2008 RX350 Mold Horror show
09-26-15, 05:15 PM
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2008 RX350 Mold Horror show
A few days ago I posted a fixed for a sunroof drain water leak on a car that my wife had just purchased from a Lexus dealer a few days prior.
The passenger side drain hose was completely out of its factory installed location and had been for a great deal of time. I wont go into specifics about the dealer, but after a few choice words, they bought the vehicle back.
Now for the warnings about water leaks that are not tended to very quickly.
You can almost rest assured the carpet and padding are ruined, the carpet can cost as much as $1300.00 and that does not include removal or install cost.
If the carpet padding is wet, then the foam based sound deadener that is installed at the factory before the car is painted it wet as well. As the sound deadener dries it begins to crack and fall apart. You may think that you have the floor dry after you have pulled the carpet and wiped everything up but trust me, it is not as photos will show.
The worst part is that as the floor that continues to dry begins to develop white and black mold only a few hours after being exposed to sunlight and oxygen. This same mold is all over the interior of the car as well in spore form which will begin to spread and grow in the days and weeks to come and will also fill your lungs which is not a good thing.
When water leaks are this bad, insurance companys will almost always require the carpet to be replaced, as well as the entire wiring harness that has had any contact with moisture. In addition they will require a dehumidifier to be run in the car until no further moisture is present, this can take a week or longer depending on temp and humidity levels in the shop. After drying is complete, mold remediation must occur which is usually a peroxide based treatment and the entire interior must be treated.
Now sit back and consider how much all of this would cost to do. How many cars do you think they do this to? I will tell you how many, very, very few because of the mold liability and the car is usually considered a total loss. If they did decide to try and make the repair and then sell the car they would have to disclose the prior mold issue to the new buyer and I would suspect that few people would buy a rolling biohazard.
I am posting pictures of this very issue, so if you have had a water leak that has soaked the carpet and the padding pay close attention, this is a very real and serious problem.
The passenger side drain hose was completely out of its factory installed location and had been for a great deal of time. I wont go into specifics about the dealer, but after a few choice words, they bought the vehicle back.
Now for the warnings about water leaks that are not tended to very quickly.
You can almost rest assured the carpet and padding are ruined, the carpet can cost as much as $1300.00 and that does not include removal or install cost.
If the carpet padding is wet, then the foam based sound deadener that is installed at the factory before the car is painted it wet as well. As the sound deadener dries it begins to crack and fall apart. You may think that you have the floor dry after you have pulled the carpet and wiped everything up but trust me, it is not as photos will show.
The worst part is that as the floor that continues to dry begins to develop white and black mold only a few hours after being exposed to sunlight and oxygen. This same mold is all over the interior of the car as well in spore form which will begin to spread and grow in the days and weeks to come and will also fill your lungs which is not a good thing.
When water leaks are this bad, insurance companys will almost always require the carpet to be replaced, as well as the entire wiring harness that has had any contact with moisture. In addition they will require a dehumidifier to be run in the car until no further moisture is present, this can take a week or longer depending on temp and humidity levels in the shop. After drying is complete, mold remediation must occur which is usually a peroxide based treatment and the entire interior must be treated.
Now sit back and consider how much all of this would cost to do. How many cars do you think they do this to? I will tell you how many, very, very few because of the mold liability and the car is usually considered a total loss. If they did decide to try and make the repair and then sell the car they would have to disclose the prior mold issue to the new buyer and I would suspect that few people would buy a rolling biohazard.
I am posting pictures of this very issue, so if you have had a water leak that has soaked the carpet and the padding pay close attention, this is a very real and serious problem.
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09-26-15, 05:42 PM
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Everyone should now realize just what kind of damage water can do, short term and long term. If you have a leak that is bad, get your insurance company involved.
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09-29-15, 07:15 PM
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Now that I know what I know about the tube shrinkage issue, you can bet I will be keeping an eye on our current vehicle and probably going to go ahead and extend the drain tubes on both sides at the first sign of any moisture. My son has filled my shoes and now works as a tech for Lexus, I have told him to keep his eyes open for this problem as the hose used on previous year models is different, the 2008 RX hose is as flimsy as surgical tubing. With all the rain we are having now, I am guessing a slew of owners who have cars and no garage to store them in are going to have some very wet floors in the coming days if this hose has shrunk in their vehicle.
The best way to monitor for moisture is to place a paper towel between your floor mat and the carpet and just keep an eye on it.
If you encounter any electrical issues at all you better be pulling that carpet back and checking to make sure Lake Lexus isn't forming.
The best way to monitor for moisture is to place a paper towel between your floor mat and the carpet and just keep an eye on it.
If you encounter any electrical issues at all you better be pulling that carpet back and checking to make sure Lake Lexus isn't forming.
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