Technical Mould problem

[607mnk]

Hi again,

It turns out my Fiat 500 is growing mould patches behind the passenger seat. It happened once before in the same area around November if I remember correctly.

I also noticed that the passenger foot well feels a bit damp. It’s not soaking wet but concerning since the drivers side is completely dry.

There seems to be mould under the boot carpet too. I checked the sides of the boot and they don’t seem wet.

FYI, I use the car pretty much everyday for work or going into town so I’m not sure why it’s growing mould.

Any help would be appreciated since my MOT is coming up quite soon

 

[steveras57]

For some reason 500,s are very a good at "retaining damp" partly because of the fairly basic ventilation system and the carpets are made of a material that seams to encourage mold!.
I would do the normal damp checks - IE- Duckbills under the front scuttle panel make sure clear with no debris in em! ,condition of door and boot seals! etc.
Is the rear wash wipe operating correctly? ie good strong water flow not just a dribble ? if weak you may have a leek in the supply pipe that runs along the passenger side door channel under the sill plate!.

Clean problem areas with a good shampoo an dry properly(difficult i know cause of the WEATHER THIS TIME OF YEAR!) a hair dry helps but takes ages!
treat with an anti -bac spray once done! and keep some of the little de-humidifiers ( plastic container with little balls in that suck the mositure out of the car) I think theres a type now that you can hang up! put one on the internal mirror and one somewhere in the boot!
when you park up switch the air flow from external entry to recycling to limit amount of outside air entering the car these things should help if you find a particular problem post up and let us know if you need more advice!
good luck.

 

[Ralf S.]

It's got to be a low level leak.. maybe from the aerial base.. or one guy found water was sneaking in through the chassis rail that runs under the car (with the rear bumper off, you can see rectangular box section that runs under the floor) and someone else had a leak at the seam under the roof weld (covered by those plastic strips). You need to poke around until you find the culprit.. which is tricky while the weather is wet.

To dry the carpet it needs lifting off the floor, so that you can squeeze any moisture out of the sound-deadening... then left to ventilate/dry out.

Newspaper is good for wicking away the moisture... you can keep replacing it when it feels damp.. and the best home-made solution if you don't have a silica gel bag is just plain rice (although food prices... may be cheaper to buy a heated garage than a bag of rice). Put the rice on the newspaper and it'll absorb a lot of moisture. You can wash it in warm water and make a chilli-con-carne with it afterwards.. so it doesn't go to waste.

Ralf S.

 

[John202020]

New cat litter also good at absorbing moisture
I noticed a bit mould on the mats in ours but the car hasn't been used much at all the last month, when it's warmer I'll give it a good valet

 

[Derbyfella]

i would use white vinegar to kill the mould before doing any cleaning....mould releases spores which arent very nice. then pretty much shampoo carpet. Stick a mains power dehumidifiier in overnight if you can.....but most importantly try and find why that side is damp.

 

[AnthonyH]

1. Find and fix the leak.

2. Dry the car out.

3. Clean off the mould

4. Smile for a job well done

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi again,

It turns out my Fiat 500 is growing mould patches behind the passenger seat. It happened once before in the same area around November if I remember correctly.

I also noticed that the passenger foot well feels a bit damp. It’s not soaking wet but concerning since the drivers side is completely dry.

There seems to be mould under the boot carpet too. I checked the sides of the boot and they don’t seem wet.

FYI, I use the car pretty much everyday for work or going into town so I’m not sure why it’s growing mould.

Any help would be appreciated since my MOT is coming up quite soon

Hi,
I was guessing it was parkedup for weeks (only time I've had such mould issues)


So, yes.. Wet carpets are far from ideal,

Do you run the aircon on your trips running around?

That and / or leave the window ajar when you can, that helps airflow massively

 

[607mnk]

For some reason 500,s are very a good at "retaining damp" partly because of the fairly basic ventilation system and the carpets are made of a material that seams to encourage mold!.
I would do the normal damp checks - IE- Duckbills under the front scuttle panel make sure clear with no debris in em! ,condition of door and boot seals! etc.
Is the rear wash wipe operating correctly? ie good strong water flow not just a dribble ? if weak you may have a leek in the supply pipe that runs along the passenger side door channel under the sill plate!.

Clean problem areas with a good shampoo an dry properly(difficult i know cause of the WEATHER THIS TIME OF YEAR!) a hair dry helps but takes ages!
treat with an anti -bac spray once done! and keep some of the little de-humidifiers ( plastic container with little balls in that suck the mositure out of the car) I think theres a type now that you can hang up! put one on the internal mirror and one somewhere in the boot!
when you park up switch the air flow from external entry to recycling to limit amount of outside air entering the car these things should help if you find a particular problem post up and let us know if you need more advice!
good luck.

I’ve read so much about Fiat 500 having a damp problem but I guess all cars have their little flaws and sacrifices have to be made

Gonna have to look into the scuttle panel. I thought I had a faulty rear washer in autumn but turns out I just didn’t press it long enough. Gives enough washer fluid so that’s probably not the issue.

The weather seems to be better today - I’ll definitely give it a good wash and dry!

I see you mentioned the airflow. I always use the external entry. Could that be the culprit? I live in quite a wet area…

 

[607mnk]

It's got to be a low level leak.. maybe from the aerial base.. or one guy found water was sneaking in through the chassis rail that runs under the car (with the rear bumper off, you can see rectangular box section that runs under the floor) and someone else had a leak at the seam under the roof weld (covered by those plastic strips). You need to poke around until you find the culprit.. which is tricky while the weather is wet.

To dry the carpet it needs lifting off the floor, so that you can squeeze any moisture out of the sound-deadening... then left to ventilate/dry out.

Newspaper is good for wicking away the moisture... you can keep replacing it when it feels damp.. and the best home-made solution if you don't have a silica gel bag is just plain rice (although food prices... may be cheaper to buy a heated garage than a bag of rice). Put the rice on the newspaper and it'll absorb a lot of moisture. You can wash it in warm water and make a chilli-con-carne with it afterwards.. so it doesn't go to waste.

Ralf S.

I’m gonna have to do a bit more research on the first bit you’ve mentioned since I got no idea where any of these bits may be unfortunately (first car…you know). It’s clear today so I’ll be able to look for a leak and hopefully find it.

If I pull off the carpet will it go back on as it right now? I’m afraid of ruining it by accident. Luckily, it’s just the passenger front side that needs a proper dry.

Funnily enough I got a bag of rice but no newspaper will try this as well though!

 

[607mnk]

i would use white vinegar to kill the mould before doing any cleaning....mould releases spores which arent very nice. then pretty much shampoo carpet. Stick a mains power dehumidifiier in overnight if you can.....but most importantly try and find why that side is damp.

Would any white vinegar do?

 

[607mnk]

Hi,
I was guessing it was parkedup for weeks (only time I've had such mould issues)


So, yes.. Wet carpets are far from ideal,

Do you run the aircon on your trips running around?

That and / or leave the window ajar when you can, that helps airflow massively

Yeah that’s the issue - I literally use it all the time

It depends on whether it’s a rainy/cold day. I think using the air con and heating works best if my windows fog up. But that’s about it at this time of the year. Obviously use it more often during summer.

 

[varesecrazy]

Duckbill location:

The white paper is next to the Black Plastic Duckbill

Behind the Blue pipe

 

[varesecrazy]

Masses of Duckbill info here

Loose plastic thing full of water | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

Can anyone help? Fiat Panda 1.2, 2005. Wife complaining of burning smell. Opened bonnet, smelled like water-touching-hot-metal smell. Saw drip on bulkhead behind engine. Protruding through one of the holes in the bulkhead is a plastic thing, black, sort of flyin-saucer shaped, about 2cm thick...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[Derbyfella]

Would any white vinegar do?

Yeah. It doesn't smell like malt (brown)vinegar and the acidity is what kills the mould