worried after driving thru flood water

AdrianC

pd52 wrote: »

Today on my way home from work at dusk i managed to drive thru some flood water at speed ( it was at about 25mph) on a country rd...
I hit without warning so didnt have chance to brake or slow down.

They're so sneaky, aren't they? The way they just leap out into the road in front of you with no warning whatsoever...

alastairq

Some years ago, when my local area sustained floods, a lot of cars, both diesel & petrol, suffered from ECU's getting wet. I seem to recall, mostly Citroens? Something to do with the location of the Electronics in the engine bay?

Remember, there are many things under the bonnet that really don't like getting wet.

Flooded roads should not be an issue if the driver applies some sense.

Low speed, high revs [1 st gear??]

Try not to build a wall of water in front of the car....?

Be aware, a flooded road surface may contain hidden traps, like manhole covers that have been lifted [by water?].

On country lanes, it's good to have an idea where the tarmac ends, and the verge begins?

[I had that issue whilst driving a large 8x6 along flooded lanes...didn't want to drive into a submerged ditch, !!!!!!!]


If in the middle of a flood, and the engine happens to stall, don't simple re-start it.....check to see whether the end of the exhaust pipe is is above the water surface before touching the key. If not, seek assistance & a tow out of the flood first.


And.. [a big issue I noted last time]...if the flood is on your own side of the road, you still have to give way to oncoming traffic when trying to drive around the shallowest bit.

Pont

vaio wrote: »

Nah, can't see anyway that driving through floods could invalidate your insurance, got a link?

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/dumb-stupid-ways-to-invalidate-your-car-insurance-policy

spacey2012

I would get the Air filter checked, they can draw in water, go soggy and disintegrate getting sucked through the engine, causing all sorts of problems, if the Air filter is still dry, a bit of WD40 on terminals and it should be fine.

As EU emission strangle cars the Air Intake has been modified and moved on many cars to be as low to the floor as possible, so our cars do suffer more in floods than non EU versions.

facade

Sorry to be pessimistic, but

As it is a peugot, have a look under the bonnet and see if it has put a rod through the side of the engine. The little pugs will hydraulic lock, but at speed the con-rod snaps and comes out the side of the block.

They will run merrily, if a little rough, on 3 cylinders until they run out of oil.

If it is all in one piece, check if the air filter is damp, and if it is, get it compression checked in case it just bent a con rod rather than broke it.

If the air filter is bone dry, you got away with it.

Joe_Horner

Pont wrote: »

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/dumb-stupid-ways-to-invalidate-your-car-insurance-policy

That's talking about the somewhat different situation where you intentionally ignore warning signs or obviously deep water (such as a road where you can see that garden walls are disappearing under it). From your link:

Steve Foulsham from the British Insurance Brokers' Association says: "Clearly if there were well publicised signs saying 'danger: deep water' then we agree that this might count in insurers favour. "Otherwise we feel it is unreasonable for insurers to reject claims as motor vehicles generally are expected to be able to withstand adverse weather conditions in the course of normal use."

Nodding_Donkey

Pont wrote: »

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/dumb-stupid-ways-to-invalidate-your-car-insurance-policy

That link also has this quote:

Steve Foulsham from the British Insurance Brokers' Association says: "Clearly if there were well publicised signs saying 'danger: deep water' then we agree that this might count in insurers favour.

"Otherwise we feel it is unreasonable for insurers to reject claims as motor vehicles generally are expected to be able to withstand adverse weather conditions in the course of normal use."

arcon5

Pont wrote: »

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/dumb-stupid-ways-to-invalidate-your-car-insurance-policy

Stop scare mongering. This article refers to drivers ignoring road closure signs and like. It also states "we feel it is unreasonable for insurers to reject claims as motor vehicles generally are expected to be able to withstand adverse weather conditions in the course of normal use". "It is not easy for motorists to gauge the depth of water when they are travelling along roads". "Motorists would drive through fords as a matter of course and you would not expect insurers to reject any claim resulting from that."

Op was driving quite slowly on a country road and misjudged the depth of a puddle. Hardly gross negligence.

EDIT: oops somebody get there first.

Nodding_Donkey

alastairq wrote: »

Low speed, high revs [1 st gear??]

Er no, low speed low revs would be the way to do it.

alastairq wrote: »

Try not to build a wall of water in front of the car....?

A bow wave can actually help you get through deeper water in some vehicles

alastairq wrote: »

Be aware, a flooded road surface may contain hidden traps, like manhole covers that have been lifted [by water?].

On country lanes, it's good to have an idea where the tarmac ends, and the verge begins?

Definitely.

Pont

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/dumb-stupid-ways-to-invalidate-your-car-insurance-policy

'But if a car insurance provider finds a driver has been negligent it could well reject any claim for repair or replacement.
Negligence could include drivers ignoring warning signs, or driving into water which is clearly more than a couple of inches deep'.

OP stated that they had driven through water that was 10 inches deep at 25 mph.

No intentions of getting into a conflab here - just wanted to point this out. We all know how much insurance companies enjoy paying up!

Also around my area there are loads of 'road ahead closed' signs up (well when they haven't blown over!) and everyone is ignoring them.