Bad News...

It has been so hot lately, so when I parked my car today I left the drivers window down. The sprinklers had already gone on, so I wasn't worried about my car getting wet. I went back out to my car a while later and the inside was soaked!!! The sprinklers went off again!! I am so mad at myself right now. I hope that there is no permanent damage. The cupholders had about an inch of water and some of the other compartments had more. The seats were soaked and so was the carpet. I took out the mats to dry in the sun. Tonight, I think I am going to put the car in the garage w/ the windows down and the garage door open a little (there has been a lot of dew here lately and I do not want more water to get in). If anyone has any suggestions about how to get it to dry out faster or if this has happened to you please tell me what you did/ would do. Thanks.

here are some pix of the damage before I wiped anything up...






(That water is on the INSIDE of the glass!)

Oh, that really sucks. I would go to the carwash with those car vacuums and try to suck out as much of the water you can from the carpet and seats. Then use a box fan or something powerful and have it blowing the interior over night. That way you chances of you getting mold is less likely.

yah that's exactly what I did. the fan is on it right now. Thanks. I will probably put some antimicrobial febreeze on it tomorrow morning to kill any potential mold.

How about using a dehumidifier in the garage with the car's windows open?
We use one in our basement and it sucks a lot of water out of the air, so I was thinking it might be able to pull some of that water out of your car interior.
If you don't own a dehumidifier, maybe you could borrow or rent one.

That's a good idea Gairwyn. I don't have one or know anyone who has one (I live in SoCal). It's been really hot lately though and it dried out a lot last night. I'm sure it will be almost dry, if not all the way dry by tonight.

Mine got left our with the window partially down in an all-night rainstorm not too long ago. Vacuum the water up as best you can, then put as big a fan as you can find in blowing on the seats and carpet (2 if possible). Set the done lights to off and leave the doors open to allow for airflow. Obviously, this works best in the garage for security and the convenience of nearby plugs. Since you live in a hot place, park int he sun or on top of the parking garage for a day or two to allow for evaporation. So far, it's been a month or so and I have no obvious mold/ mildew or malodorous smell. I used some Febreeze after a few days and my HCH II is good as new. Hope this helps.

Mike

Also, try to limit use of electronics until it has had a chance to dry out really good. Liquid is the bane of electronic circuits. Try not pushing ANY buttons for a while.

Steve

STOP terrorism - Drive a HYBRID

Vehicles:
350 miles a week ------------ 2006 HCH II, Magnetic Pearl, w/NAVI (born on May 25, 2006)
350 miles a month ---------- 2003 Mazda Tribute ES-V6
350 miles a year (for now) - 1986 Mercedes 560SL

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I have left it out all day (while I was at the beach ) in the heat with the windows down and it is almost dry. Thanks for all your suggestions. I will use my garmin navigation system mp3 player instead of my radio and I won't push any buttons for a few days (except maybe the windows or air).

If anyone is reading this in the future and this has happened to you, do exactly what was recommended here. It really works. (and don't forget to turn off your courtesy light like Mike said... you wouldn't want a wet HCH and a dead battery!)

Sorry to hear. I hope everything turns out as good as new.

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

I would put a container of Drizair in vehicle,Can get this at marine shops,it draws moisture to it and you manually empty it. Hope this helps!!