kingdady

yikes

BrettE

I just ran the fob for my C5 through the washer and drier last week. I took it apart, dried it, and cleaned with alcohol on a cotton swab. I agree with the earlier comment about not using a brush to scrub. That will certainly build up static. Death by electro static discharge (ESD) is no fun. It usually doesn't occur immediately, but what happens is the part is weakened, and will likely fail later seemingly randomly. The input and output stages of most ICs have clamping diodes for ESD protection, and those are usually what get destroyed. Once they're gone, the part is self is usually destroyed soon after from ESD.

Scooty Puff Sr.

Hooray! All is well. Thank you for the advice.

Steve D

Thanks stingray, if I read my manual instead of throwing it in the glovebox I would have known that too. Hey, I've only had the car a couple of years.

Chevy Cust Svc

I am sure you have probably got it fixed by now. I have read of cell phones getting wet and being put in dry rice, and the water was extracted by the rice and their phones work normally.

Good luck,

Brent
GM Customer Service

5 Liter Eater

I sent my fob through the wash and didn't catch it until I heard it banging around in the dryer. It worked as soon as I took it out of the dryer.

Mez

If you use a cotton swab or soft brush like a toothbrush with alcohol, ESD should not be a problem. If its just been wet, then you should not need a brush, but according to this article, a soft brush is fine. ESD is an issue, of course, but if properly grounded, it should be OK.

I Googled the issue and found a number of suggestions. Here is one.

Instructions

things you'll need:

Cotton swabs
90% isopropyl alcohol
Compressed air
Lint-free cloth

1. Unplug the electronic device immediately after the spill. Any sort of liquid can potentially cause a shock when combined with electric current. Protect yourself by removing any source of power to a wet device.

2. Disassemble the device to expose the circuit board. Take the device apart carefully, according to its directions. You want to put it back together afterward, so the outer parts should stay intact.

3. Soak up any remaining liquid with a lint-free cloth. Do not use paper products, since these could leave lint or scratch the board. Do not rub any cloth on the circuit board, since this could scratch or dislodge the parts. Place the cloth over the board and press gently. This will soak up the liquid.

4. Remove the worst of any remaining particles by brushing with a toothbrush. This includes any globs of dried liquid. It does not need to be perfect at this stage. Remove any dust or loose pieces of dried liquid by spraying compressed air. Spray in one direction in quick bursts, since the canister can become extremely cold if used for longer sprays.

5. Rinse the circuit board with clean or distilled water to remove any sticky materials. If your circuit board was wet by clean water and you did not have to remove dried materials, you may be able to skip this. Pat the board gently with a cloth to remove the majority of the moisture and allow it to dry completely.

6. Clean any residue off the circuit board using a cotton swab. Moisten the cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol. Do not use a dripping wet swab. Swab gently in stubborn areas and be careful not to upset the components. The alcohol should take care of most of the work without rubbing.

7. Remove and replace any obviously damaged components. Some of the parts may have been damaged during initial contact with the liquid. You will not see any damage from your efforts to clean if you took care to avoid displacing the parts of the board. Replace any parts that are visibly damaged.

8. Reassemble the device and test it. Many devices, from cellphones to computer keyboards, can survive a brief spill or dunking by drying and cleaning them, and they will continue to work after you put them back together.

Read more: How to Clean an Electronic Circuit Board After It Got Wet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7580000_clea...#ixzz1MYNR5vMB

SUB VETTE

Ran my cell phone through the washer. Removed battery, Used hair dryer on it, let it cool, repeated cycle about six times, put battery back in and it worked again.

cclive

The most important thing to do immediately with any piece of wet electronics is to get the battery out and avoid pushing any buttons that might switch any current on. The water may not destroy anything but a water induced short will.

Red Rochester

Go easy with the hair dryer it's not recomended to hot

utownal

Same thing happened to me. I did change the battery, no problems yet (8 months ago)

gbgary

washed mine once too. it came out fine and worked right out of the spin cycle. opened it up and let it sit overnight anyway.

ZBADESTZ@Straightline

Did it not once BUT 3 times ouch

harryjam

washed mine today , I heard something in the dryer ,it was the fob . took it out so far its working the same . lights and horn working

jrose7004

I think that you throw it away and buy another. I washed one and couldn't ever make it work right again.

cclive

Open it up and let it dry out anyway...avoiding possible corrosion. They have a fairly good seal that can actually make it a bit difficult to snap the two halves back together. A little silicone can help.