flooding

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 18 Sep 2003 13:28
flooding - John MLA
Hi readers,

My Rover 214 cabrio was at the Rover agents in malta for a minor defect. We had a bad storm resulting in their basement garage getting flooded and my car bogged down upto the roof.
The rover dealers insist that they can get the car back in shape but although I am not a tech. person, common sense tells me that the electrics and electronics will give me problems even after a few months, What about the immob, electric roofs, boxed chassis, well basically all electrics, not to mention the upholstery.
I will haver an appointment with them on Monday and i'd like to have some background. It's a real pity, the car was registered in 1998 and is in mint shape or should I say was....... The insurance has already indicated that I'll lose alot due to current value. So, i'd like to keep options open.
thanks a lot
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Thu 18 Sep 2003 13:40
flooding - Aprilia
Good grief, I wouldn't want it back and I would have thought the labour to restore it to reasonable condition would be uneconomic.

Bear in mind also that there can be a lot more than just water in 'flood water'!
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Thu 18 Sep 2003 14:16
flooding - Altea Ego
Up to the roof? You DONT want this car back. It will impossible to repair this car to its previous state.
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Thu 18 Sep 2003 17:22
flooding - Andrew-T
I don't think I would want a car that had been recovered from the river either.
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Thu 18 Sep 2003 18:30
flooding - Sooty Tailpipes
No way! every problem you will be blaming the flood.
Even rubber boots on ball joints will have got water behind them, especially if the steering/suspension is moved while submerged.
The longevity of all parts is likely to be reduced by an undeterminable amount.
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Fri 19 Sep 2003 08:44
flooding - Dizzy {P}
I have to agree with what's already been said.

A work colleague bought and repaired a car that had spent a very short time in a river. The upholstery was beyond saving but otherwise the damage appeared to be superficial and was put right, or so it was thought. That car gave a lot of trouble later on as a result of hidden water entrapment.
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Fri 19 Sep 2003 15:04
flooding - John MLA
I totally agree to this, the problem is that the surveyor does not want to give any such statement. I need some ROVER expert/ garage/ mechanic to come forward with an official statement saying exactly what all of you said. I have written to a couple of ROVER garages but no replies as yet. I saw the car today, it is soaked, black, oily, smeary, the engine, which was shining is BLACK....
can anybody come forward with some expert statement????
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Tue 16 Dec 2003 12:38
flooding - Dynamic Dave
Any update on this John MLA?

(I know you haven't logged in since 19th Sep, but wondering if you're still lurking out there somewhere?)
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Tue 16 Dec 2003 14:33
flooding - Cliff Pope
It is absolutely impossible - it is the kind of work equivalent to a total rebuild. Every single component that normally has air in it will have been flooded with dirty water. Water will almost certainly have entered the engine, gearbox and fuel tank breathers.
No amount of flushing will remove grit from a gearbox - it would need totally stripping down and cleaning every component.
As for the electrics! Wiring harnesses permanently full of water, circuit boards corroded .. the list is endless.
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Tue 16 Dec 2003 21:29
flooding - Civic8
As the damage is so serious it is a write off.water get`s everywhere and anywhere apart from what has been said.would take a garage better than them to sort out.has to be a write off
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