help flooded 328

Water in the transmission is a bit of a danger but is very easily checked/repaired. Also water in the wheel bearings F+R and water in the electrical equipment in the passenger footwell should be checked for.

There is no good reason to drive it until those are checked and many reasons not to.

 

I would have it towed out.....if overhead clearances allow??.

From the Gulf Coast, I advise pulling ALL the carpet up....any interior panels easily removed..

Fans.

The idea is the circulate air, bags of charcoal will soak up oders.
Fresh water is better than bleach, but if you see mildew starting use something, your call.
Sparingly.

It sounds like you dodged a bullet but the longer you let it dry, the better!

He's totally right about oil, change it.
Maybe bleed the brakes too?
At least flush the sand off the calipers....

 

Use an electrical water displacement spray into the fan motors, it sounds like they are ok...

Any electrical connection you can reach and plug/unplug would also be a candidate for spray.
I wouldn't go crazy though.

It sounds like it was below the dashboard, THAT is when your insurance will throw in the towel.
Your engine top end stayed dry also it sounds, if it started!

 

The concern is the electrical. What wires went under will be your problem. Believe me.

I have a car that was in a shop that flooded in 2002. The water went 2 inches over the roof - 100% submerged in dirty filthy brown water.

I still have and drive it. Instant action saved me (that and the fact that it is an 80 model VW Scirocco). Cost was no object and I got it done, so it can be done but your wires will be toast.

I installed an entire new wiring harness. The rest I just scrubbed and changed fluids.

 

Have fluid in the transmission changed ( as rifledriver stated ) takes about an hour. Open the doors, let the car dry out, there are two rubber plugs in each driver/ passenger areas that you can pull if water is still standing. pull the passenger foot well cover and check that the electronic module wasn't submerged. As I see it ,worst-case scenario Will be that you have to pull the seats and the floor mats to clean the interior if that's all the higher the water intruded. Taking it to a car wash and pressure washing the calipers/rotors is a good idea also. BUT change the transmission fluid first and foremost. In the big scheme of things you got very lucky!

 

Extremely.

 

I saw the footage of Nice/Cannes. Incroyable. But why claim insurance? Just fix it. It sounds like minor damage for such a major weather event.

 

Yep.

Let your conscience be your guide.

If it is never reported, it never happened.

Suggest you be forthcoming though, should you ever sell.

 

IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN (BUT of course this should be checked carefully…) the said law was promulgated to avoid lengthy debates between car owners and insurers when a meteorological event was strong enough to be classified officially as a “Catastrophe Naturelle”. Should this be officially the case, any car that has been flooded up to its seats in such circumstances is automatically written off, without any objection from the insurance company.
However, it should (?) be possible to file a claim but to disagree with the expert, saying that you still want to keep the car; or it should also be possible to buy the car back from the insurance company.
This of course is theoretical; but there is a centralized Insurance advisor, the “Fédération Française des Sociétés d’Assurances”, which should be able to answer any question about this; however, as a claim should be filed in the five days following the event, I’m afraid it is now a bit too late to enquiry about this. I could have done it on your behalf, without mentioning your name and the car type, so as to remain anonymous.
Of course, the best solution when in doubt is probably not to file any claim, as the car does not seem to be badly damaged…

Rgds

 

I thought the issue was that if the car had sat in water up to the seats, then the water could have got inside the chassis members risking the chassis corroding from the inside out without it ever being noticed from an external inspection.

This could then make the car a possible death trap in the event of an accident later on in the cars life.

That has always been My understanding of the thinking behind it.

 

We are talking dirty rain water, similar to driving through deep mud puddle. One time incident and I can't possibly see how this could be an issue even in 30 years with structural integrity. ( owned a body shop for 30 years )
Any electronics in the center console will be well above the described water level to enter the interior so that's a non issue.

 

Don't start the engine!!!
Take her to a paintshop first and put the car in the oven with the doors open .Raise the temperature step by step every 15 minutes till you reach 40 degrees. Celcius .Leave the car in the oven till its completley dry.
Spray all the connectors with anti-corrosion stuff ( we used Facom) Change the oil of the gearbox.
It worked fine on a Jaguar ,that didn't start first, with 40 cm of water after a flood .
After this proces the car started immeadiatley.
I wish you the same succes!!!

 

Drain and flush all your fluids its CHEAP insurance.

but Id get anything that got wet out now to clean and dry.

Doesn't sound like it got to deep so Id say its.

 

The controller for the airco and so on is hidden on the back of the metal plate passengers side under the carpet.There are also a lot of connectors you have to clean behind that plate .
The plate is only fixed with 4 screws .Verry easy to remove.
Try to do this as fast as possible because oxydation will start getting worser and worser and make the problem more difficult to detect or repair.
When putting back the plate look out for connectors comming loose from the electronic boxes because the cables are short!
Happy i can help you to rescue the car on the best and less expensive way.

 

How is it with the car now?
Everything working again?