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And the car saga continues...advice for those who have experience needed

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mrs.melton08

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So we got the problem fixed for the leak (it was a sunroof drainage block)

But they are saying I need to replace the carpet (there was actually a seed that had planted and begin to grow in the carpeting...yes there were actual weeds growing in the carpet). They are quoting me $400-$500 for the new carpet (mainly for the labor that comes from taking out the seats, console, etc)

Does anyone know a good and cheaper place to get the carpet replaced?

thanks
 
No, no. A good disinfecting clean will do it.

Go to a good hand wash car place and tell them you want deodorization and disinfection. Will be MUCH cheaper.

They can clean anything, they got 10+ years of smoke smell out of my mom's van in ONE TRY when she quit smoking.

If the carpeting has pulled up and is completely unglued, then take it to a "car customs" place or a body shop, they will reglue it for you.

PS - If this was a warranty issue with the sunroof, they should be replacing the carpeting for free! What manu is your car?
 
skincarekathy said:
No, no. A good disinfecting clean will do it.

Go to a good hand wash car place and tell them you want deodorization and disinfection. Will be MUCH cheaper.

They can clean anything, they got 10+ years of smoke smell out of my mom's van in ONE TRY when she quit smoking.

If the carpeting has pulled up and is completely unglued, then take it to a "car customs" place or a body shop, they will reglue it for you.

PS - If this was a warranty issue with the sunroof, they should be replacing the carpeting for free! What manu is your car?
Click to expand...

It was just out of warranty (I just hit 36K miles and the warranty ends at 35K) Still has powertrain and stuff, but this is different.

He is talking about the fact that there was standing water in the car and the backing not being able to dry on its own easily and then mentioned the possiblity of it rusting.

Now the standing water was just in the drivers front side. The drivers back side was wet, but not standing water...the passenger was wet, but not nearly as much.

It is not the cleaning, but the drying that is the issue I guess.

Is the place you mentioned a franchise? do they have multiple locations.
 
Yeah, the glenwood one is only about 20 minutes away...we were thinking of trying that.

The smell is not the issue it is the full drying of the carpet that I guess we are worried about. But the standing water was only on the one side so I guess this should work.

I think we let the shop guy scare us...lol

ETA: for $50 we will give them a try first...would rather spend $50 and get it fixed, with the possibility of spening $500 later than just spend the $500 never knowing if the $50 would have done it
 
Sit it out in the sun on a hot day with the doors open?

I have used our home steam cleaner on the carpet in the car before and left the doors shut and it did smell mildewy after a couple of days.

Since then, I try to do it on hot days and leave doors open.
 
Once the water is removed there will be no rust. That guy talking to you is pissing me off, wanna know why? When they get the carpet off, they will show you some scary oxidation (which is nothing) and tell you, "OOh, this is bad, now we need to "rustproof" it before we put the carpet back in....." $$$$

No, look for a privately-owned hand car wash place. They are pretty much everywhere, usually in quote-unquote poorer neighborhoods. If you want a chain place, Fuller's is a good chain (but will be more expensive).

For an auto body shop also look for privately owned places.

PS - If the sunroof came with the car, I would get on the phone to whichever manu it is and raise a hella noise. This is a clear manufacturing defect and the costs associated with it should be covered. If they get stubborn, say you can always make a claim with your insurance co (this would be under COMPREHENSIVE) and let the insurance company lawyers make the manu pay for it. They know either way they will pay. Comprehensive claim typically does not raise the rates for your insurance (as long as you don't make a habit of filing them).

Good luck!
 
1,000 miles over the warranty? I'd be having a FIT with the manufacturer.

The transmission went out on our Durango 2,000 miles over the warranty & Dodge ended up covering the entire cost to replace it.
 
I got all worked up and was ready to fight it, but then I saw it was 36,000 or 36 months. The car is 4 years old (2008), so they fully have it on the months thing. I bought it used 3 years ago this month...do you think it is still worth the fight?
 
I bought a car from a dealer that actually was the daughter's. She would get a new car every three months. It had a sun roof and leaked. I assumed it was factory...it wasn't. I didn't have major water damage, but the material was coming off. They were able to fix everything, but this was many years ago. Having two cars that are well out of warranty I try to fix a little at a time instead of putting too much time and energy into them.
 
Me personally....I would find a way to put a dehumidifyer in it. Close all the windows and doors....run the extention cord out the window and close it as tight as you can....turn the puppy on "high" and let it run. It will be as dry as a bone. Of course you will have to build a platform for it to sit on because they have to be level. We did this when our sunroof did the same thing...we had puddles in the car too and it worked like a charm. HTH
 
If it was me, I would let it dry out naturally, do not spend any money.

If you feel the need to address the situation then I would pull the seats, easy peasy to do. Usually it will be about 4-5 bolts (and a connector if they are electric). Rent a rug doctor and steam vac the heck out of it. Then let it air dry in a garage for a day with fans on it (in the sun is better) with all doors and windows open is better but remember to disconnect the battery's negative terminal first. The sheet metal of modern cars are dipped in zinc as a rust inhibitor so the concern about that is minimal due to the age of the vehicle.

Your car's carpet generally does not have a pad, so it will dry quickly.
 
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