~PSA: Do not put liquids in your trunk~

[sluflyer06]

This is a public service announcement to remind people to not put containers with liquid in the trunk, this includes milk jugs, detailing spray, etc.

Two days ago I had about 25oz of Griots Speed Shine in a sprayer in my trunk in the netted area with some microfiber towels, window cleaner, etc. I discovered the bottle had jostled loose from the area and spilled.

That night TPMS system went inactive with a warning on the dash, the next morning my entire dash went crazy, the cluster kept flashing all the lights, the needles went dead to 0, A/C/Radio/Seat heaters died and flashed on and off.

I was already scheduled for an oil change this morning and had them look at it...TMPS module fried, K-Bus short circuited, they dried the area out and replaced a couple modules and had to re-program the ECU and now its good.

This is not the first time on this forum this has happened and the typical repair cost is $1,200-$3,000. I was lucky and they covered all of it under warranty...could just be b/c my SA is my girlfriends dad.

So please be careful, if you search you'll find 2-3 others on this forum that this has happened to, these modules are not sealed from moisture.

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by sluflyer06

This is a public service announcement to remind people to not put containers with liquid in the trunk, this includes milk jugs, detailing spray, etc.

Two days ago I had about 25oz of Griots Speed Shine in a sprayer in my trunk in the netted area with some microfiber towels, window cleaner, etc. I discovered the bottle had jostled loose from the area and spilled.

That night TPMS system went inactive with a warning on the dash, the next morning my entire dash went crazy, the cluster kept flashing all the lights, the needles went dead to 0, A/C/Radio/Seat heaters died and flashed on and off.

I was already scheduled for an oil change this morning and had them look at it...TMPS module fried, K-Bus short circuited, they dried the area out and replaced a couple modules and had to re-program the ECU and now its good.

This is not the first time on this forum this has happened and the typical repair cost is $1,200-$3,000. I was lucky and they covered all of it under warranty...could just be b/c my SA is my girlfriends dad.

So please be careful, if you search you'll find 2-3 others on this forum that this has happened to, these modules are not sealed from moisture.

Thanks for this which is great advice. You should marry that girl!

[tracer bullet]

Ouch! I guess I didn't assume that stuff was sealed, but - I figured it'd take a little more than that to break things. Glad you got it working again.

[xerox445]

Ziploc bag is your friend. I have my quick detailer, spray wax, and 2 microfibers in the netted area, but its in a ziploc.

[ErvGotti]

Originally Posted by xerox445

Ziploc bag is your friend. I have my quick detailer, spray wax, and 2 microfibers in the netted area, but its in a ziploc.

Good idea I have the same items in the same area but have been lucky so far as they usually stay in place. I'm might have to do this.

[RimasRS]

ouch my engine oil bottle laying there

[fusion01]

How about engine oil in your trunk? I had severe fallout carrying a 5l container of 5W40 in previous car (fell over and leaked) and it NEVER came out. Also I carried hydrochloric acid for my pool in the passenger seat of previous car and it fell over and started eating into my floor! I stopped and got it out immediately (fumes don't get you high, they flippin' kill you!) and cleaned all out ASAP with bicarbonate of soda. But the vapours themselves chowed away at the aluminium parts in the car: dash dials, the headrest pillars, all of the air blower directional tabs - TOP THAT ONE!

[fusion01]

You should have bought a VW GTI mk5 Threw oil and hydrochloric acid at it and it never even bitched once! No codes, it just lapped up the punishment

[sluflyer06]

Originally Posted by fusion01

You should have bought a VW GTI mk5 Threw oil and hydrochloric acid at it and it never even bitched once! No codes, it just lapped up the punishment

No Thanks, had 2 VW's both brand new will likely never buy again. I also don't think I can do FWD anymore.

The ziploc bag idea isn't bad, I"m not sure the bottle/sprayer would fit in a gallon bag though.

[JimD]

I used to have my oil next to the battery - down low. I think I will move it back there.

Jim

[xerox445]

Just so you know there is a elastic strap on the drivers side of the trunk that is designed to hold and secure 1 quart of oil. BMW even makes a little holder with gloves and paper funnels that works in conjunction with this mounting point.

[Experimental]

At least your trunk smells nice now.

In all seriousness, that sucks. But a good lesson for all.

[jameselee]

I got this trunk tray (the Large size; 28-1/4" wide) from the Container Store and I love it. It's plastic and rigid, so it holds its shape (vs. collapsible/canvas solutions), and has modular inserts that can be removed or placed alongside the main tray. It fits perfectly against the rear seats in the trunk, holds grocery bags & other items, and will contain most liquids. It has "feet" that grip (pretty aggressively) the trunk floor and prevent it sliding around. Best of all, it's about $13!

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/s...uctId=10024142

[jameselee]

Originally Posted by xerox445

Just so you know there is a elastic strap on the drivers side of the trunk that is designed to hold and secure 1 quart of oil. BMW even makes a little holder with gloves and paper funnels that works in conjunction with this mounting point.

Thanks for passing this along! I have now had to add oil 3 times in my 12,500 miles of ownership, so I do carry a quart. This looks like a nice way to do it (esp. good idea to have paper funnels).

[doublevanosrc]

I have a small bottle of speed shine in the trunk but its held by that elastic band on the left side. So far it seems to hold it in place even during spirited driving sessions.

[MPFit]

I have a container with lid latches on it, have glass cleaner, rainX, instant detailer, and a few other liquid bottles- hasn't failed me yet. However, live and learn! We can all be sure this won't happen to you again!

[sluflyer06]

Yea thats true, I will probably get a rubber liner, and also some sort of container to put all the supplies in. I really just wanted to get this out there for people to read so they can prevent this from happening.

[Jayda]

I had a friend in Las Vegas once who had a gallon of ice cream get loose from the shopping bags in her trunk. The ice cream never made it inside and she went on vacation shortly after (not in the car). What a mess and what a smell when she finally got back in her car. At least it was Vegas where there tend to be fewer bugs.

[fourtailpipes]

i keep a medium-sized rubbermaid tub accessible for when i have to move such fluids. get one stamped with the letters "LDPE" on the bottom. not even the strongest of acids, alcohols, or solvents can get through.

[singular]

Someone on the forum had a gallon of milk fry their electronics a couple of years ago. For this reason I bought a plastic/rubber liner for the entire trunk from Dan @ United. Custom fit is great, I definitely recommend this safety 'mod'.

[1speedbike]

Thought I was the only weirdo with a bottle of spray detailer and a couple microfibers in the net area of the trunk. Glad I'm not the only obsessive one here!

Thanks for the heads up, I'll start using a big bag for the detailer, just in case!

[xerox445]

The meguires quick detailer just fits in the bag, barely...but it does fit. I guess its the gallon ziploc im using? Edit: The "ultimate detailer from meguiries does not fit" just the normal one, lol sad that I know this. I returned the ultimate stuff to autozone and got the regular just cause I wanted everything in that bag, neat and tidy.

TBH, the first bottle of detailer I had in there, I cracked the handle on the pump off, which was the only reason i put it in the bag, I would have never thought it was going to "short" anything out lol.

Besides the battery, is there really alot more wires or relays in the trunk? I did not notice any (but I was not looking for them really) during the rear suspension install when I had all the carpeting and moldings out.

Is it possable that it was just the fluid making the pos and neg terminals of the batterys short out and thats what blew everything out?

Also, where did it spill mostly? I'm afraid this winter to put my snowboard or boots in the trunk if its that sensitive to moisture, all of my old trunks on previous cars always were dank the following spring from throwing snowy equiptment in the trunk all winter and never really letting it "dry out".