4R found .. now what?

[Allthumbs]

:biggrin2:

now that my rig is back in the garage... before I start going crazy with a Q-tip... what do you guys suggest I do? I am hoping that Geico will spring for the detailing. it reeks of cigarettes and must have absorbed like $1,000 worth of crack fumes into the upholstery. Can it be brought back to it's former glory?

I am praying that.. mechanically it is OK. Has anyone gone throught my situation with Geico or some other insurance company? I would like to know how to handle them.

THANKS ALL!!:jump:

 

[Falls]

I would take it to a dealer and have it ALL inspected.

Then take it and have a full detail done on it . Inside & out .

Call the insurance co. and tell them if feels like it's not right and the interior is just nasty smelling .

See if you can get reimbursed from them. If not I would spend the money and have it done anyway.

I wish someone would steal my rims so I could have the ins. co. buy me a set of TRD 18" rims.

 

[pipspeak]

Smoke is a tough smell to get out... new seats and headliner are your best bets. Cleaning the headliner and seats is somewhat pointless in my experience (tried that) and any dealer interior detailing is worthless IMO (two dealers I tried did a worse job that I could have done).

The smoke permeates the headliner right through to the roof void and cleaning it effectively is next to impossible without risking delamination. The seats will absorb smoke smell right through to their cores and cleaning will only touch the exterior.

Carpets don't usually absorb smoke fumes (smoke rises) so should be fine with a good cleaning, assuming there are no burn marks. Also, dismantle the center console and clean under that... ash and other smelly crud tends to fall down there, as I found out when I took it apart to change my headunit

Hang tough with the insurance and fight them if they try to nickel and dime you. After all, it's a stolen/vandalism claim so they can't pin it on your record.

If you have to clean rather than replace I'd go to a carpet cleaning shop and have them do a chem-dry treatment on the entre interior. Most carpet cleaning companies also do auto detailing and will do a far better job than any dealership. You could also try ozone treatment but I've heard mixed results. Some swear by it and others say it's pointless.

 

[dingo]

I'm very glad to hear you got your beloved truck back. Like others have said, get it checked out and make sure it is mechanically sound. Check for any weird noises, scratches, etc. with a fine tooth comb. You can try a good upholstery shampoo vacuum and dash cleaner too but tobacco has a nasty tendency to get into everything.

For what it's worth (and I don't mean to sound like an ass) I would get a new key chain ring which tethers your keys to your person at all times. I can't stress the fact enough that people should have their keys on them at all times. Make it a habit despite what craziness is going on around you. I'm always on my wife's case about this too. I can't afford to have one of our $30+K trucks magically drive off by itself. I'll shut up now, I'm not your mother.

 

[Uneek]

For the interior smell, you can take it to a detailer that does interior work. Some detailers have ozone machines that can pull the smell out. I've heard cutting an apple in half and putting that in the car with the windows up and parked in the sun will get rid of some of smell as well.

 

[pipspeak]

There are a hundred suggestions for getting rid of smoke smell in a car and the 50 or so I have tried have all failed (including ozone, coffee beans, apples, vinegar, baking soda, etc.). Some seem to work at first but the smell eventually comes back.

You might be lucky since it was a relatively short time of smoke exposure but don't be surprised if the only thing that gets rid of it is a change of seats and headliner.

 

[Allthumbs]

Ins co will pay for the detailing ... up to a certain amount. the adjuster will let me know on thursday. Hope I don't turn in to on of these wackos with 100 pine tree air fresheners hanging in their cars !! :bigok:

Thanks all for the tip on getting rid of smell... forgot about the ozone machine. What about crack dust... or skank dripping on my carpet and seats?:biggrin2:

Well ... with a few phone calls I was able to locate the person's skank b!@tch old address BEFORE she was incarcerate. What FUN I had thinking up a thousand ways to blow the roof off that building.:bash: :cannon: :bugeye: :rant: :roadkill:

 

[dingo]

Have the authorities obtained any fingerprints off your vehicle? Since you found some kind of evidence I'm sure they could trace the @-hole who took your truck. I would be ruthless in tracking the low life POS down. Just a thought before you wipe any potential evidence that may help you before you get it all cleaned up.