four-fleet-feet Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 So, what evil leftovers have you found? I've had to rip out panels aplenty to find things on Dragon - like the entire rear seat area when tracking down the water leak she had upon purchase. Also the trim panels to track down the rear window washer problem (still unsolved). In my buckets-of-hot-water, scrub brush, soap, toothbrush, gloves, and grim jaw cleaning time, I found what has to be a first - if I'm wrong please shock me with your tale. The seat area in the rear had to have at least $4 in change under it - I thought I'd found it all, then voila! I'd peel up another panel or vinyl cover and there'd be more... more... more. If it hadn't been black with crud I'd have been happier. Finished that, noticed the door handle could be cleaner. I coudn't see the screw at the bottom. Pulled out my latest scrub cloth and investigated. The pax rear door handle cup was literally an inch deep in several ossified layers of multicolored chewing gum. Yuck! I knew the previous owner'd had children, but nasty ones, it seemed. Took me forever to chisel them out with a flathead and quite a bit of solvent and cleaner. Then I found crayons in the seat belt mechanism. In a black car, even in Washington, yeah, they melt. Scraped them out and off. Pleased with my clean car, I moved the the driver's side rear door. Huh. It was clean? Oddly, the hand-cup in the door wasn't secured. I pulled it out to give it a swipe anyway, and what did I see? DOZENS of Tootsie-Roll Sucker wrappers, Charms sucker wrappers, candy wrappers, and things of that ilk. Double yuck! Took me over an hour of fishing with chopsticks and tongs to get them all out (I didn't want to pull the panel without really knowing how). Wish I'd had a camera before I cleaned it up. I still can't believe it, and I threw the mess out... Do I want to spank the brats who couldn't be bothered throwing their trash into a trash bag? Kinda, but not as much as I want to bi**h-slap the parents for not teaching them better! How they couldn't have seen the trash building up is beyond me. Maybe that's why she had Dragon 'professionally detailed' before I bought the car. I wish she would have told me who did it (asked several times without her telling me) so I could warn away potential customers. What I've had to clean up..... I've found money and other personal items in used things before, not just cars, but what's your I-found-it-and-can't-believe-it story? Please share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 haha wow that's pretty bad. I don't have any really odd stories; the only soob I bought from a private owner so far is the '94, it was a college kid. There was all kinds of stuff in the vehicle he left, change, receipts, maps, a bar-mitsvah cap, birthday cards, student id, parking permit, stuff like that. So I contacted him and offered to mail it to him, which is what I did. It was all under the seats and in hidden places. Oh also something spilled in the rear, like battery acid or something, that has really rotted out the left rear part of the cargo carpeting, no idea what it is though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bserk Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 In my early years in the business, I cleaned s**t outta cars that would turn your stomach. If I had to do it again (and I wouldnt!) I would wear rubber gloves. I'd give you examples, but someone might have just finished dinner. But I dont think you could shock me with anything in this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 ROFL yupper, ya can find some really nasty stuff in cars sometimes. My current ride, the Snow Queen, I found a banana peel under the rear seat, in addition to the usual detritus like loose change, candy wrappers, small toy parts, old inkpens, etc. Whomever had the car before had some kind of small animal that must have shed like crazy cause there was gobs of long fine white hair EVERYWHERE!!! I am thinking a persian cat perhaps. I am still finding hair even after attempting to vacuum it up - it doesnt want to let go of the carpet! it's under the seats, under the dash, behind various panels - just EVERYWHERE... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Broken hash pipe under the front pass seat of the OBW. Glad that I happened to find it rather than have it discovered during a police stop or something. It explains the burn marks all over the driver's seat. Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 i took 3 big trash bags of trash from my 88 wagon, when i got it, also agood cd play which still works, about 15 in change, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Kids are messy - that's just the nature of the beast. Little one's make messes and are clumsy with their stuff - especially in a car where their already poor hand-eye coordination is made worse by the movement of the vehicle. They can't see where you are going so can't prepare for the clover-leaf off-ramp you just took..... That said, I've found plenty of nasty stuff in vehicles: Spare keys - sometimes originals. Lots of change. Petrified french fries. Drugs. Used condoms. Mice, and their nesting. Etc. This is the new gen forum - you want to see nasty stuff pickup an early 80's soob with leaky windows that has been sitting outside somewhere for years without being driven. It's like a archaeological dig You find the worst stuff in the junk yard cars. And if you want to talk about spills - I had a full gallon of carb cleaner in the bed of the Brat one HOT summer day that tipped over and the lid popped off when I took a corner. Even though I was driving AWAY from the incident, my eyes watered up it was so powerful. Actually etched the plastic of the tail-light. I can't imagine what people behind me must have thought. It was AWEFUL. Really though, I deal with horrible things all day at work. I wrench on machinery of all kinds - pumps that either suck or blow everything you could imagine. Viking and Sihi pumps are one of the worst - tar, sewage, surgical suck, etc. Then there's the chemical duty pumps - I have one in the shop right now that pumps 600 gallons of Hydrochloric Acid Vapor per hour..... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 this thread just reminded me of one thing that's i've finally (only via time) gotten rid of in my car from the previous owner--the smell of her perfume in the box between the front seats! she was this college kid and i guess her parents got her a new car. she must have kept a bottle of her perfume in there for emergencies or it spilled or something, cause for at least a year when i opened that box the car was filled with the smell, and pretty noxious. i couldn't really complain, though. the sight of her walking around in her short shorts when i went to buy it etc made the buy and drive all the way from pottstown pa to elmira, ny worth it that much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 yeah in my 96 legacy i found 3 little bags of weed get this.....1 under the shifter boot, 1 under the passangers seat stuffed up in the springs for the seat, and 1 under the back seat on top of the fuel pump access cover......well... i did buy the car because the kid was going to prison.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I recently started driving my Legacy again and noticed all the nasty stuff between the seats that accumulated from my grandmother and me over the years. There is a million little french fries and quarters that is coated with the hot tea she drinks. I still can't get it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 millions? well maybe hundreds of rubber bands. car was used to deliver some cheesy "Penny Saver" paper. Could have saved a few "pennies" if they didn't leave the "gum bands" get away. How they got under the automatic shifter console still has me scratchin' my bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoodsboy Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 car was used to deliver some cheesy "Penny Saver" paper. Hey! I GET the Pennysaver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbshop Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 i found a diamond ring under the backseat of a mercedes once. thought it was a toy at first but saw it was genuine when i cleaned it up a bit. george Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 A few little people, also broke in my car before its acquisition. I found that WD40 Works great to remove the gum and solidified soda, and Simple Green is wonderful for general cleaning. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 i found a diamond ring under the backseat of a mercedes once. thought it was a toy at first but saw it was genuine when i cleaned it up a bit. george That was the cheapest Christmas present ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keltik Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Weirdest Find: A couple hundred Wendys serviettes in the dashboard of my Honda and up under the auto shifter. Nastiest Find: Used condoms in the back of my Mitsubishi. Worst smelling car: Holden i bought off waimaks which oozed hot gear oil out of the dash on the drive to work. Best Find: A thermos coffee mug, screwdriver set, yamaha brake rotor, measuring tape and photo of the PO's wife in my Calibra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 My first car, a 1948 Ford business coupe. Bought if for $75.00 from a couple of Mormon missionary guys that were finished with it and going back to Utah. $15.00 worth of change in the ash tray ... they had never opened it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleb Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 When I was restoring my 72 GMC 3/4 ton, I was cleaning out the inside of the pax side door, and found a rust covered baggy full of mary jane. Someone went through all the trouble of hiding their stash inside the door only to forget about it. My dad still swears he knows nothing about it, even though he owned it since the 80's... For the record, it was too far gone to attempt THC recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickensheets Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 and photo of the PO's wife in my Calibra. How did you manage getting her into your calibra? You have mad negotiating skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbrand Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 My Legacy had money everwhere-change and even a few dollar bills around in ashtray, change tray, console, under seat and even in spare tire cover area! My sunfire when i went to retrieve a dropped bolt next to the battery I spied a 10mm ratcheting wrench used for side battery terminals, apparently left over from a battery change-has come in handy since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 If you want to see some nasty stuff you should seen the inside of the Beast when I got it from my aunt it was like sitting in a dumpster, there was trash everywhere, and the seats had some sort of black crust on them it was gross, but after 2 weeks of soaking and cleaning, it was all better than new:) the cheap b***h didnt leave any change though (you can see how much I love my aunt) Anyway it was a nasty nasty car until I got it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 when i was installing a cb antenna in my impreza, i found the remnants of a 5lbs bag of sugar under the carpet and center console. looked like it was dropped on the e-brake lever and poured down the passenger side of the inside of the console and under the carpet to where the seat rails bolt down. it was a solid rock of sugar, and yes, it was sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffx Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Ruby seems to have retained every pen and pencil ever dropped in her ten years jammed into the front seat tracks. I'm going to have to unbolt the seats to get them out (I'm afraid I'll break the pens otherwise). I left the guy I gave my first Subaru the two by four that kept the seat from ending up on the road! Hope he used it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleiad7 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 A friend gifted a '92 SVX to us recently that had been sitting uncovered and with the windows open for a few months. The clean-up was pretty repulsive. Aside from the leaves and moldy seatcovers that also contained a mystery spill of pinkish-red fluid, we found magazines, electrical diagrams (car had been blowing the main fuse), a pillow, a sunshade for the windshield, ancient mints, old tapes (remember those?), a dangly earring, several abandoned yellowjacket nests, $2.26 in change, and a fat green bud. :-\ The interior looked like this when we picked it up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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