The rubber pad beneath the driver's rug of my 2005 Camry recently got soaked in a rain storm. (The rubber floor plug came out.) I want to lift the rug so I can dry out the pad. How do I lift the rug? It doesn't have to come all the way out. Do I just pull up hard on the plastic door sill and then replace the broken fittings or what?

You can use a wet vac and then leave the doors open for a few hours that would take care of the problem without going through expense of replacing fittings from pulling up the carpet.

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Originally Posted by tickle

You can use a wet vac and then leave the doors open for a few hours that would take care of the problem without going through expense of replacing fittings from pulling up the carpet.

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Thanks but the top surface of the rug has been dry for a couple of weeks. The rubber mat underneath is still wet because the rug is pretty impermeable to water. I have to be able to lift the rug to let air get at it.

Everything just pops up. The sill plates, kick panel, etc... See if you can borrow a trim removal tool shaped like a V. You'll save tearing it up.
This is what I'd do, remove the 4 anchor bolts for the seat. The rear ones have a cover on them that just pop up. Lift and tilt the seat back and disconnect the side air bag connectors under the seat. (key out of ign) Remove the headrest, and pull out the seat.
This will give ample room to lift a large amount of carpet to dry out the jute. (padding)
Place a fan on the wet area all day in the sun. Good to go after that!

Thanks kitch428. I had hoped to avoid removing the seat but it sounds like the thing to do.

How did that happen,I live where it rains a lot,pours heavily,and my 06 Charger never leaks,nor my old beaters... Yikes,go to the dealer let them dry the lemon out..

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Originally Posted by kitch428

Everything just pops up. The sill plates, kick panel, ect...See if you can borrow a trim removal tool shaped like a V. You'll save tearing it up.
This is what I'd do, remove the 4 anchor bolts for the seat. The rear ones have a cover on them that just pop up. Lift and tilt the seat back and disconnect the side air bag connectors under the seat. (key out of ign) Remove the headrest, and pull out the seat.
This will give ample room to lift a large amount of carpet to dry out the jute. (padding)
Place a fan on the wet area all day in the sun. Good to go after that!

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OK, here's what I did. I bought a trim removal tool for $10 (it was called "Door Upholstery Remover). That was good for removing (prying up) the sill because it nicely fit the little poppet things that hold it in. There were several plastic fittings under the sill that wires ran through that I had to pull up and out to release the rug. The tool was not suited for removing the kick-panel to the left of the drivers feet or the heavy rubber foot rest. I just pulled those out and nothing broke. I did not have to remove the seat. I removed the front two bolts (easy) and loosened the back two. That allowed me to tilt the seat back and pull the carpet out from under the seat and then out of the car. BTW, my car does not have side air cushions.

There is no separate foam rubber or jute pad under the carpet. It is one molded unit that has carpet on the top and foam rubber bonded to it below. The foam rubber really holds water tenaciously. I had to squeeze it out by hand and dry it with a hair dryer. I think it would be impossible to dry it without actually removing the carpet unit from the car.

Old Dude

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Originally Posted by shift kit

How did that happen,I live where it rains alot,pours heavily,and my 06 Charger never leaks,nor my old beaters...Yikes,go to the dealer let them dry the lemon out..

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There are several holes up to about 2" in diameter in the floor-pan. Don't know their purpose. They are closed with rubber plugs. I drove through standing water fast enough that the force of the water spray pulled the plug out. I was then driving through heavy rain with a 2" hole in the floor.:eek:

I went through the same thing today in my 97 Camry. I thought kitty litter would dry it up. Just made a huge mess. Then I thought about putting lighter fluid on it - and seeing if it would instantly dry with a quick flame. OMG! What a mistake. Im hoping the dealer and order most of the melted plastic pieces for me - and I will just build a new plywood console and spray it to match the interior. I wish I had bought the $10 tool. This has not been pleasant. Tomorrow Im going to take a shot at welding up the leak in the gas tank neck. Fingers Crossed on that one. I hope I don't get weld splatter on the good paint!