How to quickly handle when the car is flooded

Cleaning and cleaning the interior after the car is flooded

When water gets into a car, it is definitely the floor of the car that is most affected. Depending on the level of water contamination, different cleaning methods will be applied.

If there is little water in the car, just wet the floor mats and lightly moisten the floor, you can clean it yourself at home. First, remove the floor mats, spray/wash and dry. The floor of the car uses a dryer to dry. Then clean with a specialized car interior cleaning spray.

In case of heavy water entering the car floor, you should remove all seats to clean the entire floor. Because car floors are often covered with felt. This material is very sensitive to water. If it is damp, it will easily smell, produce bacteria and mold.

Not to mention, too much water in the car can also damage the floor coverings and soundproof cotton. The metal plate of the car floor is very tight, stamped into many convex and convex shapes to increase sound insulation. So if water flows in, it will form water compartments.

Therefore, it is best to remove all car seats, floor mats, and carefully wrap the electrical wires. If the damage is serious, you can remove the floor covering, the car soundproof layer (if any) and redo it after cleaning. After removing all of them, open the drainage holes to drain all the water, spray to remove dirt, and clean. Next, use the blower to blow dry, apply grease to the bolts – nuts for maintenance and rust prevention. Dry the floor thoroughly and reassemble.

In case the seat or door panel is also wet, clean it immediately. Should also check the trunk behind, water leaking into the trunk of the car, if not handled soon, it is easy to cause moisture, smell and rust the floor. Removing the seats and cleaning the entire car interior is quite complicated. Therefore, take the car to the garage to be handled professionally.

Check the electrical system behind flooded cars

The electrical wiring and plugs run around the body of the car, in the center pedestal area, it is easy to short and burn when there is still water inside. Connectors need to be re-checked and spray-dried to ensure proper contact.

Deeply flooded car doors will collect a lot of water inside, affecting the operation of the speakers and wires, so the process of cleaning and restoring the car interior cannot ignore this area.

Scan for control system errors

On many models, especially Japanese cars, the airbag control system is located right under the floor of the vehicle in the center pedestal area. Ingress of water can paralyze the operation of this system.

Cleaning and inspection must be carried out very carefully, otherwise it will affect the entire airbag system.

On high-end cars, the central pedestal is an area containing a lot of complex control systems such as gearboxes, intelligent multi-function control systems, conversation …

The cleaning process must be handled by experienced professionals. The controls that are most susceptible to flooding are the seat control switches and the series of motors/motors inside the seat. The water ignited the motors and paralyzed the seat controls.

Maintenance of components of electrical and lighting systems is not simply a matter of vacuuming and drying normally, but also having to consider their working condition, the possibility of risks when the line is short. , open or corroded at the contacts, an indispensable operation for high-end cars is to reset the system with an error scanner.