Mould Everywhere Inside!

[CrazyBaptie]

Hi All,

Well today was the first time in about a month and a half I have went out to the Z4.

And apart form a flat battery there is a horrific amount of mould on the headrests, seat belts, steering wheel, seats you name it! Has any body has this and would have any idea of the cause? I have went into the car a couple times and the inside of the windscreen has been soaking with condensation!

Any ideas would be great - now I have to de-mould her

Cheers, Kyle

 

[Smartbear]

Hi All,

Well today was the first time in about a month and a half I have went out to the Z4.

And apart form a flat battery there is a horrific amount of mould on the headrests, seat belts, steering wheel, seats you name it! Has any body has this and would have any idea of the cause? I have went into the car a couple times and the inside of the windscreen has been soaking with condensation!

Any ideas would be great - now I have to de-mould her

Cheers, Kyle

You obviously have a leak, find it & stop it :wink:
Rob

 

[CrazyBaptie]

Hi All,

Well today was the first time in about a month and a half I have went out to the Z4.

And apart form a flat battery there is a horrific amount of mould on the headrests, seat belts, steering wheel, seats you name it! Has any body has this and would have any idea of the cause? I have went into the car a couple times and the inside of the windscreen has been soaking with condensation!

Any ideas would be great - now I have to de-mould her

Cheers, Kyle

You obviously have a leak, find it & stop it :wink:
Rob

Any ideas to narrow down where the leak may be? Ive checked all the seals and they seem fine

 

[Thrustyjust]

Doesnt take much damp to cause mould. Mould spores form from lack of fresh air movement. Don't know how or where you put your car , but you can get small water traps which sit on the floor and help to lower the humidity. I know the Lotus guys use them, when parked outside , as the Elise soft tops arent exactly tight sealing. If you park somewhere safe then maybe just crack the windows a bit to let the air move through.

 

[kis]

Love to know more about the water traps? Any links?

The weather is turning now, so will help dry it all out
I’d recommend getting something professional to kill the mould. Heard it can be nasty stuff. Don’t just brush it off, needs to be killed somehow afaik.

 

[ph001]

Milton sterilising fluid or a weak (1:10) bleach solution should do the trick. Are your carpets wet at all? Most common leak points are:

Blocked bungs in the roof drain buckets (with the roof down, pour a little water down where the roof hinges are. It should appear immediately on the floor just in front of the rear wheels).

Door vapour barrier (these are held in place by a black bitumen like sealant). You will need to remove the door cards to check)

Front scuttle panel drains (with the bonnet up, remove the scuttle panel just below the windscreen and check the drain points are not bunged up with leaves)

 

[Thrustyjust]

Love to know more about the water traps? Any links?

The weather is turning now, so will help dry it all out
I’d recommend getting something professional to kill the mould. Heard it can be nasty stuff. Don’t just brush it off, needs to be killed somehow afaik.

Its been a long time since my Lotus days, but something like these seem to have decent feedback. They used to use something that looked like a small mop bucket , can't remember the name, sorry
https://www.screwfix.com/p/mega-moisture-trap-2ltr/7832h

 

[CrazyBaptie]

Milton sterilising fluid or a weak (1:10) bleach solution should do the trick. Are your carpets wet at all? Most common leak points are:

Blocked bungs in the roof drain buckets (with the roof down, pour a little water down where the roof hinges are. It should appear immediately on the floor just in front of the rear wheels).

Door vapour barrier (these are held in place by a black bitumen like sealant). You will need to remove the door cards to check)

Front scuttle panel drains (with the bonnet up, remove the scuttle panel just below the windscreen and check the drain points are not bunged up with leaves)

The carpets in the footwells were slightly damp but I'll double check the places you have mentioned

 

[CrazyBaptie]

Milton sterilising fluid or a weak (1:10) bleach solution should do the trick. Are your carpets wet at all? Most common leak points are:

Blocked bungs in the roof drain buckets (with the roof down, pour a little water down where the roof hinges are. It should appear immediately on the floor just in front of the rear wheels).

Door vapour barrier (these are held in place by a black bitumen like sealant). You will need to remove the door cards to check)

Front scuttle panel drains (with the bonnet up, remove the scuttle panel just below the windscreen and check the drain points are not bunged up with leaves)

The carpets in the footwells were slightly damp but I'll double check the places you have mentioned

I also have the milton fluid - is that good at perminatly getting rid of it?

 

[nightyard]

I had issues with the door vapour barrier. The previous owner had the window regulator replaced and they just sliced through it

 

[Jamie-innes]

I had this in my soft top after it sat a few months when I bought the coupe, I know for a fact my passenger window wasn't a great seal so it's maybe worth checking that also, took it down to my local valeter and got it cleaned as good as new

 

[kis]

Milton sterilising fluid or a weak (1:10) bleach solution should do the trick.

In a spray bottle or just cloth and wipe down? (I don't want to destroy my carpet)

 

[kinger]

White Vinegar and Water solution, wipe it down, comes off easily, my TTS convertible has been terrible for it this year.
Find out where the the water inside the car is getting in...

 

[ben g]

If the carpets are damp I'm 90% sure it'll be your door membranes causing the leak. Mine was the same, inside of the windscreen used to have massive amounts of condensation. I replaced the membrane on the passenger side and used butyl tape to stick them to the door panel.

I never got around to doing the drivers side. Still have the membrane in my shed, around 5 years later :lol:

 

[XSSammy]

I have had this and it was because I parked the car with the boot downhill and the water was in the boot. Not sure how this would happen but I suspect the roof water doesn't flow correctly down the drain holes if the water is flowing to the back of the car :|

 

[Weston Matt]

If your carpets are damp, I’d try putting your hand between the carpet (under the seat). my foam attached to the carpet was soaked due to a blockage.

 

[mr.tourette]

I had a bit of mould when checking the car this year during winter storage which I've never had before, car was put away dry and under a cover so can only assume internal condensation from the mild, wet winter we had any how after cleaning it out in early January I put these in it https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Y9FJ3Y8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Basically 2 massive silica gel bags. Went back to the car in April after those very wet months we had with all the flooding and not a spore in sight so they will be going back in next winter storage. I guess you could leave them in year round if you havea bit of damp. They are reusable and you can dry them out in the oven or a microwave but ive just sat them out in the sun when its been nice ready for next winter