplefade]

OMG - that is almost unbelievable! I say almost because I bought and restored a 1968 Mustang that actually was in a bit worse condition... but come on, at least it was 50+ years old and had been stored in a barn... WOW!

I commend your commitment to getting it road worthy, wish you all of the best luck getting it back together and very much look forward to seeing the final results

With so much water, I’m inclined to say blocked sunroof vents at a minimum and very likely someone (probably) let it sit in the rain with the sunroof open. You might consider cracking the sunroof for some fresh air and setting a 70 liter (basement) dehumidifier in there for a couple of days, you’ll be amazed how much water it will pull out for you, even after you think you got it all.

All in all, for a vehicle that starts and drives, $1200 isn’t a terrible price Soni really don’t think you did toooo bad there.


Sent from my iPhone using Xoutpost.com

[c-bass]

Originally Posted by Purplefade

OMG - that is almost unbelievable! I say almost because I bought and restored a 1968 Mustang that actually was in a bit worse condition... but come on, at least it was 50+ years old and had been stored in a barn... WOW!

I commend your commitment to getting it road worthy, wish you all of the best luck getting it back together and very much look forward to seeing the final results

With so much water, I’m inclined to say blocked sunroof vents at a minimum and very likely someone (probably) let it sit in the rain with the sunroof open. You might consider cracking the sunroof for some fresh air and setting a 70 liter (basement) dehumidifier in there for a couple of days, you’ll be amazed how much water it will pull out for you, even after you think you got it all.

All in all, for a vehicle that starts and drives, $1200 isn’t a terrible price Soni really don’t think you did toooo bad there.


Sent from my iPhone using Xoutpost.com

I have a soft spot for neglected cars, which is a terrible habit to have, but I totally agree that $1200 for a running and driving "truck" isn't bad by any brand name.

I eventually managed to get everything dry but the dehumidifier is a good idea. I recently purchased a 70 pint for the house.

[Bdc101]

Originally Posted by c-bass

I have a soft spot for neglected cars, which is a terrible habit to have, but I totally agree that $1200 for a running and driving "truck" isn't bad by any brand name.

This is more than a soft spot. You have a problem.


But seriously, good on you for saving an old car. This would have been headed straight to the junkyard if not for people like you.

[c-bass]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

This is more than a soft spot. You have a problem.


But seriously, good on you for saving an old car. This would have been headed straight to the junkyard if not for people like you.

I figured it's got relatively low KM and no rust on anything major so it's definitely got a few years of life in it.

Here in Ontario they use salt on the roads during winter so anything that doesn't have holes in the floor or rocker is a "solid" car

[bmw540san]

I've been messing with BMW's pushing on 20 years now but I haven's seen one in this bad / nasty condition yet.
I understand that $1200 can be considered a deal for this X5 but after seeing all of this, I don't think it's worth it considering the effort it has to be put in.
But that is just my opinion and hats off to PO and I trully hope he gets her back in decent condition.