Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire
Water Ingress Strip Out
The soundproofing between your carpets and the floor pan stays wet.
Water that gets in ends up soaked into that foam, and it cannot dry where it sits. A surface clean makes it look right for a fortnight, then the mould is back. So the interior comes out, the car is dried with industrial heaters, the spores are killed, and it all goes back together. £750 +VAT at the Shoreham workshop, and you get a courtesy car while we have it.
5.0 from 727 Google reviews. Trusted by Autoglass and National Windscreens.
A strip out in progress at the workshop. Seats, carpets, console and foam are out, and what is left dries to the bare shell.
Watch the job
The strip out on video
What it is
The water ingress strip out, start to finish
The foam under your carpets is a sponge. Once water reaches it, no amount of surface cleaning will get it out, because it cannot dry inside the car. This is the job that deals with it properly.
- The stripSeats, carpets, door cards and the soundproofing foam all come out of the car. The foam is where the water lives, and it only dries once it is out.
- The dry15kW industrial heaters run for 24 to 48 hours, until the foam, the carpets and the bare shell hold no moisture at all.
- The killThe whole interior is treated with the same enzyme cleaner we use for car mould removal, so the spores are dead rather than moved around.
- The rebuildEverything is refitted, inspected, and the car handed back dry. Fixed properly, it stays fixed.
£750 +VAT
Two to five days depending on how wet the car is. The drying alone takes a day or two, and there is no shortcut if you want it done properly. A courtesy car is included as standard, so you are never without wheels.
One condition: the leak has to be fixed before we strip the car. Otherwise you are paying to dry a car that is filling back up.
The honest bit
If the car isn’t leaking, you don’t need this
Mould from damp kit left in the boot, a wet dog blanket or winter condensation sits in the fabrics, not the foam. That car needs our mobile mould removal service at £225 +VAT, done at your home or workplace in about three hours, not a £750 strip out.
Not sure which yours is? Wet carpets, glass that mists up overnight, or mould that came back after a clean all point to water getting in. WhatsApp us a photo and we’ll tell you which job it needs.
Where the water gets in
Sunroofs, screens, seals and drains
Blocked sunroof drains top the list, with Fords and VWs the usual suspects. After that it’s windscreens that were replaced and not sealed properly, tired door seals on older cars, blocked scuttle drains, and rear light clusters letting water into the boot.
The windscreen one is common enough that when a replacement goes wrong and the car turns mouldy, Autoglass and National Windscreens send the rectification work to us. We have been putting those cars right for over 20 years, with drying equipment most valeters don’t have.
From our Google reviews
The ones about water damage
What goes with it
Where to go from here
No leak, just mould from damp left in the car. A mobile deep clean and enzyme treatment at your home or workplace, from £225 +VAT and about three hours.
Caravans, campervans and motorhomes that have stood all winter get the same mould and damp problems. We treat and valet them where they are parked.
Common questions
Straight answers
How long does the strip out take?
Do I get a courtesy vehicle?
Will the mould come back?
Why do Autoglass and National Windscreens send work to you?
Which cars are most prone to water ingress?
Get the water out for good
Wet carpets do not fix themselves, and the longer the foam sits wet, the worse the mould gets. Book the strip out, or send us a photo first and we’ll tell you what you’re dealing with.