Moldy Vehicle Interior

[SatinSilver]

Maybe a mold remediation company can treat it and be covered under comprehensive auto insurance. The first thing the cleaning company will probably do is spray everything down with their mold killer solution, then clean and dry the haites out of it based on my experience with a basement that flooded a few times. Let's put it this way, if it went to copart right now it would be labeled as biohazard.

 

[PandaBear]

Will insurance cover this? It looks like a maintenance and condition issue. I would think it is easier to look for replacement used seat and new flooring, head liner etc.

 

[Crash Bandicoot]

Will insurance cover this? It looks like a maintenance and condition issue. I would think it is easier to look for replacement used seat and new flooring, head liner etc.

Unlikely, had a friend in college who left his sunroof cracked in a pretty hard thunderstorm woke up to a headliner the consistency of a matzah ball. Insurance denied the claim as a result of it being negligence and his parents had to get a new headliner.

I had a buddy whose car got flood totaled during Harvey not because of rising water but because the rain was coming down at such a rate that it overwhelmed his cars drains and got into the car. Forget the reason they approved the claim but think it had something to do specifically with the car being in a Hurricane.

 

[NitroM3]

Wow..... CARVID19

 

[vavavroom]

This is what was waiting for me after 16 months, so I spent all day cleaning it. I will post after pictures tomorrow.View attachment 65954View attachment 65955View attachment 65956View attachment 65957

That's a bio weapon. It's a goner, sorry.

 

[GSCJR]

I saturated the seats with distilled white vinegar and after 20 minutes I sprinkled Borax over the seats for a few minutes before vacuuming. I prepared a fungicide solution for all the hard parts and soaked them for 10 minutes before wiping away. Tomorrow I will vacuum any remaining Borax from the seats and touch up any areas once more. I disposed the cabin filter, and also sprayed down the air box and air intake ducting with the fungicide.

 

[Nick1994]

Just because it looks better, doesn't mean it's safe for your health.

I agree with the others. Either clean it up and sell at auction, or take every bit of foam out of the car and replace it with a wrecked donor.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I’d think the entire ductwork would have mold spores and everywhere behind the dash as well. Then the carpet, headliner and seat cushions would have spores that are very difficult to remove.

 

[vavavroom]

The vehicle is a fungal petri dish. There is a product called Mold Bomb Fogger. The problem is even if you manage to kill all the mold even the dead mold and dead spores are still a serious health hazard. Every surface and every nook would have to be scrubbed clean. What can't be cleaned would have to be replaced. I myself would not even have opened the door to take a closer look.

 

[GON]

I speculate every single car in Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, etc will have the same amount of mold in its duct work that your Honda will have after you get done with the cleaning. Moisture in the air is normal for many areas of the world.

I don't concur that you must sell the car after its cleanup. It likely will be a typical car after you complete the cleaning. You might want to sell it if your are OCD and can't handle the thought of prior excess moisture in the interior.

I drive daily a Hurricane Harvey S-class that was soaked- owned it for 50k+ miles, no mold issues after basic clean up.

No need to sell the care after cleanup because of prior moisture in the car IMHO.

 

[Dogman]

That is insane. Glad you were able to clean it up, although, I agree with the others stating to get rid of it.

 

[Egg_Head]

That is insane. Glad you were able to clean it up, although, I agree with the others stating to get rid of it.

If everyone got rid of all their items that had microscopic mold spores on the surfaces all you would be left with is a steel hammer and a tire iron and you'd be living in a bubble. Sounds like the OP did a thorough cleaning. Unless the OP is asthmatic or has hyper allergies, good to go.

 

[GSCJR]

This is what the seats look like after one more cleaning and a day at the beach.

 

[TeamZero]

Oh wow....nope..... I could NOT drive that again.

 

[berniedd]

Wheeler Dealers had an episode where they ran an ozone machine into the right air duct and a vacuum machine in the left air duct opening to clean out the mold in the air conditioning system. I would suppose they first removed the pollen filter.

 

[PandaBear]

It is not hard to take the seat out of the car to clean the foam from all sides. If you are going to clean with fungicide at least pull them out and clean as much as you can.

 

[CKN]

I saturated the seats with distilled white vinegar and after 20 minutes I sprinkled Borax over the seats for a few minutes before vacuuming. I prepared a fungicide solution for all the hard parts and soaked them for 10 minutes before wiping away. Tomorrow I will vacuum any remaining Borax from the seats and touch up any areas once more. I disposed the cabin filter, and also sprayed down the air box and air intake ducting with the fungicide.

View attachment 66049View attachment 66050View attachment 66051

That car has issues. Under the seats, floorboards, even the seats can't be cleaned all the way underneath the cushions.

 

[GON]

Video on the subject. White vinegar was a key component.

How To Fully Remove Mold From Your Car Interior

Keep your car smelling fresh and refreshing

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