I don't know if this was merely an evil prank or further evidence that god hates me...

I had the top down, it was at night, and I went to a gas station I don't normally use to fill up. I paid at the pump, took out the hose, lifted the lever, and before I could say "One, one-thousand" and stop what happened... nearly a half a gallon of high octane fuel ejaculated ALL OVER my interior (seats, dash, carpets, door, laptop bag - everything). Complete nightmare.

Someone had locked the trigger after placing it back in the pump. I don't know about you, but contents under pressure is an amazing thing to behold. This was stronger than a garden hose. The whole incident was like a scene out of A Clockwork Orange (or Zoolander, but without the high cheekbones). I was half expecting some thugs to pop out of the bushes and throw a match on top of everything.

I ran up to the attendant behind the bullet proof glass. "I need some towels, rags, anything!" He reluctantly came out to help and we spent the next 15 minutes trying to sop up the damage with paper towels. I drove home reeking of gasoline, sopping wet.

Okay. So I've had the top down day and night for a couple of days. And it doesn't seem like it's going to magically evaporate on its own. The residue has seeped into everything.

What do I do? What CAN I do? Insurance/warranty doesn't cover interior repair.

 

Wow, I'm sorry man. That's HORRIBLE. What are the odds that the next car through that pump would be a convertible? A bad prank gone even worse.

I really don't know what to say. If you tell your insurance company that it was an intentional prank, it MIGHT fall under your comp coverage as vandalism... but even I'm not sure about that. Failing that, I think your best bet is to take the car to a dealer, tell them what happened, and go from there. This is SUCH a strange thing, I don't even really know what to say.

You COULD rent a steam cleaner. It might work, or it might not... but I'd do it quickly if you plan to. The longer that sits, the worse it's going to be to get out. I'd even try steaming your leather at this point... it can't hurt anything worse than the gasoline can.

Sorry again... hope everything works out.

 

WOW. that is some bad news. I don't know what can be done but wish you the best of luck with that. Now thats a shame.

 

I would get in touch with my insurance agent.....cause this isn't going to go away
most probably damage to the leather and God knows what else.

 

Diamoni, Wow-really sorry to hear about this.. it's probably too late already but you really need to get all the carpets, leather, seats, etc., out of the car and make sure no gasoline is on the plastic interior trim. It is likely to soften up under prolonged exposure.
You may be able to save your carpets by washing/ soaking them repeatedly in a large (clean) trash can filled with water and a high concentration of laundry soap (about 3x the amount you would use in a load of laundry) change water frequently.
As for your seat(s) there are a couple of 'how to' threads on here somewhere about completely disassembling them to lower them and add/remove stuffing. I have no idea how to get gasoline out of leather.. you may want to ask a dry-cleaners that specializes in leather if they have any advice. I have a feeling your seat(s) may be hosed (Sorry about the pun -I kept trying to resist) Seriously though...
If you are uncomfortable disassembling this stuff yourself you may want to try an automotive upholestry specialty shop, or even a good audio installation shop.. Though at this point I don't think you have much to lose by doing it yourself.. you might accidentally break a few plastic tabs but so what..
I would exhause ALL avenues of insurance coverage first- not only your own but possibly the gas station's or even the gas pump manufacturer's.. You might think this sounds crazy but have you priced just the SEATS?? (hint.. Aftermarket racing seats are CHEAPER)
(and before I get flamed for being a lawsuit happy contributor to the downfall of the legal system/society.. let me just say I have never collected a single penny of insurance money for anything.. and between homeowners, health, auto, I have paid out well over $150,000 lifetime in premiums- and I do not begrudge buying an interior for this poor guy.)
On the bright side there are good aftermarket carpets, leather trim, and seats available for this car that are both nicer and less expensive than stock. There are also enough factory interior parts floating around that the prices are less than dealership.
I also suggest you ask over in the Wash&Wax forum if anyone has any advice on gasoline removal.
Best of luck, I hope it all works out for you. I really feel for you.
Mike

 

Thanks guys for the advice and everything. I'm still kinda in shock.

Dare I ask (before I call the friendly dealer) approx. how much it would be to replace everything stock?

And if I go after-market... would any of you mind pointing out some links to some tasteful recommendations? If I end up having to replace, and my gut feeling, and nose and stinging eyes tell me yes... I may as well do it properly (better than stock).

One more request. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area (peninsula)... any recommendations on a trusted, S2000 friendly place to have this work done? I'm willing to pay for quality.

Thanks again.

 

Honda doesn't sell the seats as an assembly. They sell them in pieces, and when you add up all the pieces you are in the $4000 range. No shit.

Deals can be found on eBay and on the board for a set of seats (depending on color) for $600-$1400.

I would definatly strip the interior and clean it up from underneath, and do it now.

 

Any chance of holding the cas station responsible?

Dunno, but up here we always here about the most preposterous law suits in the US... - MikeyDs coffee being too hot for eg. This doesn't sound preposterous at all, as far as suits go... Otherwise, I would contact my insurance.

Edit: gas, not "cas" sry.

 

You would think an accident such as this would fall under their business liability policy. I noticed many self serve stations near me actually remove the trigger lock. Perhaps to keep accidents like this from happening??? Or, to limit their liability???

An open line of communication to the station's owner along with a little diplomacy may go a long way.

Diamoni, please post what happened to your car on the "wash and wax" forum. I can't remember the guys name (perhaps the moderator can help), but at one time, wash & wax had a leather expert on the board. I'm sure he could help you with your interior.

In the mean time, you should get a no bumper sticker A.S.A.P. I would hate to hear that you burst into flames like the guys from "Zoolander".

 

Post on the Bay Area S2000 Owners club forum, for advice on shops, etc. Judging from the # of posts it's a very active forum. Take a look at Ricks http://www.ricks2k.com/ he has a lot of nice interior stuff and I'm sure he'd be happy to talk to you about your problem.
Best of luck, Mike