WickedWild Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 The car has been parked in my barn windows up for the last 4-5 months. 3 months ago all is well, today I go viset her and this is what I see... What do I do? How did this happen? I'm freaking out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudeboy Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 WOW !!! I drive my car about once month on a weekend and this previous Saturday I had the same problem !!!! My car has been in my garage at home with a car cover over it. I did not know what the hell it was at first, and my wife knew what it was. I took a mold and mildew bathroom cleaner sprayed on damp towel and cleaned the entire interior of the car, I followed that with armor all and some carpet cleaner for the hatch area, seats and floor. Run the heater and defroster on high heat and let the heat blow through all the vents (windows open and don't get in the car). I pull the car out of the garage and let it sit in the sun with the windows open all day. Also, vacuum out the car. The only cause I can think of this happening to my car 1) Maybe I left some rags in the hatch and they may have been damp. 2) Hosing down the garage, maybe moisture and humidity built up in the garage because it remained damp? I leaning towards #2, I have been cleaning up the garage and hosing it down this summer, and I have had the car for 2 years without this problem until I started hosing down the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 That happened to my 240Z as it is stored outside under a waterproof tarp. Maybe if we use Pledge on the surface it will prevent the mold? Pledge is the stuff you put on furnitures to make them shine. It comes in a spray bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Clean the mold up and spray Lysol in the car. Also put some desicant in the car to absorb moisture. It's that stuff that comes in vitamin bottles that you cant eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted September 8, 2005 Author Share Posted September 8, 2005 Another photo The only thing I can think of is opening up the door and sitting in it on a humid morning. I wont be able to get it out of the seats. I just hope it didn't stain any of the interior. It's a shock to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Lysol for sure. Would baby powder suck up the mold moisture on the seats, just a thought? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 baby powder would get all gummy I believe. I would say get a good shampoo cleaner for fabric and apolstry etc. I agree with the lysol too. It is anti fungal and anti bacterial. Just a one part bleach to 10 parts water would kill all the mold too if you want to wipe everything off. And I have bought at ace hardware a bucket of desicant beads. It will absorb any airborne moisture for the future. You should have no problem cleaning it though. What a bummer though, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 First of all - the problem occurs when things are damp or very humid and there is no air circulation. In cooler humid environments where you can't get good 'solar baking' you should leave the windows cracked and set up a small fan to force ventilation through the vehicle. Go to the grocery store and find a good mildew remover - be careful that it doesn't have bleach (chlorine) in it or it will ruin your fabrics. Thoroughly clean and then dry, dry, dry the car. If using a car cover make sure it is a "breathable" cover. I have a suburban that has sat a month with a cover on it with no problems but it also is breathable and it sits in my driveway in Texas so the moisture gets baked out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted September 8, 2005 Author Share Posted September 8, 2005 I'm rolling it outside today and rolling down the windows. Friday is cleaning day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 I was really surprised to see all that mold. I've seen Z's that have been in wrecking yards getting rained on for years and they had no mold. I assume that was because their windows were down and they'd dry out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Something similar, though not quite as drastic, happened to my 280Z. It’s been sitting in my garage for about 5 years, sometimes with the windows open, sometimes closed. The mold is especially attracted to the vinyl of the door skins – but hardly at all to the headliner or seats. This is in Southwest Ohio, and the garage is basically in the middle of a forest, so the environment is quite humid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 First of all - the problem occurs when things are damp or very humid and there is no air circulation. In cooler humid environments where you can't get good 'solar baking' you should leave the windows cracked and set up a small fan to force ventilation through the vehicle. Go to the grocery store and find a good mildew remover - be careful that it doesn't have bleach (chlorine) in it or it will ruin your fabrics. Thoroughly clean and then dry, dry, dry the car. If using a car cover make sure it is a "breathable" cover. I have a suburban that has sat a month with a cover on it with no problems but it also is breathable and it sits in my driveway in Texas so the moisture gets baked out of it. Extremely good advice here. I had the SAME problem, but mine was caused by moisture getting in through the bad weatherstripping. You must have had some kind of moisture in there. I took out the interior and cleaned it up. Then I installed new weatherstripping (my car's problem) and put on a car cover. The cover helped keep out any rain and now no more mold. You want to use a cleaner like Lysol, but be very careful on the vinyl and any plastic surface with paint on it (the white writing on the buttons will smear). I would even try alcohol in a spray bottle too. Wipe everything down. You could even have ChemDry do the seats for you. Just a thought. Also, as was mentioned earlier, use hardware store bought dessicant tubs or something like that too. Keep it dry. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted September 20, 2005 Author Share Posted September 20, 2005 Well I got it all cleaned out. I used Lysol spray and wiped it up with Clorox disinfectant wipes. Then I followed that up with a protestant. I got on ebay and I’m ordering one of these to keep in the car. http:// http://cgi.ebay.com/450-gram-Silica-Gel-Moisture-Protection_W0QQitemZ7184226670QQcategoryZ36257QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QqcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I used Lysol spray and wiped it up with Clorox disinfectant wipes. Then I followed that up with a protestant. I think I would have used a Catholic myself, and followed your mold exorcism with a good confession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I think I would have used a Catholic myself, and followed your mold exorcism with a good confession. I agree, they are the only ones who know how to exorcise the demons. I can't believe those pictures! Are you sure the BLOB didn't take your car for a joy ride? Did you go swimming and then just skip the towel and use your interior? Dang! Good luck. I'd be very worried about the mold you don't see maybe inside the door panels or carpet. That stuff can make you very sick. I was living on the coast for a while (beach front) and I had this little bungalo apartment and there was no working heater, so you say who cares it only gets down to 55 anyway (about the water temperature in winter), but becuase the place was so close to the water everything always felt damp, and I was sick constantly. Turns out there was mold growing on the walls behind my bed, I should have sued. 5 years later and I have never been that sick since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 I think I would have used a Catholic myself, and followed your mold exorcism with a good confession. Dang! Good luck. I'd be very worried about the mold you don't see maybe inside the door panels or carpet. That stuff can make you very sick. I plan on pulling the interior within the next month, I just was really worried about scaring the fabric and haveing to replace more than I was planing on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 If you are parting out your car to avoid mold sickness, I'll buy your rims. Let me know. What a tragedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 If you are parting out your car to avoid mold sickness' date=' I'll buy your rims. Let me know. What a tragedy.[/quote'] I accually just gave them to a friend of mine. I'm getting new rims with tires this weekend after some tradeing I should have $100 in them. I'll post pics once they're on the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b__sosick Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 see if you can break alot of it loose, and take a vacuum to it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I accually just gave them to a friend of mine. I'm getting new rims with tires this weekend after some tradeing I should have $100 in them. I'll post pics once they're on the car. dang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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