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mould in the boot ( trunk) model 3 (11 months old)

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I the possibilities are that the boot was left slightly open in the rain, however the rest of the boot is not damp. Neither are there signs of ingress from below. Obviously this is an area that is almost sealed off from the main boot and is not ventilated. Once there is a bit of damp, even damp in the air (this is the UK), then the conditions for growth are there and any spores will grow.

Have other people experienced this? Is it a design issue? Does it deserve getting Tesla to fix it? What dry anti-fungal treatments might work?
 
From the picture, it looks like your trunk seal isn't installed correctly. Mine came the same way, unfortunately, but I caught it at the first carwash. I seated the seal around the trunk, and requested that Tesla replace the trunk liner that smelled quite foul.. which they did. Your car looks worse than mine, please take care with it.
 
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Ugh that sucks... one thing I notice in the picture is you have what looks like dried up rusty water right by the catch hook for the trunk, could be a sign that you have water getting into an area where it shouldn't, causing rust to form and then leaking down into the storage well... also you boot seal looks a little wonky in the picture, im not sure if it just a optical illusion...

I have never had to treat moldy carpets so I cant be of any help there. I would honestly drop the back seat, crawl into it and then have a buddy shower the back and roof of the car for a few minutes and see if I can hear or spot any water coming in, also check if the storage well gets wetter. if it does then bring it in to Tesla.

But I would take care of that mold right away. either go to a detailing shop or do some googling on how to do it yourself.
 
Thanks both. " looks like dried up rusty water " Sorry, no, it is my carelessness in not vacuuming the dry brown dust before taking the photo. The boot (trunk) feels dry.

I will take your advice. I have a 14 year old son who likes being shut in the boot for some reason, so he can help with the hose test.

I have used brushes and a powerful vacuum to remove the surface white mould but it has eaten into the fabric and so has not gone back to black.

I am now using forced ventilation with a greenhouse hot air blower to thoroughly dry the deep boot, but it does not feel damp. I suspect that I will never get rid of the spores and the mould will grow again.

Yes the seal does look wonky. I will try to re-seat it.

The boot has a tendency not to fully close unless you press it shut. This has happened a couple of times but, as I say, the interior feels dry.

Regarding design, if you want to grow mushrooms you need a substrate (carpet), a damp atmosphere (unventilated boot that has been opened in the UK) and spores (everywhere). I think the lower deep boot needs to be ventilated to stop mould growing in damp environments like the UK.

I suppose I should contact Tesla and ask for a replacement liner while it is still less than a year old. Could somebody please tell me the procedure for doing that in the UK. Thanks
 
Thanks both. " looks like dried up rusty water " Sorry, no, it is my carelessness in not vacuuming the dry brown dust before taking the photo. The boot (trunk) feels dry.

I will take your advice. I have a 14 year old son who likes being shut in the boot for some reason, so he can help with the hose test.

I have used brushes and a powerful vacuum to remove the surface white mould but it has eaten into the fabric and so has not gone back to black.

I am now using forced ventilation with a greenhouse hot air blower to thoroughly dry the deep boot, but it does not feel damp. I suspect that I will never get rid of the spores and the mould will grow again.

Yes the seal does look wonky. I will try to re-seat it.

The boot has a tendency not to fully close unless you press it shut. This has happened a couple of times but, as I say, the interior feels dry.

Regarding design, if you want to grow mushrooms you need a substrate (carpet), a damp atmosphere (unventilated boot that has been opened in the UK) and spores (everywhere). I think the lower deep boot needs to be ventilated to stop mould growing in damp environments like the UK.

I suppose I should contact Tesla and ask for a replacement liner while it is still less than a year old. Could somebody please tell me the procedure for doing that in the UK. Thanks

Sounds like a plan, you could perhaps put some kind of desiccant bag down there in the future, a quick search found this: https://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Dehumidifier-Moisture-Absorber-Eater/dp/B00ELK8W8C looks like its ships from the UK too...
 
Yes, I should have kept all those silica gel packets. I will certainly put a desiccant in the lower boot. I am procrastinating about contacting Tesla right now.
If I were you, I would not be trying to repair nor diagnose this myself. It's a problem with the car, covered under your warranty. It might be best to schedule a service appointment, and let Tesla rectify this under the new car guarantee.

Of course you can fix it yourself, but why go through the trouble...?
 
You are absolutely right. I should let Tesla fix it.

It is a compulsion of mine to always be able to fix things. I must resist.

However, as a point of curiosity, I have borrowed a small dehumidifier which is working at the moment in the closed lower boot section. I want to see if it can draw any water out at all. Manual inspection suggests the boot is dry, or as dry as you can reasonably expect in the UK.
 
You are absolutely right. I should let Tesla fix it.

It is a compulsion of mine to always be able to fix things. I must resist.

However, as a point of curiosity, I have borrowed a small dehumidifier which is working at the moment in the closed lower boot section. I want to see if it can draw any water out at all. Manual inspection suggests the boot is dry, or as dry as you can reasonably expect in the UK.
Yes, it would be eating at me as well to rectify it. In my case, I had the exact problem, as I said. I seated the weather seal correctly, adjusted the trunk "stoppers" down a bit and it fixed the water intrusion. I then put the burden on Tesla to correct the damage caused and order a new trunk liner. They were pretty eager to oblige.