Best way to clean up glass / assess water damage in interior ?
The sun does not always shine for ML owners... Two dways ago the passenger front window of my ML was smashed in, and my car documents were stolen [:(]. (the thieves specifically wanted those documents, since they did not bother to touch anything else - including my comand)
As a result of this, there are glass splinters everywhere in the interior. To top it off, the passenger seat/door were soaking wet from the rain at the time I arrived [xx(].
Now it's up to me to clean up the bits 'n pieces of glass still lying around (absolutely everywhere). What would be the best way to clean this up without damaging the console or upholstery?
Also, my insurance agent asked me if there was any other damage to the car that should be part of the claim. Since the passenger seat/door were soaking wet on arrival, there may well be some damage that is not directly visible. Any hints/ideas about the items I should certainly include in my 'review' are more than welcome.
with a powerful vacuum to vacuum the glass out. Use a soft stabbing motion vice a sweeping one. Careful not to embed the glass any further. As for your wet in interior you should use a extractor to remove the moisture ASAP! A steam cleaner would do be best. It will clean the upholstery (I am assuming you don't have leather seats) and extract the moisture at the same time. By cleaning it, it will prevent that nasty looking stain when it dries due to dirt and crud. In a case like this I highly recommend that you call a auto detailer and let them handle it. They have the right equipment, experience and you can probably claim it.
[:)]
It will clean the upholstery (I am assuming you don't have leather seats) and extract the moisture at the same time.
I do have leather seats (electric/memory/heated), so there is a lot in there that can break. The leather (anthracite ?) has dried well, without leaving any stains; but I don't know if the seat/foam/electrical systems below suffered any damage. Since I don't have the heart (and probably the skills [;)]) to remove the seat covers to check myself, I've made an appointment with the dealer so they can check it out with me.
I do have a pretty good shop vacuum, which should be powerful enough to get most of the splinters out, but I think I'll leave the most delicate/visible surfaces (ie: dashboard, burlwood) for the dealership to clean. Also there are still splinters visible in the gap between the window and the door upholstery, which probably won't come out without removing the door panel.
Seems that a complete document set is worth good money...
A police officer I've spoken with told me that depending on the make and model of the car, a complete set of documents can sell for upto 4000-5000 EURO (about $5K) on the black market.
Primary goal is to use these documents abroad to give a stolen car a new VIN number, so it can be sold and registered as 'legit'. Since there is no central European agency that keeps track of these things, car registries of different countries do not know that these documents are stolen (and hence the car is dirty). As long as the documents look OK and is complete, most national registries (especially in Eastern Europe) won't ask questions.
It seems that MB does keep some kind of internal database with 'dirty VINs', so theoretically official dealers should be able to check if a VIN is duplicated.[?]
be worth a thing? The title should not be kept in the vehicle. You can copy someone's VIN on the dash from the outside, so the registration won't be much help.
Sorry to hear about the break-in. The bright side of it is that they did not vandalize the truck more than necessary. Like slashing your interior and stuff. Good luck buddy.
Vehicle: MBENZ ML320, AUDI A4 SPORT, MBENZ C230K SS (current)
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,730
that also happen to me once, they broke passenger side glass and took my insurance and m...
that also happen to me once, they broke passenger side glass and took my insurance and manual booklet. I bought does leather shine enhancers that reshines the leather and used a portable vacuum to pick up the bits and pieces of the broken glass. check if theres any damage to the door, dents scratches.
Re removing glass, try one of those rollers with masking tape on it that can be purchased ...
Re removing glass, try one of those rollers with masking tape on it that can be purchased to remove pet hair and lint from your clothing. If you can't find one wrap masking tape around your hand, sticky side out and gently wipe down the seats, carpet etc. This is after vacuuming
Re removing glass, try one of those rollers with masking tape on it that can be purchased to remove pet hair and lint from your clothing. If you can't find one wrap masking tape around your hand, sticky side out and gently wipe down the seats, carpet etc. This is after vacuuming
You run good risk of scratching your seat with the roller because you would need to apply presure with a side to side motion. Also any shards of glass you pick up will rotate back and make contact again and again with each pass. Just my 2 cents. [:D]
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