Floody Disaster!

[Mr Marcus]

Hi guys

I'm looking for some advice and help with a water problem in my 4 month old 135i which I love dearly.

Apparently the CA function on the key fob (hold unlock for 3 secs or more) can open the windows and sunroof whilst the key is in your jeans pocket and you are inside your house. During a rain storm. When I went out to the car and realised what had happened my heart sank. The door pockets and cup holder were completely full of water, the seats had turned a blue colour and the floor mats were submerged in a few inches of water.

Once i had got most of the water out I took the car to BMW who explained what had happened and that it was my fault, tested the electrics and said it was mechanically and electronically sound which is in itself a miracle, but the seats and carpet are a mess. Carpet I can live with as it will steam clean out when everything is dry but the seats are a disaster. The leather is hard, warped and looks like it belongs in a 1984 Ford Falcon.

Will the insurance company step up and replace them? Can they be fixed? Should I import new seats from abroad and fit them ($4k per seat in Oz is a joke)?

Any help appreciated and you'll make my christmas card list!

Marcus

[Simsims]

insurance would fix it but your rates will go up.

[Dackelone]

I hope you took some pictures. Have your insurance company pay to replace the carpets and all sound insulation. I bet all those cables under the carpets are starting to corrode too. IF your insurance company doesn't total out your car... tell them you also want a "ring"... becuase they will be covering "any and all" little electrical gremlins that come up in the future - since your BMW warranty will not cover them. That ought to put the fear of God( and your states insurance comisioner) in them.

In the least you need a good profesional cleaning of your car. They have special water extractors that let the car sit over night in. They hook up to a window and push dry air around the inside of the car. Probably replacing all the leather, carpets and sound deadning material as well. At most a new replacement car might be needed.

[Fleethammer]

Try to clean the leather with a high quality cleaner/treatment like Leather Masters Hard Cleaner, Vital, and Conditioner before calling insurance. It's a three step process and takes time but gets results. I have had leather get messed up by rain, but as long as the leather was in good condition beforehand, you can usually bring it back to life. If they were unprotected, never cleaned, with noticeable wear in the finish, then they may be beyond the point of repair. You would know better than any of us if it's worth trying or not.

[Mr Marcus]

Thanks guys. I'll press on with the cleaning and leather treatment and I will definitely ask the insurance company to guarantee future electrical repairs, that's a great suggestion.

Enjoy the weekend!

[1speedbike]

ouch

I'm really sorry this happened to you! could happen to anyone because holding the unlock on the keyfob opens the windows and sunroof for me even without CA. Sucks that this happened, but hopefully your lesson will be learned by all of us and we will be careful with this.

as for the damage to the seats.. you could get them reupholstered.. cheaper than buying completely new seats, just pay for the leather and installation.

another option, if you're into modding or want to track the car (or just look cool) is to "upgrade" to race seats, recaro sparco or something else. it'll look pretty badass, and while they're not really electronically adjustable in all the wonderful different ways our stock seats are, find some good ones and they'll be more comfy.

[Mr Marcus]

That's another good call.

So here's the prices to fix the seats;
1. BMW performance seats $4,000 each
2. Re-upholster leather and foam $1,700 each

Looks like thats what I'll press for and see what happens. The carpets have come up a treat and the smell has gone after a few days in the sun so barring future electrical gremlins the seats appear to be the sole casualty.

Hopefully the insurance company will be as helpful as you guys. Thanks again.

[MZWIE]

Ouch...sounds like a scene from "Risky Business"

"So who is the U-Boat commander"

[yaymitch]

Fix it, sell it and replace it!! You may have ongoing electronic issues from corrosion etc. for a long time to come... Plus you'll have piece of mind.

[pinmagic]

Originally Posted by yaymitch

Plus you'll have piece of mind.

Which piece will he have?