Hi Guys,

This is my first post, and probably the first of many.
I've recently bought an s2 to restore and modify to a show standard, I'm not new to restoration ive built a few civics in the past but ive never encountered this issue before.

Sadly the car I've bought suffers with a real mold problem. i had no idea at the time i bought the car that it had any problems. all carpet was clean and dry, didn't smell in the cabin. after leaving it to sit for the winter i checked on the interior of the car for any leaks in the roof as i know i have a few holes, ive noticed a huge mold problem.

The backs of both seats where white, the seats them selves were sprouting green mold the carpet was going green and more on the dash and on the wheel. plus it stinks lol.
i've deep cleaned the seats, i took them out the car as soon as i could, and stored them somewhere warm and dry. no more mold but the stink of damp and just ass stink. its nasty.

the roof is the main issue, the seals leak at the windscreen, the roof itself just drips the water straight through, its looks like it hasn't had any waterproofing in years, as you can imagine i have huge stinking moldy puddles on my floor and carpet.

so im thinking im gunna have to replace this roof to fix the issue, as its just sucks, i have about 4 holes and 2 large ones at the back about 4 inches. i knew the roof was bad when i bought the car and i got money off for it so i dont mind. its a JDM import plus the exterior and bay are spotless hence why i bought the car. fair the roof sucks but the base is good.

Just wondered if anyone else has tackled an issue like this or has had a real problem with mold in the past who can help we with some knowledge to how the fixed the issue.

sorry for text speak or short hand, just easier to get through the essay.
thanks for any help and hi form a newbie

RaGe.

 

As bad as the problem sounds, I would suggest pulling out most of the interior forward of the hoops and inspecting (center console, floors, center storage). You should probably pull the seat skins and check the condition of the foam. I wouldn't be surprised if there's mold in it. You'll want to pull the carpets as they have sound deadening padding on them that is most likely contaminated as well.

With that many holes in the top, I would suggest replacing it outright; you can patch the holes if you want, but I wouldn't if it were me. The seals lining the door windows can be adjusted (rubber comes out and you can adjust the base). For the windscreen seal, try shin-etsu grease first to recondition the seal. If it continues to leak, you may need to replace it outright.

 

"The roof itself just drips the water straight through."

Just what were you expecting after parking it out doors all winter with a leaky roof?

A couple little holes is like being a "little bit pregnant."

-- Chuck

 

Chuck I've just bought the car so had no idea the roof leaked so bad. Obviously I would have done something different had I have known. As for the holes. They are partially filled/covered. So again I didn't think it would be an issue.

 

Thanks for the info fokker, I will pull the carpets and soak them in disinfectant over night. And I was thinking about pulling the seats apart. It's not too hard as I have some spare c clips I can re fix it down with. I wasnt planning on taking the dash off/centre console but I may have to, to cure the whole car. Last thing I want to do is clean it all up and have the mold come back. :/

 

cure the leak get rid of the molds with detergent then stick a dehumidifier in it shut the doors then it will suck all the condensation out see how much water comes out of it.

 

Good luck on the remediation, the dehumidifier will help a lot. If you can find some large bags of desiccant it will also help dry out the interior area.

 

ok so today i wiped down the inside of the roof, it had like half a kitchen roll of water on it a good glass full. plus all the windows and soaked as much as i could out of the carpets, put a cover over the car as its now dry n the outside and condensation free on the inside, put 3, one kg bags of silica gel the types You get in new shoes on the center console and another on the dash plus one in the boot, to try and help suck that moisture out.

tomorrow im going to pull the carpets out and soak them in disinfectant for a day or so. next on the job list is to put anti mold solution through the aircon and heater pipes, fingers crossed that helps. after that new soft top as that is riddled with mold too.
then new takata harnesses as my seat belts are also riddled with mold.

i'll post some pics up soon. thanks for all the helpful hints guys,

 

Ok so todays job was to strip and fix this problem at the cause, the terrible carpet situation. the roof fix comes later, for now i have a cover.
Here's today's work in a few pictures.

first seats,



and after


then carpets


the bag of savage mold foam.


before clean



and after.


next new carpets, I want something like this.


smells so much better,

May start a build thread as this is going to be a long build with lots of new ideas that will make people hate me in here, all i'll say is...widebody RB style.

What you guys think?

 

Hi, I’m recent in a similar predicament.
Today I’ve removed the seats, took them inside and scrubbed them with white vinegar. I haven’t checked underneath the seat leather as I wasn’t sure I would ruin the seat or not.. is it easy to put back? And if you find mild on the foam, what do you do? Is it game over for the seat??

Next step is to take the mats out for deep clean and dry.

Did you say you bought silica gel or something to remove more moisture from the car.

im also considering getting a steam cleaner to address the issue.

what do ya think?