Gene J Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 After having strict instruction never to eat or drink in the car, the kids ate at McDonald's and put a soft drink in the cup holder. It leaked all over the radio and heater making them sticky. Ick... Anyway the shop manual tells how to test the controls but it is darn cold around here. Are there just contacts back there? Can I spray in some contact cleaner and hope for the best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I've dealt with this kind of situation several times. The sticky "ick" (mainly sugar or corn syrup) may not have penetrated too far. The best solvent to disolve it is plain water, preferably warm. Even if the drink got beyond buttons, etc., it's probably best to start simply and try to remove as much of the goo as possible from the surface. Paper towels, wetted but not dripping, can loosen a surprising amount of the sugars without damaging anything. (Contact cleaners can be harmful to some plastics, and often won't disolve sugary substances.) You might park the car so the nose is uphill, making it less likely that any water will find its way further into the controls. A soft-bristled toothbrush, slightly wetted, can help get a bit deeper than paper towels. Keep changing wet towels, rinse the brush, and operate controls as you clean; absorb whats loosened with dry paper towels. When you can't see or feel any more stickiness, completely dry things and check operation; if you're lucky, that may be all that's needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 You can even just get some disinfecting wipes and just wipe very well and in teh cracks! Then if you feel sticky buttons spray contact cleaner all over and it was evaporate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I had a similar issue on a '00 Forester. IIRC I found this on the Web a few years back: I used warm water that I lightly sprayed in w/a misting bottle (not a direct shot/stream of water), wiped it clean and then I used a vaccum w/the crevice attachment to suck out any water. Worked well. I would ensure that all power is off, and time it so the car can sit for a few hours/overnight to dry out completely....maybe even point a fan @ the controls to help it dry off. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 i personally found some q-tips with brakekleen on them work excellant...i also had a ton of sticky stuff in my heater control buttons.or even if you have like a long pick and wrap like a shop towel around it. just my experience....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I have had to fix the same problem on my wife's car. I used a spray bottle of windex, and wiped everything down with paper towels. I pushed on all the buttons on the heater control while doing the wipe down to make sure that they were loosened up. I also had to do the same thing on the radio buttons. Earlier, there was so much soft drink sugar spilled on the cup holder that it wouldn't open or close properly. I removed the two screws holding the unit in, unclipped the sides of the unit that holds it together, again squirted everything heavily with windex, and reassembled. All works well now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Wait until someone pukes in the AC vents! Have fun with that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Wait until someone pukes in the AC vents! Have fun with that one This is obviously some strange use of the word "fun" that I wasn't previously aware of. (Apologies to Douglas Adams) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene J Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 For the record wipes and water did not do it. Aerosol contact cleaner did the job. Get the kind that does not melt plastic and all will be well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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