Getting wet

[Cuppa]

I stuffed up a river crossing today. Concrete bottom but covered in deep soft sand. Was stuck in the middle for 10 minutes or so, not moving. Eventually managed to get out but water around my feet.

What an absolute pain in the rear it is stripping the entire ute cab to get the vinyl floor covering out, with it's thick absorbent felt underneath. What were Nissan thinking when they put this floor covering into a 4wd. Not sure what other models have, this is a DX ute

Has anyone replaced the floor coverings in their car to make it more 'wet' friendly. ie easy to remove & with sound/heat insulation which doesn't absorb water?

Anyone know of kits made for this purpose.

No idea where the water got in, it was on both driver & passenger side. Think it must have been because I was stationary in running water. Have previously been through deeper withou water getting in, but have never actually stopped more than very briefly.

[PeeBee]

Check out carbuilders .com.au. - bayswater or close to it in Vic, high quality stuff, they heaps of stuff to sort this out. You want a closed cell foam, maybe a sound deadener as well as a high build foam product. Strip off the carpet underlay and away you go. i have done this, Works great, absorbs no water and is very quiet. Or Jing Ping it then the vinyl floor mat.

[Cuppa]

Will look into that when we get home later in the the year. Thanks @PeeBee. Would be nice to find a way of refitting the vinyl so it an also be removed without having to dismantle so much.

[MudRunnerTD]

Bilge Pumps for the win. I cut my Carpet under the middle of teh front seats so the wagon carpet was in 2 pieces, made things much easier. I would look at a Polyurethane or rubber carpet underlay mate that is hydrophobic or non-permable and easy to remove and hang to dry then refit.

[Tip12345]

did you plug the holes when you changed the seats ?

[Cuppa]

did you plug the holes when you changed the seats ?

I did. On the way in here last may we crossed two rivers at 800mm & got through largely unscathed. Just a bit of dampness, & I traced where it had got in & sealed it. This time more got in but water depth was far less, but I was stationary in the water for 10 minutes & there was a reasonable flow coming from the driver side. Inside the car is almost dry now after several days with a pair of electric fans running 24/7, & the vinyl plus underfelt is getting there hanging on a line. There was a constant drip of water onto the ground though. Yesterday I got down to see where it was coming from. What looked like a small drain hole in the bottom of the driver side sill. I pushed a knife blade up into it & turned the drip in a full flow tap! It ran for for a long time, I'd estimate 8 or 10 litres of water at least. The Sill must have been completely full, but unless it all got in via that little drain hole I have no idea where it got in. If it was the sill which filled first it could have overflowed into the footwell via the holes that the plastic sill cover clips into? Floor was wet on passenger side footwell too, but nothing in the passenger side sill. At least I now know where the sloshing noise I could hear as I drove home was coming from!

[Brissieboy]

Water is always a hell of a lot better at finding holes than people are. I reckon it is near impossible to seal a vehicle cabin to cope with water above sill height.

[mudnut]

Water is always a hell of a lot better at finding holes than people are. I reckon it is near impossible to seal a vehicle cabin to cope with water above sill height.

Maybe find someone with a smoke machine to find the leaks.

[BillsGU]

Maybe find someone with a smoke machine to find the leaks.

Or wait until it is dark and put a bright light under the car.

[mudnut]

Or wait until it is dark and put a bright light under the car.

Oh yeah. I forgot he has the vinyl and insulation out