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I recently wrecked my car's engine by driving through a flood - how should I have approached it?
I was driving through a flooded part of a road I use regularly, confident my 2015 Mercedes E-Class would be okay as it's a diesel engine. However, the water was much deeper than I'd imagined and the engine cut out. It took two or three attempts to restart and eventually coax the car through the flood, after which various warning signs showed on the dash so I drove straight to the local Mercedes dealership, noting a lack of power on acceleration. I'd done about £1000 worth of damage. I thought driving slowly through the flood was the best way of tackling it but the service advisory said I would have been better going at a faster pace. Whilst I won't be taking a similar risk if faced with a flooded area again, how do you think I should have approached the situation?
Asked on 4 January 2018 by Barry Pick
Answered by
Honest John
Don't ever drive a diesel through a flood unless you are absolutely certain that the air intake is higher than the level of the floodwater (you can ask your Mercedes-Benz dealer about this). If any floodwater is drawn into a diesel engine, which is a compression ignition with a high compression ratio, it can suffer 'hydraulic lock' because the water cannot be compressed and the con rods will bend.
Tags:
engine seizure
flood damage
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