Injested Water - Possible Hydraulic Lock?!

[3Putt]

Got caught in flash flood over the weekend with water up over the bonnet!

Engine konked out and took 30min of trying to get going again.Now the engine has an awful 'valve tapping' type noise.

Does anyone know how serious this could be? Car is being towed today. Haven't driven it after limping round the corner home when it happened.

[goodfella]

After fitting a CAI last week, I feared the worst driving back from Canberra in the Monsoonal rains, but thankfully I made it through without a cough!

Hopefully yours isnt terminal like the member in WA, but by the sounds of it, yours didnt spit engine bits.

[Swallowtail]

Got caught in flash flood over the weekend with water up over the bonnet!

Engine konked out and took 30min of trying to get going again.Now the engine has an awful 'valve tapping' type noise.

Does anyone know how serious this could be? Car is being towed today. Haven't driven it after limping round the corner home when it happened.

Hope it's OK... keep us posted!

[Big Yellow]

why did you try to restart the car if you knew it had injested water?? wouldnt it have been better off to call a tow truck/insurance company instead??

[team_v]

why did you try to restart the car if you knew it had injested water?? wouldnt it have been better off to call a tow truck/insurance company instead??

Better yet, why drive through the flood water in the first place?

[kryten2001]

Got caught in flash flood over the weekend with water up over the bonnet!

Engine konked out and took 30min of trying to get going again.Now the engine has an awful 'valve tapping' type noise.

Does anyone know how serious this could be? Car is being towed today. Haven't driven it after limping round the corner home when it happened.

Water in an engine is very bad news. Since water isn't compressible, if it enters the cylinders it can easily bend/break rods or screw up valves.

If it's making a constant knocking noise I'd be a bit concerned. Even if it's running I'd go have it properly checked out ASAP.

[3Putt]

Thanks for the 20/20 hindsight fellas.

No, I shouldn't have gone thru such a deep puddle. Problem was, it looked shallow enough to get thru.

No i shouldn't have restarted it. Problem was, I didn't know how bad the injestion was (still don't), so i persisted. I was just round the corner from home, after all.

Now anxiously waiting for diagnosis. The tapping at idle from the head area is very loud - suspect valve damage unfortunately.

[team_v]

Just so you know, insurance and warranty will almost certainly not cover you in this instance.

I believe insurance for flood damage is only valid if the car was not being driven at the time as apparently it is against the law to drive into flood water which voids your insurance claiming ability.

Bit of a bugger, let us know the outcome.

[R36 Dreamer]

Just so you know, insurance and warranty will almost certainly not cover you in this instance.

I believe insurance for flood damage is only valid if the car was not being driven at the time as apparently it is against the law to drive into flood water which voids your insurance claiming ability.

Bit of a bugger, let us know the outcome.

Absolutely untrue - Insurance will cover this.

[R36 Dreamer]

Got caught in flash flood over the weekend with water up over the bonnet!

Engine konked out and took 30min of trying to get going again.Now the engine has an awful 'valve tapping' type noise.

Does anyone know how serious this could be? Car is being towed today. Haven't driven it after limping round the corner home when it happened.

When I had the GTI I Drove through a puddle, which came over the bonnet (I didnt realise the depth). The car didn't quite konk out, but did shudder.

Performance was shocking afterwards. I did it in Gosford and had to drive home. Usually the car would sit in 6th gear all day long on the highway, but after the water went in it couldnt get going at all. I would lose about 50km/h up most hills. I thought the turbo was buggered, but just outside of sydney it all came good- Like there had never been an issue.

I took it to VW to be safe, and they changed the filters and said all apppeared fine.

Perhaps because you actually stopped the engine, you may have more damage than I did.

Hope all goes ok for you.

[team_v]

Absolutely untrue - Insurance will cover this.

They have said on the news repots every time it floods up here in QLD that insurance will not cover you if you drive into flood water as you are breaking the law and thus, completely at fault.

Might be different down south but that is what i have heard.
It's been that way since the cyclone wiped out Innisfail.


Might want to check with the insurance company to be certain.

[R36 Dreamer]

They have said on the news repots every time it floods up here in QLD that insurance will not cover you if you drive into flood water as you are breaking the law and thus, completely at fault.

Might be different down south but that is what i have heard.
It's been that way since the cyclone wiped out Innisfail.


Might want to check with the insurance company to be certain.

I work in the industry, and have never heard of that being the case. Motor Policies are "accidental damage" policies, and as such cover you for any damage which was not deliberate or excluded from cover (war, terrorism, racing etc.)

I have never seen a flood exclusion on a motor policy.

I am happy to be proven wrong, but this is just my experience.

NB. I have noticed a new exclusion on "some" insurers policies, which excludes damage caused by filling up with the wrong fuel (ie. putting unleaded in a diesel car). Something you oil burners should be aware of - I know of a claim where BMW 730d which was filled with unleaded - claim was $45,000.....

[Jayse]

They have said on the news repots every time it floods up here in QLD that insurance will not cover you if you drive into flood water as you are breaking the law and thus, completely at fault.

Might be different down south but that is what i have heard.
It's been that way since the cyclone wiped out Innisfail.


Might want to check with the insurance company to be certain.

Insurance covered me when the same thing happened to me in a 318i.
This happened 8yrs ago, so i'm not sure if policy has changed on this matter.

Cheers,

Jayse.

[3Putt]

My insurance company is covering me for this. The claim form even had a specific tick box for flood damage.

[V6Passat]

My insurance company is covering me for this. The claim form even had a specific tick box for flood damage.

good luck...hopefully they wack in a 3.6 instead of a 3.2? (assuming they replace rather than rebuild). let us know how you go...