My poor Corolla.... Help? :(

[SweetCaroline]

I will post a pic soon, I took one on my iPhone but unfortunately that got wet too....... So as soon as it comes back alive, the pic will be up.

I live in the city and basically I woke up to my awesome (no sarcasm) landlord banging on my door telling me to move my car because the street was flooded. I run outside and there's water covering 3/4 of the wheels. I moved the car into the driveway and scooped out like 90% of the water that got inside. That's when my stupid iPhone got ruined, I had it in my back pocket and it was raining pretty hard. Anyways, obviously the car is gonna smell ridiculous and will most likely rust underneath and inside. In 2008, I lost a Saab (it was totaled) due to water damage caused by flooding from Hurricane Ike. Two weeks ago, my 2006 Civic was flooded pretty bad due to rain/flooding from Hurricane Irene. Now, this happens.... I've only had the car two weeks.

Is there any type of product I can buy and use inside the car to prevent that gross wet towel smell? What should I do from here? I'm lost.

[anomaly]

first. i would move to a place that doesn't flood... (3 cars ruined? thats insane!)

then you could take out your seats and lift up your carpet wash it and let it dry out before reinstalling it.

if the water was really dirty maybe you could buy new carpet from the dealer?

[SweetCaroline]

Originally Posted by anomaly

first. i would move to a place that doesn't flood... (3 cars ruined? thats insane!)

then you could take out your seats and lift up your carpet wash it and let it dry out before reinstalling it.

if the water was really dirty maybe you could buy new carpet from the dealer?

I am looking for a new place right now, actually. This is ridiculous! It stopped raining, it's just ugly outside now. Do you think I can go to a regular carwash and wash the carpets and vacuum with the regular carwash vacuum? Or will I get electrocuted or something?

[anomaly]

Originally Posted by SweetCaroline

I am looking for a new place right now, actually. This is ridiculous! It stopped raining, it's just ugly outside now. Do you think I can go to a regular carwash and wash the carpets and vacuum with the regular carwash vacuum? Or will I get electrocuted or something?

thats actually how i clean my floor mats. so i don't see why it wouldn't work. those vacuums are for wet/dry use. and it they aren't... thats a pretty stupid move on the owner of the car wash. lol

[FlawedLegacy]

wow, that is INSANE!! Febreze the CRAP outa that sucker before and after cleaning the carpet/etc!

[TFCommanderBob]

I wouldn't wash/dry the carpet completely out. It won't dry to the exact same shape and will be a pain to put back in. I learned that on wheeler dealers Anyone ever see that show before?

I would definitely vacuum it and try and get the underside away from the floor a little to let it air out with something holding it up a bit

[diablo2184]

sorry to hear that. but I would park somewhere else if possible or move lol. Third time's a charm right?

clean it with the wet vac and see if you can get as much moisture out as possible. if its starts to smell bad, get some quotes from auto detailers with good reputations. Air out the car as long as you can, as many days as you can, and take the floor mats out too

[dagone12]

Ugh... Last week it was raining A LOT where I work and due to the construction around the area, the drainage system is all jacked up. I noticed how bad the water was raising outside and ran to my car and saw that the water was up to the side skirts already!! I borrowed some rain boots and moved my car to higher ground. It was a close call and I cant even imagine the anguish if water had come inside . I got lucky I had just happened to check outside : /

[anomaly]

not sure how dirty the water was but take my advice if you dont want your car to smell like what ever was in that water.

trust me... 7 yrs of detailing exp. here. if you dont take the carpet out and clean the inside of your car out (underneath the carpet) it will smell like nasty stuff for the life of your car and the only way to fix it will be to replace the carpet.... and not to mention all the wires and connections that my have gotten wet may corrode or rust.

you dont know how many ppl came to us like weeks or months later after spilling a gallon of milk or leaving their windows open after a monsoon and said. "can you get the smell out". we would tell them every time "more than likely... no, but we can try for $100 if you want us to"

the major factor here is you cant get the vacuum to suck stuff up thats in creases and cavities from the metal forming under the carpet. you can suck all day long and you will only get a percentage of it up.

if the water was pretty clear or just muddy you might be able to get away with heavy vacuuming and running the car with the windows slightly cracked and the heater on full blast for many hrs to dry the remaining water up.

[SweetCaroline]

Originally Posted by FlawedLegacy

wow, that is INSANE!! Febreze the CRAP outa that sucker before and after cleaning the carpet/etc!

I bought something called Febreze Auto and it smells nice, it's not an exaggerated "springtime fresh" or anything like that. It just smells clean and fresh. I used a LOT, lol.

Originally Posted by diablo2184

sorry to hear that. but I would park somewhere else if possible or move lol. Third time's a charm right?

clean it with the wet vac and see if you can get as much moisture out as possible. if its starts to smell bad, get some quotes from auto detailers with good reputations. Air out the car as long as you can, as many days as you can, and take the floor mats out too

I've been apartment hunting all day, this is ridiculous and I am definitely moving. I went to Sears and bought a wet vac. I did it once, waited an hour, then did it again. Seems to me like most of the water is out but I will continue vacuuming it over the next few days just in case. It started raining again, though. It's supposed to be nice again Saturday so we shall see.

As for the floor mats, I took them out and let them air dry. I left the driver's side mat out (forgot to put it back) and when I came back outside an hour later, someone had stolen it

Originally Posted by anomaly

not sure how dirty the water was but take my advice if you dont want your car to smell like what ever was in that water.

trust me... 7 yrs of detailing exp. here. if you dont take the carpet out and clean the inside of your car out (underneath the carpet) it will smell like nasty stuff for the life of your car and the only way to fix it will be to replace the carpet.... and not to mention all the wires and connections that my have gotten wet may corrode or rust.

you dont know how many ppl came to us like weeks or months later after spilling a gallon of milk or leaving their windows open after a monsoon and said. "can you get the smell out". we would tell them every time "more than likely... no, but we can try for $100 if you want us to"

the major factor here is you cant get the vacuum to suck stuff up thats in creases and cavities from the metal forming under the carpet. you can suck all day long and you will only get a percentage of it up.

if the water was pretty clear or just muddy you might be able to get away with heavy vacuuming and running the car with the windows slightly cracked and the heater on full blast for many hrs to dry the remaining water up.

When I sucked the water out with the wet vac, it wasn't all that dirty. It was still pretty clear. I don't think there was a lot of dirt in the road. Last week(ish) our street was washed by the city to clean out all of the debris left by Hurricane Irene.

Earlier when I was running errands I drove with the windows and sunroof cracked and heat on blast. I hope I don't run into the issues that you mentioned.

[speedy25]

Anomaly had the best answer so far. Fabreze is just a cover up scent.

Get a dehumidifier and run it in the car. You need to get as much moisture out as you can. Using the wet vac is a good start. Find a carpet/upholstery professional to clean after its dried out for a while to remove the rest of the dirty crud.

-SP

[joeylgarcia]

i dont want to sound negative or anything but i just want to ask you if you're finances are good? save your time and effort. save your money buying this and that. just go to your dealer, ask for a quote and have them replace what ever got wet. if your dealer wont do it, find a good company who specializes in water damage cleaning and repair.

i have seen the same situation years ago. the insides of the car rusted and rotted faster than the outsides because the repair done to the water damage was inaccurate. its your call, its your car, its your money. save your 2 week old car.

[MAToyotaSales]

Originally Posted by SweetCaroline

I am looking for a new place right now, actually. This is ridiculous! It stopped raining, it's just ugly outside now. Do you think I can go to a regular carwash and wash the carpets and vacuum with the regular carwash vacuum? Or will I get electrocuted or something?

I hate this rain too!!! Although the sun is out now....do you live in the peabody area (very flood prone downtown..)?? If so hello neighbor

Shouldn't your insurance cover flood damage??? If you can't get the stink out....I can sell you a new one (kidding).

Good luck!

[jkowalski]

Obviously, dry it out. If you do get a smell later on, all is not lost.
Find a tool rental place that has an ozone generator. (Also might be called ozone machine, etc)

What you would have to do is run an extension cord to your car, put the ozone machine in the vehicle (set the generator on like a cardboard surface, if you want, just so it's less likely to make indentations in the seat. I didn't do this, and there was no harm done. It sat directly on my back seat). Close up all the windows and doors. I put my HVAC system into the "recirc" position, as well. (The idea is to "close off" the car to the outside)
How long to let the ozone machine run depends on how "strong" the machine is. I bought a fairly strong machine (2,000 mg/hr), and let it run for about 7 hours. It was probably way overkill, but, I was dealing with the smell of cat urine, and wanted it gone.
NOTE: OZONE IS DANGEROUS IF BREATHED IN ABNORMALLY HIGH DOSES. (SUCH AS, THOSE PRODUCED PER THESE INSTRUCTIONS) ANYTIME YOU USE AN OZONE MACHINE THAT PRODUCES SUCH A SITUATION, LET THE ROOM/VEHICLE/ETC AIR OUT BEFORE RE-OCCUPYING.
After running the machine, unplug the extension cord. Go to your car, open the doors, and let it initially air out for a few minutes at least. Than, basically, I'd roll down the windows a bit, undo the extension cord, and let the car air out for SEVERAL HOURS before even thinking about driving it.

As long as you are safe, there really is no harm in this. Like I said, I used it on my 2009 Corolla that I was dealing with a cat urine smell. I'd tried Febreeze, I'd properly used a specially formulated cat urine smell remover (twice), I'd shampooed the entire interior several times. This was the only thing that worked.

My friends dad borrowed my machine to deodorize a customers basement after a sewage drainage like broke in it. (Nothing like the smell of crap). The smell was so horrible I could hardly spend more than a few minutes in their basement, now, the smell is totally gone.
So, believe me, it works.

You -might- be able to find some car places that offer such a service.

[SweetCaroline]

Originally Posted by MAToyotaSales

I hate this rain too!!! Although the sun is out now....do you live in the peabody area (very flood prone downtown..)?? If so hello neighbor

Shouldn't your insurance cover flood damage??? If you can't get the stink out....I can sell you a new one (kidding).

Good luck!

I'm in Worcester, but hello state neighbor, lol! Luckily, I haven't noticed a foul smell at all.. I think I cleaned it quick enough that nothing got damaged and hopefully the water was only on the surface and didn't have time to absorb into wherever it is that it wasn't supposed to go. *Fingers crossed* I'm gonna use the wet vac again tomorrow just in case!

Originally Posted by jkowalski

Obviously, dry it out. If you do get a smell later on, all is not lost.
Find a tool rental place that has an ozone generator. (Also might be called ozone machine, etc)

What you would have to do is run an extension cord to your car, put the ozone machine in the vehicle (set the generator on like a cardboard surface, if you want, just so it's less likely to make indentations in the seat. I didn't do this, and there was no harm done. It sat directly on my back seat). Close up all the windows and doors. I put my HVAC system into the "recirc" position, as well. (The idea is to "close off" the car to the outside)
How long to let the ozone machine run depends on how "strong" the machine is. I bought a fairly strong machine (2,000 mg/hr), and let it run for about 7 hours. It was probably way overkill, but, I was dealing with the smell of cat urine, and wanted it gone.
NOTE: OZONE IS DANGEROUS IF BREATHED IN ABNORMALLY HIGH DOSES. (SUCH AS, THOSE PRODUCED PER THESE INSTRUCTIONS) ANYTIME YOU USE AN OZONE MACHINE THAT PRODUCES SUCH A SITUATION, LET THE ROOM/VEHICLE/ETC AIR OUT BEFORE RE-OCCUPYING.
After running the machine, unplug the extension cord. Go to your car, open the doors, and let it initially air out for a few minutes at least. Than, basically, I'd roll down the windows a bit, undo the extension cord, and let the car air out for SEVERAL HOURS before even thinking about driving it.

As long as you are safe, there really is no harm in this. Like I said, I used it on my 2009 Corolla that I was dealing with a cat urine smell. I'd tried Febreeze, I'd properly used a specially formulated cat urine smell remover (twice), I'd shampooed the entire interior several times. This was the only thing that worked.

My friends dad borrowed my machine to deodorize a customers basement after a sewage drainage like broke in it. (Nothing like the smell of crap). The smell was so horrible I could hardly spend more than a few minutes in their basement, now, the smell is totally gone.
So, believe me, it works.

You -might- be able to find some car places that offer such a service.

If I notice a strong enough smell, I'll probably look into a place that offers this service. I wouldn't risk doing it at home because I'm almost 9 months pregnant and I'd want to be sure the smell/chemicals were completely gone before getting back in the car. It's been a few hours, though, and I haven't noticed a smell at all. Hopefully it stays that way! Thank you for the input though, very helpful.