BMW's in floods, WARNING!!!

[Osinjak]

For the avoidance of doubt and in support of the OP after a barrage of clearly bored posters, from my 335d Touring manual:

[popeyewhite]

Friends 5 series flooded the other day. He was only in about 6/7 inches of water apparently. He's a bit miffed, his wife's Getz survived unscathed.

[Impasse]

As you approach the flood ask yourself one question: "Am I driving a boat?"
If the answer is yes then carry on but be mindful for submerged obstructions. If no, consider plotting an alternative route.

[mybrainhurts]

BMW design department motto...Vorsprung durch forgot-about-the-water.

German engineering excellence, in everything but the bleedin' obvious...

....Achtung, achtung, Schpitfeur Überschwemmungen

Oh, my good word...

[Zyp]

It's a bit wet round here - I'm going to block up the intake on the M3, just in case.

[mybrainhurts]

Zyp said:

It's a bit wet round here - I'm going to block up the intake on the M3, just in case.

That's a job and a half...

You do know it's 64 miles long, don't you...?

[SlimJim16v]

Obviously didn't tick the snorkel option

[Zyp]

mybrainhurts said:

That's a job and a half...

You do know it's 64 miles long, don't you...?

Easier than the M6 though...

[mybrainhurts]

Stop trying to confuse me...

[popeyewhite]

SlimJim16v said:

Obviously didn't tick the snorkel option

[wolf1]

RumbleOfThunder said:

But yeah "omfg don't take teh m5 down the danubes then you roflcopter m7" advice is brilliant.

And the reason you're being a dick is?

The OP works for the highways agency, so he gets to see a fair slice of big picture re what's happening with the floods recently. He gives some friendly advise and the knobheads emerge from their sat at the inlaws sulk and take their impotent frustrations out on the OP


This one isn't what you call deep but it's dead in the water waiting for recovery.

[kambites]

wolf1 said:

That's far deeper than I'd try to drive any normal car through! Try to drive through that at more than about 5mph and it'll be up over the bonnet which will flood just about anything. Even had the engine not flooded I suspect the water is over the sills so the foot wells will be full of water which is generally enough to write cars off.

The absolute limit I'd try to take a conventional car through would be about half that depth.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 26th December 16:59

[0000]

Of course, sometimes, it's difficult to judge depth.

[bigandclever]

wolf1 said:

This one isn't what you call deep...

It's got fking waves

[kambites]

0000 said:

Of course, sometimes, it's difficult to judge depth.

True, although anywhere built-up you can use the pavements as a guide - if the water is above the level of the pavement, it's too deep to drive into.

[mondeoman]

popeyewhite said:

Friends 5 series flooded the other day. He was only in about 6/7 inches of water apparently. He's a bit miffed, his wife's Getz survived unscathed.

Is that a blokes 6" or a real 6" ??

[Hooli]

kambites said:

wolf1 said:

That's far deeper than I'd try to drive any normal car through! Try to drive through that at more than about 5mph and it'll be up over the bonnet which will flood just about anything. Even had the engine not flooded I suspect the water is over the sills so the foot wells will be full of water which is generally enough to write cars off.

The absolute limit I'd try to take a conventional car through would be about half that depth.

I'm damn surprised it couldn't make that.

I once took an Orion through a flood that came up to the wipers, water was about halfway up the headlights, the rest was bow wave as I was going up stream. Came out of it fine with just a damp boot.

[mondeoman]

Hooli said:

kambites said:

wolf1 said:

That's far deeper than I'd try to drive any normal car through! Try to drive through that at more than about 5mph and it'll be up over the bonnet which will flood just about anything. Even had the engine not flooded I suspect the water is over the sills so the foot wells will be full of water which is generally enough to write cars off.

The absolute limit I'd try to take a conventional car through would be about half that depth.

I'm damn surprised it couldn't make that.

I once took an Orion through a flood that came up to the wipers, water was about halfway up the headlights, the rest was bow wave as I was going up stream. Came out of it fine with just a damp boot.

Given the design constraints around the grill and headlights, the size of the cooling packs (radiator, a/c condensor, intercooler, oil cooler, trans cooler if auto, PAS cooler, crash (crumple zone) requirements (crash isn't just about energy , you cant have critical components get needlessly damaged either, or your crash (insurance) rating goes down), service access (!) and the requirement to feed the engine with cool air, where else are you going to be able to put the air intake except down low in the bumper? Because if you have a solution to that little packaging problem, there will be plenty of car companies wanting to hear from you.

Given all of that - dont drive modern cars through more than about 5-6" of water.

[GuinnessMK]

Hooli said:

I'm damn surprised it couldn't make that.

I once took an Orion through a flood that came up to the wipers, water was about halfway up the headlights, the rest was bow wave as I was going up stream. Came out of it fine with just a damp boot.

I remember driving my old carb'd Scirroco through a flood that was deep enough that the headlights were under water. Never really worked out where it was getting air and sparks from, although the bubbles alongside the windows suggested that the exhaust wasn't 100% MOT'able!!

[Quhet]

PDP76 said:

Why didn't you just drive over the bridge?