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| Son of a son of a Sailor  |
Yesterday at school, my daughter's car was flooded by rainwater here in the Houston area. The water came up to the bottom of the doors. There was about 2-3 inches of water in the floor (front and back seats). I was able to get it home, as it started and ran fine. I vacuumed out the standing water with the shop vac, soaked up all the rest that I could with towels, and opened the doors with box fans blowing across the interior. My question is, how should I proceed? File an insurance claim and have the interior carpet replaced? I just want to make sure I'm covered, and protect ourselves against future problems. Several of her friends had much worse damage than we did. Thanks for your help! -------------------------------------------- Floridian by birth, Seminole by the grace of God | ||
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| Member |
File a claim. Flood cars always turn into nightmares. They may total loss the vehicle depending on how high the water got. | |||
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Member |
This. More than likely the car will be totaled. ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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Living my life my way |
I agree. My son's 2006 Trail Blazer was totaled after a flood here in April 2014. ETA: There was no water inside his car. Just high in engine compartment to get wiring, computer modules, etc. wet.This message has been edited. Last edited by: molachi, | |||
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| No, not like Bill Clinton  |
Couple inches in the floor board? I wouldn't worry about it as long as you let it thoroughly dry | |||
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| Member |
Bad advice. ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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| Dances With Tornados |
Pull out the seats and remove the carpet. Remove everything from the trunk. Call the insurance company. | |||
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Nullus Anxietas |
Why, specifically? A couple inches I would expect mainly got the carpeting wet. Probably less potential damage than having accidentally left all the windows open during a rainstorm. (Which happened to us with my wife's 2005 TrailBlazer. And it was a literal downpour.) Serious question. Are cars today built so poorly that the carpeting getting a good soaking totals them? "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher | |||
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| Member |
Cars today are loaded with electronics, that’s why. The car got more than a “good soaking”. There was “2-3 inches” of water in the car. He should file a claim. Let the insurance company inspect the vehicle. If they decide not to total the vehicle, he has recourse if he has electrical problems with the vehicle down the road. ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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| No, not like Bill Clinton |
Eh, was it salt water? | |||
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| "The deals you miss don’t hurt you”-B.D. Raney Sr. |
It’s not that there was a couple inches in the floorboards. If I read the OP correctly, the water didn't come in through the Windows as rainfall, it was flood water that got high enough to get into the floor boards. If that is the case, then water got high enough to get into the engine, transmisson, differentials, etc. This water also probably had a high amount of sand/silt/whatnot in it. That stuff tends to get past seals and vents. add to this that there are a lot of electronics pretty low on late model vehicles. | |||
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| Member |
Eh, doesn’t matter. https://www.statefarm.com/simp...car-has-flood-damage ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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| Member |
Most vehicles have their Event Data Recorder (aka the black box) under the front drivers or passengers seat. Not to mention all of the other wiring and harnesses mounted and running down low. Not worth the risk to not file a claim. | |||
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| Nullus Anxietas |
Good point. My Jeep Grand Cherokee has several "computer" modules in it, and ISTR a couple of them are under seats. Upon reflection: That seems like a poor design decision to me. "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher | |||
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| Lawyers, Guns and Money  |
I'll take the other side of this and say the cars still have value. I bought a 4Runner out of Houston after Hurricane Harvey. I bought it from the insurance company after it was totaled. It sounds like it was probably a similar amount of water to yours:
After a good carpet cleaning, I've got a great vehicle for about 5K, which is about a third of its' retail value. Of course the title will forever be marked "Prior Salvage" but I don't care. My daughter is driving it now. I'm not suggesting that you should not file a claim... that's completely up to you. I would talk to your agent first, discuss the situation with him, and find out whether filing the claim will adversely affect your future insurance rates. "Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown "The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor | |||
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| Son of a son of a Sailor |
Thanks everyone. I went ahead and filed a claim and they are supposed to call me to schedule an inspection. I'll keep you updated! -------------------------------------------- Floridian by birth, Seminole by the grace of God | |||
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Shorted to Atmosphere |
You would be surprised how many electronic items can be under the seats and in the center console. Airbag wiring alone would give me pause. | |||
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| His diet consists of black coffee, and sarcasm.  |
All kinds of wiring and electronic components are on or near enough to the floor. Air bag modules, for example, are always on a solid part of the floor. They are not waterproofed. Should they be? Maybe, but cars cost enough already. The damage may not be apparent for several days, weeks or even months, the amount of time it takes the water to thoroughly seep in. You may not see anything right away, but it is only a matter of time before odd electrical issues - some of which can shut the engine down or prevent it from cranking/starting - start showing up. | |||
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| Member |
When I had a previous vehicle RX350 it went mid door deep in Isaac. It did not take in any water. A testament to the fit and finish of a Lexus. The insurance company payed to have all the fluids changed, engine and undercarriage steam cleaned and brakes redone ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Live today as if it may be your last and learn today as if you will live forever | |||
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Member |
The only advice here worth following is to contact the insurance company and have them evaluate the car. Unfortunately for you, it would have been much better if the insurance company had had the opportunity to evaluate the care prior to your attempt to clean it up. It may make it more difficult for them to adequately assess the damage that may have occurred. And as someone who spends a lot of time on the CoPart Auto Auction site, the term 'flood car' covers an incredible broad spectrum of cars. Everything from cars that were completely submerged to those that have seen a minimal amount of water fall into this category. As chellim1 noted, 'some' flood cars present a terrific opportunity for rehab/renovation. ----------------------------- Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter | |||
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