Car caught in a flood? Expert offers advice on what to do to prevent damage
Car caught in a flood? Expert offers advice on what to do to prevent damage
2024-07-26
With the flooding, Typhoon Gaemi left many damaged vehicles in its wake. So what should you do if your car is affected by a flood? Experts say that once the car is submerged, it’s best not to start the engine, and simply get the car towed to a mechanic for an inspection. If you are already driving and the water doesn’t reach one-third up the tires, it’s OK to keep driving slowly. But if the water level is any higher, turn off the engine to avoid damaging it.
The car sinks deeper and deeper, and catches a palm frond on its hood. Pray as the driver may, the engine ends up shutting down and water pours inside the car. What now?
Flooding in central and southern Taiwan left many drivers stranded. Road rescue services helped one vehicle after another. Here, the tower and driver are pushing the car up onto the tow truck. Inside, it’s soaking wet and water keeps dripping from the exhaust pipe. What a mess!
If your vehicle has been submerged in water, do not start the engine. If water has leaked in, it may be gone for good. The best response is to get the car towed to a mechanic for an engine and transmission checkup. Components such as in-vehicle computers, cables and switches may have to be pulled out to clear out any mud with a specialized cleaning agent.
Lin Chih-lung
Car repair expert
If it’s only reached the base of the car and it’s only a little bit wet and it still moves, it’s OK to just keep driving it. If the water has reached the car mat… well, there is a lot of electronic components inside, such as cables, sensors and computers that could get damaged. If the car is half-submerged or fully submerged and it can’t move any more, you should take it to a mechanic for a check-up.
If the water only reaches up about one-third of the tires and has not leaked into the interior, it’s OK to continue driving, but slowly. If it’s reached about halfway up, turn off the engine to prevent further damage. For Japanese car brands, repair costs could reach several hundreds of thousands of Taiwan dollars, and for some imported models, repair rates could soar past NT$500,000, or even NT$1 million. If the flooding has reached above the wheel, it might be time to look for a new car.
Lin Chih-lung
Car repair expert
You can look at the rubber components inside to see if there is mud or grime. Cars in good state shouldn’t have any. If the car gets submerged, the rubber gets spoiled.
The expert says insurance claims can only be made if the policy includes coverage for typhoons and flooding. But amid the high premiums in Taiwan, less than 1% of car owners have purchased such policies, leaving most with no option but to bear the costs themselves.
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車主好心痛! 南部慘淹變"泡水車" 維修廠:千萬別發動
2024-07-26
凱米颱風帶來強降雨，造成中南部大淹水，許多車子更是泡在水裡，幾乎滅頂。汽車維修廠提醒車主，一旦車子泡水，絕對不要發動，趕快請拖吊車幫忙送修。另外，開在路上碰到淹水，水深到輪胎1/3，車子還能慢速前進，但淹到輪胎一半就要立刻熄火，否則引擎浸水就會報銷。
眼看水越來越高，椰子樹葉都沖上引擎蓋，狂喊阿彌陀佛，車子最後還是熄火，水都灌進來，駕駛不知所措。
中南部大淹水，一堆泡水車等著修，道路救援任務接不完，拖吊業者和車主努力推車。檢查車內，腳踏墊泡水裡，排氣管也狂滴水，車主好心痛！
車子泡水後千萬別發動，一旦水進到引擎，幾乎報廢。最好方式是請人把車拖拖維修廠，會先檢查引擎和變速箱，車子電腦、電線和轉接座等零件拆下來，用專門清洗劑洗掉泥垢。
[[汽車維修專家 林志龍]]
“只有淹到我們底盤，小部分而已，那還可以行駛，還可以開。那地毯以上，我們室內就有很多電器設備，包括電線 包括感知器 包括電腦，車子的一半或全滅，已經是完全不能動的狀況下，那就要請保修廠一次過來(檢查)”
水淹到輪胎1/3、沒淹到車內，還可以慢速前進，但淹到輪胎一半，就要立刻熄火，避免二次傷害，日系車維修10幾萬不等，但進口車可能要50到100萬。如果淹到輪胎都滅了，很可能已經報銷。
[[汽車維修專家 林志龍]]
“看它裡面橡皮的部分，假如裡面有泥沙，或者是汙垢的話，正常的車子不會有，你假如說有淹過水 (橡皮)它會霧化”
專家表示，除非有額外保颱風險、洪水險，車子泡水才有理賠。但因為保費高，全台灣投保率不到1%，車主最後恐怕只能認賠。
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