[boblamb58]

Today I got side swiped. Idiot had his LEFT friggin turn signal on, I went to pass him and he turned RIGHT into me as i was passing him. And he took off. Now I have a foot long crease in the door. To add to that, I somehow managed to get a whole lot of water in the car on the driver side, and no matter how much I try to soak it up I still keep getting wet rags off the floor. And it stinks to high heaven every time I get in the car after the windows have been closed for a while. I don't recall leaving a window open during a rain storm, but I suppose it's possible.

Any ideas on what to do to dry it out? Water seems to be right under my feet as well as in the rear well.

 

[xbinrochester]

Any ideas on what to do to dry it out? Water seems to be right under my feet as well as in the rear well.

I would try to Wet Vac as much as the water out of the carpet as I could.

 

[azn6915]

Any ideas on what to do to dry it out? Water seems to be right under my feet as well as in the rear well.

I would try to Wet Vac as much as the water out of the carpet as I could.

+1 that would be your best bet.

 

[Parkers09xB]

I'm sorry.

 

[ganderson08]

i know it sounds weird but put uncooked rice on the floor leave it there for a couple of hours then shop vac it, rice is very good at absorbing moisture.

 

[Clay]

See if there is a rubber drain plug under the carpet, when my Camry was soaked I removed it to help drain most of the water then drying was a lot faster.

 

[Toasted7]

+1 on the uncooked rice. Get the cheapest white rice you can find and put that in there. As weird as it sounds, it actually works. I have a friend that got her cell phone dunked in some water, I had her put it in a zip-lock bag with uncooked rice in it.. the phone now works like a champ.

 

[TrevorS]

Today I got side swiped. Idiot had his LEFT friggin turn signal on, I went to pass him and he turned RIGHT into me as i was passing him. And he took off. Now I have a foot long crease in the door. To add to that, I somehow managed to get a whole lot of water in the car on the driver side, and no matter how much I try to soak it up I still keep getting wet rags off the floor. And it stinks to high heaven every time I get in the car after the windows have been closed for a while. I don't recall leaving a window open during a rain storm, but I suppose it's possible.

Darn, that's pretty awful ! No license plate number I guess .

I would expect to have to pull up or at least prop up the carpet and padding and combine hand mopping with heat gun drying to get the interior fully dry again. The carpet and pad would probably be best left out of the car to dry -- it'll take several days (especially the pad).

I used to frequently leave my Eclipse windows open to prevent heat build up and would sometimes get rain water inside. I now use window vent visors and they solve the problem nicely !

 

[RedDragons]

Pull out your seats, center console, let your carpet/padding sit in the sun outside until its good and dried. Wipe down your floors and soak up any residual water. You can try to do other methods but this will work the best.

To remove the seats its 4 bolts on each seat, a couple of screws hold the center console in and the shifter console pops apart plus a few screws.

Thats really crappy what happened and I feel your pain.

Good luck! is your insurance going to cover the damage to the door?

 

[boblamb58]

OK, seat's out, carpet is pulled back to expose the underside. The foam-rubber pad under the driver was soaked, and the matting under the rear was soaked as well. There is some padding under a few styrofoam pieces in the footwell that have padded backing, those were wet too. At the moment I have some good sunshine shining down right onto the wet parts.

No license plate, not going to go through insurance, unless it runs me more than $500. The only thing so far that I have found to be really bad (besides it looking like crap) is the door must have pulled away from the frame just a tiny bit. I get more wind noise at highway speed.

 

[RedDragons]

Depending on the amount of damage it will probably be more than 500 with paint.. unless you got a hookup at a body shop.

You definately will want to get that carpet dried out asap, even if its putting it in your garage with a heat lamp (not close to it as you dont want to melt it or set on fire). It will begin to smell really bad and you may get mold.

As far as the door being pulled out some you may be able to tweak it back into place with the help of a friend. I know in my shop one of our former installers backed a car out with the passenger door open (he was an idiot) and we were able to get the door straightened back out and you couldnt even tell the difference after.

 

[boblamb58]

Depending on the amount of damage it will probably be more than 500 with paint.. unless you got a hookup at a body shop.

Oh well. We'll see. I do know a guy who works in a body shop.

You definately will want to get that carpet dried out asap, even if its putting it in your garage with a heat lamp (not close to it as you dont want to melt it or set on fire). It will begin to smell really bad and you may get mold.

Garage. You funny guy.. I am now sitting in what once was my garage, but is now an interior room. The carpet itself is actually dry, it's the backing that is all wet. The one piece that smells the worst is the foam-rubber-ish piece under the front. I put it in my dryer for about 2 hours earlier and got it nearly dry. I got most of the water out of the rear. I had no choice but to reassemble my car as it is. It's pouring rain out, and I need the car to cart around kids. After today I need it for work.

As far as the door being pulled out some you may be able to tweak it back into place with the help of a friend. I know in my shop one of our former installers backed a car out with the passenger door open (he was an idiot) and we were able to get the door straightened back out and you couldnt even tell the difference after.

That's heartening to know. I doubt it'll need much. Once the ding is popped out it may go back on it's own anyway.

 

[scion]

Did the water problem happen before or after the accident?

 

[boblamb58]

It was about a week before. I am hoping that the acident doesn't make it worse. I'll know after today.

 

[kmand83]

if you are noticing a leak around the top of the door after the accident there is a way that you can fix it without too much work on your part. Just takes a little muscle. I had this happen on my S10 but more from having a V8 and not accident induced.

First take a piece of paper and close it in the door. Move it around until you can slide the sheet of paper easily then you have found your spot.

Next open the door and brace it with your knee. Then take both hands on and around the area that the seal is separated and give a few good tugs. This sounds barbaric but it does work for small warping..

Also, Sorry to hear about one Shatty incident after another....

 

[chief52]

You can try Damp Rid (available at Lowes, Home depot, walmart). Here in FLA many use it in their homes and boats to keep down dampness and prevent mold--will really help with the odor too. Come in a tub (like a gal of ice cream size) you pop the top and that is all there is to it.

 

[boblamb58]

Damp-rid! Never heard of it, but thanks for the info. I will look for it.

Well, I had it dry, now it's getting wet again. I am fairly certain it's not from the accident.I have a funny feeling it's coming from above my lower legs, out of the dash somewhere. Is there a drain up in there that could be plugged?

Got one estimate.. $1500-2000! Yikes. Guy said it's bent to the "crash bar" inside the door. Needs a new door skin and fender. And of course, paint.

On the bright side, I did manage to get most of the white paint off. Goo-Gone, wax and elbow grease. You can't even tell now if you stand far enough away.

Oh, and I got rid of the wind noise. Rolled up towel at the bottom of the door, a good shove and now it's as quiet as before.

 

[TrevorS]

Does the water have any particular color or odor to it? Did it first show up after you started running the A/C or something of that nature?

 

[lmd1125]

Ouch sorry about the accident!!! Hope you weren't hurt but too bad your xB was hurt!!! Hope you get everything worked out!!!

 

[boblamb58]

Not hurt at all this time. Been there done that, still a little sore from it. (early January).

Smells horrible.. almost like cat pee. It's from the foam rubber piece under the front carpet. Funny thing is, the water itself has no noticeable odor. I had it pretty much all dried out a few days ago. I have an appointment at the dealer tomorrow. They better not tell me it's because of the door. I'll freak out on them.

AC.. I ran the defroster yesterday, and the AC for a little while then and today. Isn't the drain for that on the passenger side?