car totaled by puddle

Wow, bad luck.

So you just ran through a puddle....where's the intake located?

Did have a guy at the BMW dealer tell me that one of his clients had water splashed over his hood by a truck and it sucked the water right into the engine. Wrong place wrong time.

Good luck. I doubt it'll be total loss, has to equate to around 80% of the vehicle value.

 

Wow. With everything I know about cars, I know nothing... I had no idea that could happen.

 

Yup, hydrolocking can and does happen. Water doesn't compress like air does.

 

Seems to me that 6 inches of water is more than a puddle...

Just my opinion.

Sorry to hear of your troubles though.

 

ins should total it ,as they dont want the liabilty,,start getting price info so you up on real prices that its worth on the open market,and make sure they get the condution right[babied or junk]dont let them low-ball you,,good luck

 

That's what hydrolocking is...water gets into the cylinders, isn't compressible and it bends the **** out of things like connecting rods because neither has anywhere to go. Usually the engine blinks before the water does.

Happens to low slung sports cars like Corvettes all the time...worse when they use aftermarket cold air intakes.

 

Hmm... justification for not driving an old Ferrari in the rain

 

Eh, no one does that anyway; they melt in rain!

 

The first generation Mini Cooper S had a similar problem. If you drove through big puddles water could easily get into the engine and cause it to seize. I believe the 2nd generation does not have the same problem.

 

Just to go out on a limb here.... I don't think it happens very often to Corvettes on accident. The intake is just not in a place where water could splash up that easily and even if it did you would have to pretty much immerse the thing as it's a relatively small hole and the air filter is right behind it.

My guess is that it's a convenient way to "total" a car that somebody has screwed up or can't afford any longer.

I have splashed my way through some pretty huge puddles in the Vette and the biggest risk is hydroplaning.

 

Same with the First Generation MINI One/Cooper, especially if you have the Works or aftermarket cone filters too (as I do).

You just have to be careful if you choose to drive through standing water.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I have a strange feeling the car was being driven thru the puddle too fast. Between '85 and '06 I drove ONLY MR2's and all were lowered because of aftermarket springs and I trudged thru some deep ass puddles with open filters (K&N) and never had an engine related issue because I drove so slow a Snail could have passed me.

I feel your pain 95spiderman and I'm trying not to harp on you and hopefully it will be 'totalled' and you can move on, good luck.

 

I'd be a lot more worried about the wiring / electrical issues than the motor at this point. Installing a new lump is fairly straightforward but a soaked interior can cause electrical gremlins for years. A lot of insurance companies seem to have several reasons to total a vehicle other than just the repair cost exceeding a certain limit. My body guy told me if they need to replace the wiring harness the insurance companies get squeamish about future issues. He also mentioned any ripples in the floor or roof are pretty much automatic totals for State Farm.

I always thought a flood title means the car *was* totaled due to water damage and somebody decided to fix it anyway, like a salvage, after insurance.

 

I believe you are correct sir.

 

Speed has a lot to do with it, my car's both have snorkel cold air intakes just in front of the left wheel well, I'm very conscious of deep water on that side of the car. Better to hit them slow.

 

It's all about the numbers. You can get as many people / shops as you want, it will all come down to cost to repair vs cost to replace. Meaning, the insurance company will chose what they are going to do based on what they are going to pay out.

Your insurance company has the right to replace with LKQ, so it doesn't have to be new engine. Numbers matching on a Porsche Panamera aren't as important as they are with Ferrari either.

I'd just be sure that the shop who has the car has the interior apart drying out now... in case they do chose to fix. ( This point is from experience with many flood repairs )

Your Dealership repair facility want to repair the car, but any good advisor will provide the worst case estimate to your insurance company, and in turn advisor you to what's in your best interest.

Happy to help if needed,

S

 

Ouch. At least it's replaceable!

IIRC the 348's intakes are about 3 feet from the ground. If you're in 3 feet of water in a Ferrari, you probably have more to worry about than the car

 

AEM came out with a bypass valve a few years ago for people running their cold air intakes. I couldn't find the video, but they tested it with an NSX on a dyno and completely submerged the filter into a tank of water. More info at the link below.

http://www.modified.com/tech/0104scc_aem_air_bypass_valve/

 

Who is the car insured with?

 

I remember when those cameout. I'm not sure what the current status with them is in regards to using them on a stock intake though because they were originally meant to be used on vehicles utilizing an aftermarket cold air induction. I say just err on the side of caution and save your money.

I have a feeling that the OP has learned a valuable lesson and will not repeat or attempt forging another street 'lake or river'.