After the havoc created by typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng, many cars in the Philippines were heavily damaged by flooding in many places and to help everyone with their car, here’s my 10 ways of saving them:
- Don’t attempt start your car immediately after being soaked in the flood. Remove the battery and check if it’s still safe to use or bring it back to a battery dealer for proper disposal.
- Empty the break fluid and radiator. Use a blower to dry them or let it stay for a whole night to dry them up.
- When your transmission is not sealed, remove the transmission oil and let it dry for a whole night.
- Remove the spark plug and buy a new one.
- When the engine is already dry, pour in new motor oil and transmission oil.
- Place a new batter. It’s not advisable to use the old one unless it’s thoroughly checked by a battery expert.
- Don’t install any spark plug yet. This is a way to remove any water inside the cylinders. Start the engine.
- When you are sure that there is no more water in the cylinder, stop the engine then change the air filter.
- Install a new spark plug.
- Start the engine again and let it running until you are satisfied that everything is now running smoothly.
The steps above are only applicable to cars soaked in fresh-water flood.
If your car has a computer box, buy a new one. There is no way to fix a computer box but having it makes your engine more safe from damage.
The tips above are very useful for car owners. Knowing them spares you from incurring additional expenses.
Great info! water is as damaging as fire and accidents. Your list offers great ways to combat the averse effects of flooding. Making sure there is no water in the engine is key!
Really water damage to a car can be extensive. Things like how long hubs and stuff are submerged in water can play a huge roll in how much damage there is.
Very useful !! but a tsunami would cause more damage as the water is salty!
I feel sorry for those people who bought cars brand spanking new without insurance that covers this kind of damage.
well i think for more protection we need insurance, because we don;t know when is gonna happen. thanks for share with us.
Forget about the cars, what about the people that purchased expensive houses and had serious floods and water damage?
Even if your car hasn’t been submerged there could still be significant damage. If you drive through a flooded area or there is a way for water to enter the engine, this could also cause serious problems. Any large dents in the hood could also be an area for it to enter.
If you have been involved in a flood, first check all of your fluids. If they are an off color, have your vehicle towed to an auto mechanic. Don’t drive it! You may cause permanent problems. They will empty the fluids and replace them properly for you.
Once a car has been flooded it is almost impossible to repair and the smell left by the muddy water can be overpowering. Most vehicles that were in the path of a hurricane turn out to be unsalvageable and because of that they are considered “totaled” out by the auto insurance company. If you car is totaled then your insurance company will give you a check for the current market value of the vehicle. If it can be repaired then you will have trouble selling it because it will always have the tag of “salvage” vehicle
Great tips! There’s no point chucking out your car entirely – even if you have done something crazy like tried to start it and screwed the transmission or the electrics, a qualified mechanic should be able to fix it relatively quickly and easily. If you know a flood is on it’s way, take the battery out – then you won’t have to buy a new one.
Great information. Water also have same effect on our car as fire and accidents have, they all damage our car. We must take effective measures to save it. Thanks a lot for this informative post.
Ondoy is very devastating and leaves several hundred people homeless*:`
ondoy did a lot of damage to the econmoy and also to the lives of people;*”
That is a disaster to have a car sinking in water.But sometimes it’s inevitable to have this situation.These methods are really good.
Your Car will never be the same after this
Great advice. It sounds like you have gone through this once or twice. We have a road in town and every year the news media shows cars underwater where the driver thought they could make it across. The funny part is they go to the same place every year.
The ways which are discussed here are very useful and will be helpful in recovering our car from being damaged by flood.
Valuable information. Water also have several effects on vehicles as fire and accident. Mostly, the problem occurs with the power plug. The tips shared here are very useful for preventing our car from being damaged. Thanks.
These are excellent tips on how to save a flood damaged car. A big help for many who have their car intact after the flood.