Anyone killed a car driving through water?

[BBYeah]

I stupidly went through a "puddle" that was deeper than I thought and have probably killed my engine.

Anyone done this and had problems / success claiming on insurance? Tips gratefully received as I have never claimed before.

[B'stard Child]

Petrol or diesel?

[David87]

My best mate drove his then-new Saxo over a humpback bridge and into what was essentially a temporary lake with the road being flooded so badly. It was written off and the insurance footed the bill, although his premium wasn't cheap after that as it was the second new Saxo he killed within a year.

[Chris Peacock]

Are you sure its dead?. I know of a guy who did just this and the car cut out just as he hit the puddle.

It had hydrolocked the engine and bent all the rods, he then claimed on the insurance and the ins' company wrote it off (cat D IIRC).... He then bought the car back and replaced the knackered lump, then supercharged it..!

All clouds and all that.

[E500 TAT]

I bought my 156 SW as an insurance write off after it had drunk a load of water through its airbox.

Engine was siezed solid and lots of bent parts inside

[smileymikey]

My brother picked up a brand spanking Audi A4 Avant with all the bells and whistles while he worked for VW. On the way home, sudden storm and flooding, he was swept off the road into a field. Car absolutely destroyed...seventeen miles on the clock

[BBYeah]

B'stard Child said:

Petrol or diesel?

Diesel.

Car is with garage now. They have had quick look and say it has at least bent rods (IIRC). But they want to know if insurance is on board before proceeding.

Cheers for the replies chaps.

[Superhoop]

I used to work in a dealer (9 years or so ago) and we did a few engines due to them inhaling water - all were covered by the owners insurance company

It's classed as accidental damage, in the same way most insurance companies cover mis-fuelling

[bikealarmblair]

Friend of mine did this with a merc E230 it was the first time I'd herd of someone claiming for such damage

[B'stard Child]

BBYeah said:

B'stard Child said:

Petrol or diesel?

Diesel.

IMHO they die much easier than petrol cars

[sjg]

A colleague had his 156 JTD die from sucking up water - the intakes are very low so it doesn't take a lot of standing water to do. He claimed on his insurance, they wrote off the car, he got a cheque a few weeks later.

[bakerstreet]

B'stard Child said:

IMHO they die much easier than petrol cars

Indeed they do. Its the reason why diesel engine cars have under engine covers fitted. We had a company van and some bright spark removed the cover. Van went through puddle and the engine ingested a load of water and was fooked.

I've also been told that its because diesel injectors run at incredibly high pressures (200 bar). I am not sure what the link is.

[iva cosworth]

Yes , a Fiesta RS Turbo in a flood under a railway bridge.

When i took the cylinder head off #2 and #3 piston were not same height from top of block.

Fitted another engine and did a lot of drying out over 6-8 months.

[Wills2]

If it was an accident then why wouldn't they pay out?

[rex]

Mrs Rex almost killed the engine on a Manta GTA we had (she called it the fanny magnet, I called it the thinkings mans Capri) when I gave the stupid advice when approaching a flood about 40m long to approach in second gear and keep the revs up. Que a downchange and flooring it into and through the flood. It came out the other side on a couple of cylinders and me laughing hysterically enquiring what the fk did you do that for. Car survived and eventually ran on all 4 cylinders. Still makes me smile now.

[BBYeah]

Wills2 said:

If it was an accident then why wouldn't they pay out?

From a brief call on the day of the accident, the Indian call center rep seemed to think that it wasn't something they would cover. Going to try again tomorrow.

[BJR18]

because of the higher compression ratio in diesels they tend to try to compress the water enough to bend stuff.

my 106 gti recovered from a flooded bridge 'incident' just by removing the plugs and spinning the engine to push the water out, dont think it would be that easy in a bigger petrol or diesel lump though, I was lucky!

Edited by BJR18 on Thursday 5th January 08:30

[8vFTW]

I went through a massive puddle a while ago, it was more like a small lake. Engine died instantly. But once I'd dried out the electrics she was back up and running.

They don't build 'em like they used to, yer know.

[cragswinter]

Bloody hell I was in the back of a fiesta zetec hot hatch thing when it happened.

In the middle of nowhere.

On our way to a Halloween party, I was dressed as Edward Scissorhands, what a tt I felt.

The dorris driving panicked & just coasted into it, the engine died & very quickly the car started filling up.

Quite what the farmer thought who dragged us out with his tractor I'll never know. Car was a write off.


Anyone know what specifically happens to the inside of the engine to make it seize? I'm guessing the water contaminates the oil between the pistons & cylinders?

[B'stard Child]

bakerstreet said:

B'stard Child said:

IMHO they die much easier than petrol cars

Indeed they do. Its the reason why diesel engine cars have under engine covers fitted. We had a company van and some bright spark removed the cover. Van went through puddle and the engine ingested a load of water and was fooked.

I've also been told that its because diesel injectors run at incredibly high pressures (200 bar). I am not sure what the link is.

I don't think fuel injection pressure has much to do with it

They are compresion ignition so very high combustion chamber pressures (air compresses - water doesn't so something else has to give normally rods, crank or pistons)

They have no throttle buterfly to close so the "Oh st instant lift off the throttle" doesn't provide any last second protection