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Wet, mildw smelling rear carpet


kenac

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Hi everyone, I've been lurking here for ages and finally have something I feel like I could use some input on.

 

2 weeks ago I bought a 2020 AT4 with 2000 miles on it. It was a demo.

 

I gave it a cursory glance, liked the price, and went for it. 2k miles what could go wrong, I thought. Plus i was in a hurry to get a truck and had been hunting for one in my area for awhile and was down to the wire.

 

Got it and 2 days later took off on a vacation in it. Drove it 2000 miles in the 2 weeks I've had it so far. I have made an alarming discovery though - the rear carpet under the rubber mat is soaking wet.

 

When I picked it up it had some awful smelling air fresheners in it. 2-3 dropped into each door pocket. I found them and took them out and after a day or so it had the usual mostly new car smell.

When I opened the rear seat compartments I noticed broken glass in them. Obviously the rear window had been shattered at some point and replaced. I was disappointed they did such a poor job cleaning the glass out but just let it slide. I found that the day after I got it and the day before I went on vacation.

 

Fast forward to about 3 days ago I and when I got in it I noticed it had a musty, mildew-like smell in it. I didn't think much of it. Another day passed - still smelled.

 

Get home from work today and decide to get to the bottom of this. I've heard about rear window leaks so I'm investigating all the nooks and crannies, sticking my nose into corners like a madman but don't find anything wrong.

 

On a hunch I pull up the rear rubber mat and low and behold it's covered in condensation. The carpet is wet to the touch and the mildew smell hits me like a truck. Found the problem.

 

Here's the kicker - this truck came from Lake Charles, LA. If you haven't been watching the weather in Lake Charles they've had 2 hurricanes pass through recently. The broken glass tells me that it got storm damage, the wet carpet tells me it got rained in, the smell tells me they half-assed the repair instead of replacing the carpet, and all the air fresheners tells me they knew and covered it up. I am beyond pissed for obvious reasons.

 

I'm heading there in the morning because they can't smell it or feel the carpet and the wet rubber mat in pictures. Bare minimum I'm going to be looking for the carpet to be replaced but now I need to inspect the whole thing for any other possibly water damaged areas.

 

My question is - it did sit in a parking lot at a hotel in several days of heavy rain while I was on vacation. I can't identify a rear window leak but if it was does it get bad enough that it would wet the rear carpet? I'm thinking it isn't the window because the carpet under the seat isn't wet only under the rubber mat, it seems to me that moisture was covered up and trapped there.

 

If this thing was storm damaged and they didn't disclose it what recourse do I have? I'm obviously less than thrilled to have a 60k truck that smells like mold. Should I see what the dealership offers to do first or contact GM directly? Do dealerships have any obligation to disclose damage done to demo vehicles? On paper it's sold as brand new but it is not in brand new condition by a long shot.

 

Sorry for being so wordy. Any advice appreciated.

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If you can prove they covered up damages, you legally should have a case against them for fraudulently issuing the title. Pretty much, you need to be able to prove the dealership knew it got soaked and replaced the window and that it was not someone who took it out as a loaner or extended test drive that broke the window and replaced it before bringing it back thereby giving the dealer an out by saying they had no knowledge of this event and will investigate. 

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Also, in my experience, Chevy and GMC dealers are terrible at taking care of their vehicles on the lot. I have purchased 3 Silverado’s from out of state and each time, the first one they brought to me I had to tell them I don’t want it and to bring me another one because of damages. These were all supposedly new trucks with less than 10miles on the odometer. Damages such as dented and scratched fender, 60+ small scratches on passenger door that were hard to see, but you could feel with your hand were to the metal. On dealer lots locally, at least 50% of the trucks have some kind of scratches on them (some not very noticeable, some quite noticeable). 
Evidently, GM also agrees with my view on the dealers as they have a TSB out to not remove the plastic on the new corvettes prior to customer delivery to prevent lot damages and scratches. Contacting GM directly might have them on your side for this matter. 

Edited by Sqrls
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I brought it in Saturday morning, currently in a loaner. The 2.7L turbo 4cyl has been interesting to drive at least.

 

I am thoroughly convinced they covered this up but I can't prove it. They did admit to the rear window being broken but have "no idea" how any water would have gotten in. Right. And the usual thing to do when you sell a truck is put a dozen air fresheners in it I guess.

 

I'm still ticked about it but they didn't buck me at all on getting it torn apart and the carpet replaced. I really was afraid that's what would happen, but I pulled in and they immediately took me to a loaner Elevation to drive until its taken care of and agreed when I said I wanted new carpet not that one to be cleaned.

 

The odd thing to me is that's all they were concerned with - get me in a loaner and get me going back home 1.5hrs away. It wasn't until I finally said uh you want to look at my truck and see the issue that the salesman finally said oh yea I guess we should do that.

 

Just tells me again that they knew what was going on already. Otherwise the sensible thing to do would be to check and make sure I didn't leave the sunroof open and let water pour in and then claim it came that way.

 

Talked to my brother who has been a mechanic at a GM dealership for about 15 years and he said if they replace the carpet it should be fine - nothing really to be concerned about as far as electrical issues based on what I described to him. So as long as they get it back to me no longer smelling like musty gym socks inside it'll be alright. Thanks for yalls advice.

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Sorry to hear, as far as your issues it’s a matter of how good or bad the dealership is or wants repeat business. Thus far it sounds like, they covered it up but now that they’ve been busted they are willing to spend some money. 
 

I had a similar issue on a 16’ Colorado Demo I purchased with 4K. Found all kinds of things wrong with it once I brought it home. GM replaced the windshield, passenger seat “leather” and repainted rear bumper/gas door area. 

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Is it that the dealers know about these issues with their vehicles but don't bother to fix them because it costs them out of pocket to fix?  If they sell it as is and the customer comes back complaining about it, the dealer can invoke the warranty and GM covers it.  Dealer doesn't lose a cent.

 

Is this the dealer's thinking or?

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9 hours ago, kenac said:

I brought it in Saturday morning, currently in a loaner. The 2.7L turbo 4cyl has been interesting to drive at least.

 

I am thoroughly convinced they covered this up but I can't prove it. They did admit to the rear window being broken but have "no idea" how any water would have gotten in. Right. And the usual thing to do when you sell a truck is put a dozen air fresheners in it I guess.

 

I'm still ticked about it but they didn't buck me at all on getting it torn apart and the carpet replaced. I really was afraid that's what would happen, but I pulled in and they immediately took me to a loaner Elevation to drive until its taken care of and agreed when I said I wanted new carpet not that one to be cleaned.

 

The odd thing to me is that's all they were concerned with - get me in a loaner and get me going back home 1.5hrs away. It wasn't until I finally said uh you want to look at my truck and see the issue that the salesman finally said oh yea I guess we should do that.

 

Just tells me again that they knew what was going on already. Otherwise the sensible thing to do would be to check and make sure I didn't leave the sunroof open and let water pour in and then claim it came that way.

 

Talked to my brother who has been a mechanic at a GM dealership for about 15 years and he said if they replace the carpet it should be fine - nothing really to be concerned about as far as electrical issues based on what I described to him. So as long as they get it back to me no longer smelling like musty gym socks inside it'll be alright. Thanks for yalls advice.

Open a claim with GM, let them know everything that has happened so far.

 

Would bet a $1.00 that the old wet carpet will be put back in, if they even take it out at all. Ask them take a picture of your engine hours and send it to you, your truck will probably be sitting on the lot somewhere with the heat running as hot as it can be in an attempt to dry out the interior.

If they lied to you while buying it, pretty sure the lying will continue with the fix.

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If equipped, the Bose amp, the video processor for 360 cam, and the inverter for the 120v outlets are on the back wall behind the seat. There is obviously also a wiring harness that runs through that area to feed it all. Those modules may have gotten wet and stranded wire also has a tendency to wick water through the harness. Neither issue may pose a problem now, but corrosion down the road might. Back seat itself is another question mark to me. Might be some mold or mildew growing in that thing too.


Not trying to scare you but I would re-consider accepting only a simple carpet replacement. Perhaps negotiating an extended warranty on the house would be advisable in case of electrical problems after the 3/36 bumper to bumper.

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