So, I was dumb and i left my windows down during a rain storm while I was on base doing some training. It was a bright sunny and extremely hot day out, with no sign of rain in the future so I thought I would be good. I was wrong. Anyways, my car was SOAKED. No standing water, but it was still pretty bad. Anyways, I dried it all out ASAP, and tested everything when it was done. Below are the findings I found; however everything is now working EXCEPT the AC. Radio: The screen had that water-behind-it look. However, after spending a long time in the sun, it is now gone. At first it was tweaking out and going to random screens, however that has stopped. Only issue I have now is sometimes it will become unresponsive and I cant do anything but change the volume, however the blutooth / music still plays. AC Controls: When I first tried them, it was freaking out. Like it would display 88888 across the screen, and everything. Now nothing works. Wont even turn on. I hit the keys and nothing happens. I try to change the temperature via the steering wheel, and it wont adjust either. The fans dont turn on, nothing. Nothing about this works. No green little indicator lights, nothing. Power (everything) works. The dash display is all fine, power windows work, etc. I have yet to test the cigarette lighter below the center divider. Ill do that soon. I also treated my car for mold and mildew by spraying the seats with Distilled White Vinegar and letting it dry, then applying Borax to the seats and vacuuming it out. I could tell mildew was setting in by the smell, so hopefully this will kill the mold and smell. Images to help what i was talking about: (Please ignore the passenger airbag lights, they work. I was having a dumb moment there).
Thank you! It has been several days (happened on Wednesday) so I believe everything is dry now since it has been 3 days in 80+ degree weather.
Welcome to Prius Chat ! My guess is the moist environment has created a very humid environment and gotten everywhere. 80 F temps will rid the moisture slowly, where a focus heater (hairdryer) would expedite the process on known issues. Keep us posted .
think of when people drop their fob in water and try the rice/microwave/hairdryer tricks. sometimes they work sometimes not.
Haha, thanks guys. I put a sock of cat liter in the car and sprayed the car wtih White Distilled Vinegar and let it sit all day so that way I could kill any mildew. I took a hair dryer to the controls and it didnt seem to do anything yet.
Had the car thrown any dash lights since the incident? Are the surrounding electronics all functioning (did you test the aux jack underneath the flying bridge)? Does the radio work? Can you change the volume or stations from the steering wheel controls? Have you checked any fuses? Just some additional ideas for your weekend project.
Yep, everything works around it. Radio occasionally freezes, but then will let me use the touch display as well as the controls on the steering wheel. The driving modes (Power, EV, Eco) buttons directly under the AC work just fine too.
Why not just take the A/C control panel into the house and stick it in a bucket with some rice? Just pop off the trim around it, starting like this; the last piece you'll need to pop off is the bezel around the radio and A/C, then you'll see where to squeeze the A/C control to pop it out, and unplug the cord from the back. (Also, if that doesn't fix it and you decide to try a used one, that'll be good practice.) However (comma!), I think I just remembered, not all the smarts for the A/C are in that unit. I think there's an actual "A/C amplifier" (ECU) mounted in kind of a hellish spot, like forward of the heater unit and low to the floor. (That would also not make it very resistant to flooding.) Not sure on the part number for your model; maybe this one? You'll probably want to check the repair manual for the steps to get to that animal; not as easy as the control panel. It sounds like you got a serious dose of water, so you'll want to bone up on T-SB-0229-12 (also on techinfo where the repair manual is), which is all about evaluating the car after a significant water incident. If you haven't done this already, I'd advise getting to a safe storage place (where it won't be rained in again!) with all doors and hatch open, and the carpet lifted wherever you can (pop up the door sill trims, lift the carpet edges, stack some blocks or something under the carpet edges under the seats, etc.) Get some forced air going if you can. Avoid storing in an attached garage. -Chap
dehumidifier in the car over night and crack windows 1/2 it will get hot in there Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Seriously, don't take this too lightly. If the car got that wet, under carpet areas with wiring are probably still damp and still deteriorating. The first section of T-SB-0229-12 is just about getting your car safe so you can start to get a handle on its condition according to the later sections. -Chap
find a new screen on e bay or a salvage yard before it shorts out other stuff in the car.. or put it through your insurance and let them fix it, tell the the windshield leaked
