• Registered: 2009-06-25
  • Posts: 554

Topic: An unfortunate series of events

I drove my daughter to work yesterday. My loving wife knew I was driving the VW so she put a can of soda and a cup of ice between the seats before I left. After I dropped my daughter off at work and was pulling out of the lot, a car suddenly backed out of a parking space. I hit the brakes and stopped so suddenly that every thing in the car flew forward; books, papers, and the can of pop. The passenger seat also slid all the way forward on it's track (?), so I'll have to check the mechanism for that. Amazingly, the cup of ice stayed put. I picked up the unopened can and placed it on the back seat. I get to my destination a few blocks away, and decide to leave the can in the car since they have cold beverages in the placing that I'm taking classes at this week. At the end of the day I'm enjoying the drive home and notice the sunlight reflecting onto the ceiling in a nice shimmering pattern. I glance back at the can still sitting on it's side in the back seat and assume that is what is making the sunlight patterns. Shimmering? Oh wait! I grab the can and find that it had a pinhole leak so fine that you could hardly see it (from the impact of hitting whatever it earlier), and the can has been emptying itself onto the back seat of the Ghia! The pop, of course, wet the ledge behind the seat, and ran underneath the seat to take up residence in the most rust-prone area of the car. I pull over immediately into a gas station, pull up the seat and use paper napkins to blot up everything, then discard the pop can. It did not get as bad as it could have because I had placed a couple towels and some rubber tool shelf liner in the spaces under the rear seat to protect the floor from the small air pump and timing light that was stored there temporarily.

It was not too bad to clean up with clear water when I got home, but I'm surprised that everything went the way it did and the pop wound up in the worst place sad

Last edited by Altema (2010-05-27 08:49:09)

  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,586

Re: An unfortunate series of events

It's better than spilling milk. My mother in law spilled milk in her car and despite cleaning it up right away the sour smell appeared and was hard to get rid of.

If you ever have any kind of disaster that needs cleaning go to a janitorial supply store and tell them what happened. They can sell to the public and have excellent very specific cleaners. An enzyme cleaner would have solved my mother in laws problem with a quick spray from a trigger bottle. They have great degreasers too at very good prices.

jim

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915
  • From: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Registered: 2005-09-10
  • Posts: 2,318

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Altema wrote:

After I dropped my daughter off at work and was pulling out of the lot, a car suddenly backed out of a parking space. I hit the brakes and stopped so suddenly that every thing in the car flew forward; books, papers, and the can of pop.

When you mentioned this...I thought the next thing you were going to say was that you got hit by that car suddenly backing out.  Thankfully you weren't hit...a spilled can of pop seems like a very minor event in comparison to a collision! smile ...but still a pain in the butt to clean up. sad

Maybe you could get one of those plastic organizers that fits over the "tunnel" & gear shifter in case a can of pop gets left in the car again.  Like one of these:

http://www2.cip1.com/SearchResults.asp? … ch1=Search

http://www2.cip1.com/v/vspfiles/photos/VWC-113-042-064-2T.jpg

- Nick

1979 Super Beetle Convertible
  • Registered: 2009-06-25
  • Posts: 554

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Bug In My Nose wrote:

Maybe you could get one of those plastic organizers that fits over the "tunnel" & gear shifter in case a can of pop gets left in the car again.  Like one of these:

http://www2.cip1.com/SearchResults.asp? … ch1=Search

http://www2.cip1.com/v/vspfiles/photos/VWC-113-042-064-2T.jpg

- Nick

Yes, that would have avoided the whole leaking can scenario. I been wanting one of those, but think I'd prefer the EMPI style one because it looks less chunky.

Paul

  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,586

Re: An unfortunate series of events

I was given that console but chose not to install it for two reasons. It's very thin and cheap and despite that it interferes with the gas pedal foot rubbing on it due to it's flexibility. Maybe if you really screwed it down...

I went with a $9.99, two inline, cup holder from Wallmart that is the saddle type and just fits ahead of the shifter and interferes with nothing. The frontmost cup can't be a high one in a Super though but the rear one is unlimited. Even self adjusting. I bolted it to the carpet.

jim

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915
  • From: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Registered: 2005-09-10
  • Posts: 2,318

Re: An unfortunate series of events

jamesdagg wrote:

I was given that console but chose not to install it for two reasons. It's very thin and cheap and despite that it interferes with the gas pedal foot rubbing on it due to it's flexibility. Maybe if you really screwed it down...

I think that they are definitely supposed to be screwed down...that would make it much more secure.  If you're like me...I hate drilling any unnecessary holes in my VW...so I have tried the "free-floating" method as well for the console. 

I used a similar console for years in my Type III back in the early to mid 1980's...and it was made of much thicker plastic (it was much more rigid). I never needed to screw it down & it worked really great.  I have one of these newer consoles as well...and it is made from much thinner plastic, much less stable if it is not mounted with screws...and Jeez...$34.99 is a pretty high price!  But there isn't much else available that's custom made for our old VW's.

It may not be a perfect solution...but better than the cup holders that originally came with the VW! wink

Maybe that Walmart product is better...I may have to check it out...I bet it's much less expensive as well!!! smile

- Nick

1979 Super Beetle Convertible
  • Registered: 2009-06-25
  • Posts: 554

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Well I was hoping for one that would just hug the tunnel without screws. Why can't they make one that uses one of the shifter bolts to secure it? Lol.

If I knew how to fiberglass, I'd make my own.

Jim, do you have a snapshot of your Walmart holder so I know what to look for?


Paul

  • From: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Registered: 2005-09-10
  • Posts: 2,318

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Altema wrote:

Well I was hoping for one that would just hug the tunnel without screws. Why can't they make one that uses one of the shifter bolts to secure it? Lol.

If I knew how to fiberglass, I'd make my own.

Jim, do you have a snapshot of your Walmart holder so I know what to look for?

It may not be as pretty as a commercially made product.  But if you're good working with bending/welding/pop riveting sheet metal...or working with wood...you could custom make your own console that meets your exact needs.  I've actually thought about doing this myself! smile

- Nick

1979 Super Beetle Convertible
  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,586

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Gee I don't have a pic of my Walmart cupholder. Go figure?

You can sort of see it here. There is a white cup in the front holder and a thermometer in the rear. I bolted it to the carpet so it's secure but moves a little.

http://i49.tinypic.com/zvvgug.jpg

jim

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915
  • Registered: 2009-06-25
  • Posts: 554

Re: An unfortunate series of events

Know what's funny? They had that one at another store around here. I had it in my hands and was thinking of buying it, but decided to wait. I did pick up a couple of the old "clip on the door and hang there" holders, but they looked tacky. I settled for a single holder with a wide base that sits on the floor until I get something more permanant. Thanks for the input!

Paul