I left my sunroof open ALL weekend

[AMDZen]

So you can afford a car like that but not a garage to keep it in? Threads are full of fail today

 

[rh71]

poor bimmer... 🙁

I've left my sunroof open a few times during rain on my Rodeo... cloth seats too... luckily there's no lingering smells, etc. and it's not an electronic nightmare like bimmers are.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
So you can afford a car like that but not a garage to keep it in? Threads are full of fail today

People who have money can still be frugal or picky about what they spend on. People who have nice things don't necessarily pay for them [in full]. Way too many assumptions. It's funny people "who can afford _____" never use statements like this against others.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: NFS4
James Bond you are not

To be honest, Bond usually demolishes a car or two in every film. :laugh:

Not by leaving the sunroof open.

Aha! Thanks for the suggestion! We were looking for new ways to move the same old tired plot along.

*scribbles*

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
So you can afford a car like that but not a garage to keep it in? Threads are full of fail today

😕

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

i wouldn't run the heater any more than i would need to because that will help the mold/mildew. it'll be warm and humid inside the car. a perfect combination for mold and mildew.

Not if he runs the A/C with the heater. Then it will be hot and dry, which is ideal for removing moisture.[/quote]

presumably the moisture leaves the seats and goes into the air as humidity. the air coming out of the vents may be relatively dry, but it's joining a sea.

edit: front window defroster doesn't do anything other than divert a/c'd air from the regular vents. it'll turn on the compressor if a/c isn't selected.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: James Bond

Originally posted by: AMDZen
So you can afford a car like that but not a garage to keep it in? Threads are full of fail today

😕

Yes. It IS a shame you don't have some cheap, poorly fabricated mcmansion bought during the housing bubble so not only will your car be under water!

Back on topic, shop vac is critical. And I like how it's snowing in the pics. Must be frustrating trying to dry something out when it's that crappy outside. Are you as sick of winter as me?

I think that you're blessed that this happened in the winter, though. If this were mid-summer, you'd already have mold and all sorts of botanical insanity growing under the carpets, no matter what you tried. You've actually got a decent opportunity to suck out as much water, dehumidify and drive around with the AC on and the heat up for a few days to get most of the moisture out of the car without spending $500 to have someone else do it. Just pray that it doesn't go below freezing overnight. Your passengers might have trouble getting out of the car.

If it warms up a bit and you see condensation on the inside, you know there's still quite a bit of moisture still inside the car. I might suggest, in a few days when you believe you've removed all the water, run the heat without the OC and see if humidity builds up inside. If it does, you know you have more water lurking in there and you might want to consider pulling the carpet at that point.

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: nerp

Originally posted by: James Bond

Originally posted by: AMDZen
So you can afford a car like that but not a garage to keep it in? Threads are full of fail today

😕

Yes. It IS a shame you don't have some cheap, poorly fabricated mcmansion bought during the housing bubble so not only will your car be under water!

Back on topic, shop vac is critical. And I like how it's snowing in the pics. Must be frustrating trying to dry something out when it's that crappy outside. Are you as sick of winter as me?

I think that you're blessed that this happened in the winter, though. If this were mid-summer, you'd already have mold and all sorts of botanical insanity growing under the carpets, no matter what you tried. You've actually got a decent opportunity to suck out as much water, dehumidify and drive around with the AC on and the heat up for a few days to get most of the moisture out of the car without spending $500 to have someone else do it. Just pray that it doesn't go below freezing overnight. Your passengers might have trouble getting out of the car.

If it warms up a bit and you see condensation on the inside, you know there's still quite a bit of moisture still inside the car. I might suggest, in a few days when you believe you've removed all the water, run the heat without the OC and see if humidity builds up inside. If it does, you know you have more water lurking in there and you might want to consider pulling the carpet at that point.

Yeah, it's really annoying because every time I open my door to check on the car tons of snow flies in. I hate winter!

I left work about an hour ago. I had spent all morning trying to get it dried but it's one of those things that completely ruin any concentration I have... I imagine it's like having a sick child at home. The snow on the roads got to the point that I had to leave work - my car has enough trouble in the snow, and with the electrical on my DSC not fully working, I didn't feel safe.

I just dropped the car off at my favorite detailer. The guy I showed it to was surprised with how good it looked - he was expecting worse. He is going to get started on it right away and will take care of it over night :brokenheart:

 

[Baked]

James Bond drives Aston Martin, you're a pretender and cock.

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: RichUK

Originally posted by: James Bond

Originally posted by: RichUK
Do you have any intention of taking the car to a dealer to seek some advice, or are you trying to sort this purely by yourself?

I just want to do whatever it takes to fix this as best I can. My insurance will cover this if they need to, so money is really no object.

Depending on how bad the water damage is, and if you feel up to the task, you can remove the front seats (which is really simple) and then remove the entire carpet as it comes as a single moulded piece. Once removed you can clean and dry the carpet properly.

With regards to the leather seats, you can only let them dry and hope the leather doesn?t ripple too much ? mine were fucked when it happened to me. Perhaps it would be a good idea to speak to a specialist regarding the damaged leather.

Or, you could just go to the dealer and they will pretty much do the same thing, though they may replace the carpet depending on how bad it is.

Personally, I?d just go through the insurance/dealer as I?m too lazy.

I wouldn?t worry about mold, etc at this stage. Perhaps if you left the car for a couple of months.

Arg that's exactly what I'm afraid of. The ripplage has already begun to take place - it looks like they used 20% too much leather on the seats. Luckily the upright area and headrests didn't get hit badly. I can just imagine all that water sitting there for hours on end, ugh.

 

[LtPage1]

Poor ZHP. 🙁

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: Nik
I drive a '95 Corsica. Your car looks fine. :roll:

You too? Mine comes with noggahide bucket seats and Maxwell House package options. I had water repellent applied at the sunroof level, even if it's opened, water would just levitate at the opening and falls off when I drive away.

 

[Q]

That's what you get for driving a Beemer, Bond always drives an Aston Martin...tsk tsk

 

[oogabooga]

A lotta hate in this thread.

From the pictures it doesn't look too bad. I don't know what I was expecting, but given what you described I thought it'd be really bad. I don't really have anything to contribute to help prevent more damage since I've never ran into that before, but good luck.

 

[roid450]

Drive it like u stole it OP :thumbsup:

 

[jiggahertz]

This morning when I left for work there was 4" of snow on the ground and I realized I left my sun roof open since it was 60+ on Sunday. Luckily, the car was parked in my garage.

 

[0roo0roo]

all that money, and bmw doesn't include a rain detection system😛

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
all that money, and bmw doesn't include a rain detection system😛

haha. that's actually a good point. but i guess that would drain the battery.

also, sorry OP. you might be screwed

 

[sjwaste]

Would some dessicant bricks/canisters help along w/ the dehumidifier?

Second on the shop vac too. Just make sure it's wet/dry.

If you know how to disassemble your interior, that's the best bet. Take the seats out, then the carpet, and let them sit in the sun. (Obligatory "Just make sure it doesn't rain again" joke here).

This could happen very easily, I've left my sunroof open and gotten lucky. The flamefest is childish.

 

[pontifex]

haha, expensive car + stupid person = funny

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: maziwanka

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
all that money, and bmw doesn't include a rain detection system😛

haha. that's actually a good point. but i guess that would drain the battery.

also, sorry OP. you might be screwed

Good point on the rain detection closing the moonroof automatically - it already does wipers so this can't be hard. But of course it should only work when the vehicle is on. That's how most electronics work. Already lots of battery drain issues on the forum I'm on.

 

[0roo0roo]

still, it should default to automatically shutting on engine off. the whole point of a luxury car is they think of things like this.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
still, it should default to automatically shutting on engine off. the whole point of a luxury car is they think of things like this.

When I went for my test drive, I commented on how I expected a lot more... gadgets all over the place, buttons all over the interior, but the dealer said BMW is about the driving experience. What other goodies you get is just a bonus (and the real goodies like night vision and active cruise for traffic, if available on that model, cost - a lot). They are not Lexus/Audi. Compromise for every company. I still think the 3-series interiors could be a lot better though.

BTW, shutting the moonroof on engine off could be very annoying. Maybe an idrive option, but not a default.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: TuxDave

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: TuxDave

Originally posted by: Kaido
Note to self: Never get a car with a sunroof :Q

Only if you're the type to forget to close it when you leave the car.

Yeah but it's an honest mistake, anyone can do it!

I dunno but to me, having your sunroof open after parking is as unbelievable as leaving your car doors open. I'm refraining as much as I can from making further comments but it's simply mind boggling.

sounds very believable, and i've done it several times

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
still, it should default to automatically shutting on engine off. the whole point of a luxury car is they think of things like this.

What if you're parking on a lovely summer day and plan on eating some take out or smoke a J next to the lake? Would be annoying to have to wrestle with the automation.

The solution to auto-close/battery drain is a small solar panel somewhere on the body to power accessory devices. VW employed this technique to run standby AC/heat with the now-defunct Phaeton so you could enjoy a climate controlled interior and warmed/cooled seats depending on the season.