Anyone do a carpet removal, pad replacement for mold?

I did something that might help. Removing the seats and plastics is not difficult just time consuming.

My pad under the carpet would get wet on rides, I hate the smell and how much water the pad under the carpet could hold. So for my cheap solution I started by removing the front seats and most of the center console, flipped the carpet back and cut out all the under pad. It went straight to the trash. For the replacement I went to my local Ross/Marshalls and grabbed a couple yoga mats. I made sure they were the same thickness, so if you can buy the same brand its best. I made sure to buy mats that where on the thicker side, I know nothing when it comes to yoga mats, but these were the thickest ones at the store. I cut them up to fit and used some double sided type in a couple areas. They been holding up great under the carpet. The truck is not any louder than before. As for water I can remove them easily to dry them out. They also do not hold as much water as the stock pad and they were cheap, like 13 bucks each. I bought 3 to do the front and rear seat floors. The rest of the cab was lined with sound deadening while was in there.

The yoga mats are a cheap alternative to the stock pad and they will not hold as much water.

 

My 2 cents for what it’s worth.
Replace the carpet. I’ve done hundreds of water and mice damage vehicles.
It will never smell “right”. No matter what anyone says, I get in a vehicle and I can tell immediately if it had water or mice damage after it was “repaired”. You get use to how your car smells
like like the “nose blind” commercial.
As far as the padding and such, I bow to others that have found an alternative.

Take pictures. Then you know where things are and bag your screws with tags for a particular section.
Like others have said, it’s not super hard. Just need some common sense and patience.



One piece of advice I would force you to do if I was your friend.
After the interior is out, cleaned and dried, and ready to reinstall, water test the whole truck.

Put some hoses like rain all over the puppy and let it run for a few hours.
You will thank me later.
I have found other water intrusion and repaired spots leaking. Then you know,after all that work, it’s going to be dry.

Now after all this.
The insurance should be paying for the damage to the interior…
So all my advise goes out the window.. lol
Have fun.
Good luck..

 

Removing the two front seats is VERY easy and should take you no more than 10 minutes each.

1) Remove the headrest and set aside. This tiny step makes it much easier to wiggle the seat out the door.

2) Remove one 14 mm hex head bolt at each corner of the seat that bolts it to the floor. 4 in total. You can break these easily with a 3/8" drive ratchet and socket. The rear two bolts will require a plastic cover to be removed first. Just gently pry each one off. There are no covers for the front hold-down bolts.

3) Gently tilt the entire seat backward once the bolts are undone to expose the underside and *carefully* unplug the wiring harness connections under the seat. The driver side has 3 plugs and the pax side 2. Take your time and just look closely for how the release tabs press inward.

4) Then use the seat tilt adjuster lever on the outboard side of the seat to place the seat in as forward a tilt position as possible. It should almost look like a Vee. Then gently remove seat through the front door being careful not to scratch the door sill. That's it. 10 minutes, per side or one 16 ounce beer.

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Remove door sill plastic trim panels by gently prying upward.
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Remove center console. There are dozens of good videos on YouTube. IIRC, there are a handful of 10mm bolts and the rest is just plastic tabs.
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You may need to remove some bolts for the rear seat to get the carpet out in one fell swoop, but it is as easy as that.

At most, if this is your first time doing something like this, it should take you no more than a weekend afternoon to get the carpet out.
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Once you get the carpet out, you will be able to decide what you wish to do with padding or sound deadening insulation.
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I'm with others here. If the carpet is otherwise in good condition, just clean it really really good and let it hang or lay in the warm sun on your patio for an entire day. It will fit back in like new (a plus) and save you about $500-$600.
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$5000 to replace the carpet in a Tacoma is absurd. That dealership service manager needs to be taken behind the woodshed. He/she should know what the service writers are proving in terms of estimates and that is just plain awful in terms of taking advantage of a customer.

GOOD LUCK!
YOU CAN AND SHOULD DO THIS YOURSELF!!!!!

 

Wow ok so just an update for those who care:

I’m gearing up to tackle this myself this weekend. I was able to get some friends involved and we are doing a cookout while I and maybe one other friend take care of the truck. Sounds fun.
Insurance reimbursed me for the windshield replacement but then gave me the $ for the carpet as well.. but I haven’t scheduled anything with the shop to deal with the carpet. Sooo… more incentive to try it myself lol.

 

haha fair. Trust I will be taking plenty of photos of the whole process!

 

Mates, Cookout, beer and working on the taco sound fun. Place the BBQ far from the Taco.

Send pics - Video if you end-up drunk and with the taco on fire!

Good luck!