Water in the car

somebody_else · 31-08-2015 12:47pm #1

Hi
Not sure if correct forum but it is car buying related.

Short story is that I bought car from one of car sales.
Car was in good shape and mileage was much less than other card from the same age.
All ok except that car was smelly, seller done valeting twice and it was a bit better.
He told me that car was on parking lot for some time and wasn't ventilated which caused smell
We agreed to take car and then if it smell after a week he will do another valeting.

That was last week.

This weekend i clean car myself (washing hoover and a lot of chemicals but still smelly.

I decided to had a look under molded carpets and found that underside padding is wet, really wet.
I removed all carpets and can see standing water in some places, front and back.

At the moment I haven't found what caused it but for now all carpets are on the way to bin.
There is no way to dry it out as smell will never go.

New carpet assembly cost online over 700 euros (1/10 price of the car) and I just don't have this kind of money at the time.

I know that I bought car and deal is done but if there is anything I could do with seller ?

Car is Prius 2005 and mechanically and electrically is OK

Tom

thevinylword · 31-08-2015 12:49pm

Water under the pedals is a bad sign, they say to check for damp under there when purchasing

biko · 31-08-2015 12:58pm

You bought the car as is and it's your responsibility to check everything before handing money over.

Dry it and then check for holes where the water could have come from.

Possibly a valeter could dry the carpets for you.

somebody_else · 31-08-2015 1:55pm

There was no damp water anywhere.
I had to remove molded carpet to get to insulation below it to find water there.

It wasn't noticeable.

Tom

biko · 31-08-2015 2:33pm

It could be just a clogged AC drain.

somebody_else · 31-08-2015 2:52pm

Yes it could be.

Tom

somebody_else · 31-08-2015 7:24pm

It isn't ac drain.

I've run AC for around 30 min and there is no water leak from drain.

It was raining as well for a while but I haven't noticed any leak.

Still no clue where water came from.

At the moment it is dry but still smelly.

Ozone treatment
Valeting and disinfection ahead of me.

Tom

seagull · 03-09-2015 2:06pm

Did you buy from a private individual or from a dealer?

There is comeback against a private buyer is they knowingly lied to you. If they knew there was a leak somewhere and the car was full of water, and then told you the smell was just from the car standing idle, you have a case. The problem is proving they knew it.

somebody_else · 03-09-2015 2:12pm

Dealer

icjzfmq7ewon1t · 03-09-2015 2:25pm

Take it back to the dealer

biko · 03-09-2015 2:38pm

I'm sorry. I thought you had bought it privately, thanks seagull for checking.

seagull · 03-09-2015 5:35pm

Back to the dealer, as quick as you can. Return the leaky lemon, get a refund, and run away.

Borderfox · 03-09-2015 5:39pm

Could be a drain in the scuttle blocked with leaves, same problem with the girlfriends car

Markcheese · 03-09-2015 6:17pm

If you can find the leak source and haven't fecked the carpets and insulation into the bin then a dehumidifier will take care of the damp in the car fairly quick - should remove the smell as well - not much good if you can't stop water getting in -

coylemj · 03-09-2015 6:49pm

seagull wrote: »

Back to the dealer, as quick as you can. Return the leaky lemon, get a refund, and run away.

Good luck to the OP getting a refund from a dealer who was prepared to sell a lemon with those lame excuses. Chances are that he knows the buyer will come back but I'd be equally sure that he hasn't the slightest intention of entertaining a request for a refund.

03-09-2015 7:31pm

Is the car losing water from the cooling system. ?
Possible heater matrix fail

power pants · 03-09-2015 10:37pm

could well be that, thats what Im experiencing at the moment

jca · 03-09-2015 11:13pm

I wonder was the car in a flood and isn't actually letting in water.

biko · 03-09-2015 11:41pm

It could be many things causing this, from natural disasters to innocent clogged drains.
As suggest, take t back and let dealer have someone figure it out. It seems OP was happy out with the car except for this issue.
Car is 10 years old so it probably have a few more little surprises in store, hopefully all minor.

Water in the car

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