BMWs and flooding

[Deendog]

Road near me flooded over the weekend, probably 6-8 inches on duel carriageway. Most cars got through but today I noticed 2 cars seemingly abandoned. One a 12 plate 5 series, other a 15 plate 3 gt. they were located a couple of miles apart. Strangely they both had front number plates missing.
Coincidence or are BMWs particularly prone to flooding?

[TheEnd]

Looking through the pics on Saturday night, I did see two white BMW saloons abandoned in floods.

Sad to say, but I think it might be the kind of owners, not the cars.

[anonymous-user]

i don't know about BMWs, but Peugeot 406 had air intakes in the wheel arch. A few inches of rain, engine would be fked.

Edited by The Spruce goose on Monday 7th December 16:59

[Muddle238]

I recall a similar thread a couple of years ago when there was all that flooding across the West Midlands.

I remember someone saying that BMW fit the air intake quite low down in the engine bay to help with the low centre of gravity. As soon as you reach a flood, it's game over. Not sure how true this is though.

[aka_kerrly]

Some BMW have this kind of intake system.



I try and avoid anything higher deeper than the sills which on most cars is typically around 7-10 inches.

[Rickyy]

I hydrolocked the engine on my Peugeot 306 when I was 17! I learnt a lot that day. Water isn't very compressible and the air filter housing is very low down on the passengers side! Had the bent conrod replaced and it ran perfectly!

[Patrick Bateman]

I waded through a section deep enough to get my fan belt squeaking momentarily at the weekend. I wouldn't have done it had I not watched a car go through before me.

[ging84]

When you see 2 of anything, and ask is it a coincidence, the answer is yes

[Patrick Bateman]

[TimmyMallett]

I think it was a french thing. I did the same to my Renault 19(I think it was a 19). Low intake.

[Sheepshanks]

The Spruce goose said:

but Peugeot 406 had air intakes in the wheel arch. A few inches of rain, engine would be fked.

Didn't know that. I drove several company ones through all sorts - generally at speed, although one particularly deep one I drove carefully with the nearside up on where I imagined the footpath would be. Water came in the off-side doors.

[Sheepshanks]

Muddle238 said:

I remember someone saying that BMW fit the air intake quite low down in the engine bay to help with the low centre of gravity. As soon as you reach a flood, it's game over. Not sure how true this is though.

The COG thing seems unlikely. Perhaps the suction helps with downforce!

The intake in my Merc is right at the top of the grill pointing forwards and then it's a straight tube into the air filter - a wave of water from someone coming the other way and it'd be game over.

[anonymous-user]

the air is colder and dense low down.

[GTID]

A work colleague ruined his 2 year old 1 series engine last week driving through 8-10 inches of water. Must have the intake low on the 1 series as shown in the pic above, or he hit the water harder than he said he did!

[Jonno02]

Beamer on my street was abandoned in 12-15 inches for 3 days. Not great.

[MG CHRIS]

Yep a lot of bmw have low intake pipes for the air filter hence a lot of bmw not managing to get through water.

[TooMany2cvs]

Deendog said:

Coincidence or are BMW drivers particularly prone to ignoring flooding?

I'll go with the latter.

[akirk]

X5 back in 2007 died locally - air intake bottom-front...
interesting choice for a 4x4
towed it out with a RR classic which happily went through quite a lot of water!

[Alapeno]

Funny you should mention it. Dad killed his 14 plate 3 series GT going through a deeper than usual ford the other week. Said it was just below knee height. Had to have a brand new engine fitted among other things. Not just BMW's though, a lovely condition 147 GTA followed him through and had the same thing happen. Apparently the guy was devastated as he was expecting it to be written off.

[rodericb]

An Australian car magazine hydrolocked a X1 on test in not much water. It required some huge amount of repairs.

Meanwhile in Thailand: http://www.bmw.co.th/th/en/bmw-flood-prevention.ht... Don't go through anything deeper than the bottom of the air dam!