Mold in car?
 

Went to help a friend check out a car he was interested in. The seller said moisture had gotten into the car some way and the damage was concentrated on the RR side of it.

Photos:

https://i.imgur.com/BA94Oxj.jpg

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As you can see, the sail panel is basically destroyed

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https://i.imgur.com/Ee71PHV.jpg

The RR seat lip. The mold is concentrated here and there's a bit on the seatbelt.

We removed the rear bottom bench and found moisture underneath but no mold. The car didn't smell either even though it hasn't rained in a little while so the moisture didn't dry out.

We looked all around the car and couldn't find any visible source of the leak. We are only assuming at this point that it could be blocked sunroof channels.

He has no issue putting in some effort to get rid of the mold on the inside but doesn't know if it'll come back if the source isn't dealt with.

Would you walk away from this car? Everything else about the car is great and it's pretty well priced.

Pretty unhealthy with mold spores. Id run away.

Ew, would you let your friend buy a home with mold around the shower?

I'm living in Hong Kong now where it's very humid. I would say most if not all of the cars that are stored for a bit without being driven grow mold in the interior, i'm talking about only a month or two. My cars too. It's a reoccuring thing here and no one seems to be put off by the car because of this, usually just pay to clean and disinfect the interior when it gets bad. I usually put dehumidifiers in my JDMs, but even that doesn't guarantee.

One of the biggest car collectors here in Hong Kong owns one of the ports. A lot of his $$$ cars are in containers there near the sea and you can guess, covered in mold.

Pay a detailer to deal with it?

You can clean it but the issue might be where the moisture is coming in from. There might be a hole/leak in the trunk, floor, etc. I'd run as well.

If he really wants the car, find the problem, take apart the panels and send it for a detail, lots of good guys locally do an amazing job on mold

I've had mold before on my Integra and what I did to get rid of it was basically fumigate the car overnight with the mold control solution they sell at Canadian tire called Concrobium or something. You would have to basically get rid of every single spot of mold and find out where moisture is getting in. In my case it was the sunroof drain being plugged thus letting water into the car through the roof. After remedying that, I never saw a spot of mold in it.

I also only had the funky greenish mold. I would run away if it was black mold as that can cause respiratory issues.

I had mold in my mazda 5 with fake aftermarket leather....anyway.

I used diluted vinegar, didn't clean 100%. At the end, just spray shit load of alcohol ...no more for the past 2 years.

You need to steam clean the piss out of it and nuke with it w o-zone machine.

Whats the car?

Could be from water. Last time water got into my passenger side after a car wash and it got moldy. After scrubbing it down with water and vacuuming out the water, it was fixed.

My friend says thanks. He's not bothered by the mold removal (it doesn't look black) but rather tracking the source of it. Going to suck having to yank every panel just to play 'follow the water'. We were certain it was coming from the trunk but it's hard to see any evidence. He might walk away. I'll post the car once he decides as he doesn't want anyone poaching it just yet.

It's a shame owners allow their cars to fall into these states. I mean, how do you not see a tearing sail panel and just let that wound continue once you do notice it. The mileage is low and the engine bay is very clean. It's just the rear end has some literal swamp ass.

^Sounds like maybe its been in an accident on the rear. U know not every car owner is like a car enthusiast owner. Not everyone is gonna notice every detail about there vehicles. How much cheaper is this vehicle compared to the other ones on the market. Ur friend has to ask himself will he "be ahead" once he gets its all cleaned out, detailed and the leak be fixed(might be as easy as the sunroof channels, might be something even more difficult where everything has to come apart to pinpoint the leak)

To be fair, one doesn't have to be an enthusiast to notice a rip in the sail panel which then becomes a full on open wound one would find on a gyno table.