I just got an '85 380SE. Unfortunately the the drains near the corners of the front windshield were clogged with pine needles, leaves, and dirt. The result--a flooded rear footwell (is this the right term?). I got the carpeting pretty dry but I can't imagine there isn't some residual moisture in between the carpet itself and the foam rubber padding. I did pull the front carpet to air it out and diagnose the leak and it is now dry.

Is it worth to pull the whole rear carpeting up? Wouldn't I have to--at least--remove the front seats?

Thanks.

Mike Beers


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'85 380SE 152k

Mike, you may be able to get away with just removing the rear seat providing once you do that you are able to assess how easy it will be to remove any residual moisture. If you find any water, the aggressive use of a wet/dry vac will speed the drying process. You be the judge of how wet it is when you pull the rear seat. If it's really wet, I would go ahead and remove the front seat and remove the carpet and really get it dry. There is nothing worse than the smell of moldy, wet carpet. It never goes away.

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325