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2008 Outback Carpet question


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Couple of weeks ago, wife left her windows down an inch during a torrential downpour. The leather came thru OK, but now anytime she is in it she reacts like she has allergies.

 

Probably moldy under the carpet, nothing shows on the surface.

 

Anyone ever pull up the carpet on something this new? Any areas that are easy to break, fasteners or clips? And If I do get to moldy padding, how to treat it?

 

Clorox?

Edited by gregB
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passengers side?  hardly matters.  fairly simple - get the carpeting pulled out to dry.  start under dash - there are some very simple plastic rivets there.  they pop out and back in - have a slender-ish flat screwdriver handy to pry up.  only 1980's stuff breaks because it's aged and brittle, you should be fine.  i did a 2009 recently, easy.

 

hopefully you just have to pull that front carpet up...but...

 

if it's/she is really that bad you might have to pull the seat and that corresponding carpet up.  which is generally easy...4 bolts hold the car to the vehicle - then there's the seat belt to disconnect and if it has side impact air bags the yellow connector will require going to Houdini's school of magic the first time you see it.  it's just a pull apart connector but it's crazy how dumb and non-intuitive they are.

 

once you decide what you're up for in terms of carpet/seats:

 

pull it up and let it dry in the full sun with the windows cracked to let out hot/humid air (unless it's going to rain LOL), put a fan and/or dehumidifier (only if getting in sun, having dry days is an issue) in there. moving air is your friend.

 

DANGER on this step - do not do this step, i don't recommend it because i don't want to be responsible for accidents.  once it's finally dry if you have mold/mildew smell you'll need to rent an ozone generator.   tool rental places, that rent equipment, backhoes, mowers, etc, will have them.  rent one and run it in the vehicle a few hours.  i run them over night if it's really bad - smoke, etc and overnight is enough.  a couple hours should work for you. DANGER - pay attention, keep doors locked so no kid crawls in....don't get in it without airing it out first, etc - in that confined space it would be toxic. that will destroy the organic mildew/mold and associated odors.

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gregB,
 
You have no choice but to pull the interior of the car to get the carpet out. Disconnect the battery and wait 20 minutes before removing the seats, if they are side air bag equipped. Mess up with the air bags connected and with your face next to it could mess you up badly.
 
Pull the seats (4 bolts and undo the wiring to the seat heaters and power seat mechanism, Seat belt wiring, side air bag wiring), the center console, the front kick panels, door sill plates, B pillar bottom mouldings, and if the carpet is one piece through to the rear, the rear seats, rear sill plates, and the C pillar bottom mouldings.
 
The carpet will come out in one piece, with the silencer pad glued to its bottom. At that point it should be steam cleaned and disinfected, mould killer apllied, and force air dried before installation. Your best bet here is one of those disaster restoration companies that remove carpets from homes after a flood. They have the expertise and equipment to do the job so your wife is no longer affected. And you have a very small carpet for them to do, so it shouldn't break the bank.
 
Not a fun job, time consumming but a DIYer if you have some basic tools, a place to work and the time.
 
I've attached some pdf files that will show you where fasteners are and how they come apart. Good Luck!

MSA5T0706A143566 Console Box.pdf

MSA5T0706A143567 Center Console.pdf

MSA5T0706A143569 Lower Inner Trim.pdf

MSA5T0706A143505 Front Seat.pdf

MSA5T0706A143506 Rear Seat.pdf

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The rear windows were the ones that got rained into.  I have a downloaded FSM for the 2008, and looked at the pdfs you put up, thanks though.

 

Was hoping for a little wisdom from someone else's work.  Looks pretty straight forward, but a royal pain.  Its her every day driver, with no real good alternate (unless we buy the Passat 1.8T 4-motion we just looked at!)

 

I bought a mold test kit, to confirm before I start the interior strip.

 

I'll have to start looking for someone local to "demold" the carpet.

 

Thanks

 

Greg

 

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