Hey everyone, I don't post on here much, but have been a Scion enthusiast since 2004. Anyway, last Thursday I flooded the engine of my RS3.

There's a street here that gets really flooded when it rains. I didn't realize it had been raining for that long and by the time I got in there, it was too late to turn around. So my car stalled and I couldn't get it started up again. My car started to fill up with water in the backseat too because I was sitting for so long. By the time I stopped, the water was crawling towards the middle of my door. So I ended up sitting in like 3 feet of water for about an hour.

I had to file an insurance claim, and my baby's getting a new (used) engine as we speak. I'm worried that I'm going to have some long term effects from the water, even though they are replacing the engine. Has anyone else had this happen to them? If so, did you end up having a lot of problems afterwards?

I had been thinking of selling it to get a new xB, but now I know I'll be losing quite a bit of money because of the flood damage (even though you won't even know it ever happened when it's fixed). Before this happened, my 06 was in immaculate condition.

I need some advice!!!

PS, I still owe about $15k on it, and have been monitoring eBay. The Envy Greens are selling for about $12-13k. How much value do you think I'd be losing with the flood damage? Should I just keep the car for awhile, or do you think I would be able to get a good amount of money for it? Is it even worth trading it in? HELP!!!

And Thank you

 

i say keep it. if it is properly dried out, you will be fine.
if it is damp for too long though, you may get a mold issue, but that is easily fixable
remove all or as much of the carpet, seats, etc as you can, let them dry out really well, and clean the inside out and dry that as well. look for rust and mold and should you find a spot here and there, adress as needed. If anyone tries to carfax that box, you are not going to get much for it, i wouldn't buy a vehicle i knew was in a flood, but thats me...
hand on to it, let your insurance co make it right, and enjoy her!

 

Just a new engine? Im surprised your insurance didnt total the car...you will most likely have major electronic issues, not to mention the mold. Who is your carrier?

Since you filed a claim with your insurance, I believe your box now has an electronic note attached to the VIN noting it is flood damaged.

 

just keep and drive it.....

 

They didn't total it because it only cost about $4900 or so with labor and everything. The last time I KBB'd it, it was worth about $13k, so they probably couldn't justify totaling it.

They are also pulling out the interior, steam cleaning/pressure washing, etc. It was rainwater so I shouldn't have to worry about rust (hopefully). I hoping there isn't any mold too...

I did ask them if there would be any problems with any of my sensors, etc. but they said everything was under the dash so it should be ok.

 

Just see how the situation is after they fix it. The car may run perfectly fine. I wouldnt take the hit selling (or worrying about it) it just yet...

 

Just hope your insurance company fixes everything correctly.

 

Well I'm trusting that the Toyota/Scion dealership will meet or exceed the standards... I wouldn't have taken it anywhere else!

Also, I talked to the adjuster and he said if anything else needs to be fixed, all the dealership has to do is call him and he will take care of it. I'm ONLY responsible for my deductible. So I'm also assuming that since I took it to the dealership, they will warranty all of their work. Just in case anything else DOES go wrong, I can definitely bring it back in.

I just talked to the dealership and they said it will be done today!! I'm sooooooo happy and anxious to get my baby back. Not looking forward to forking over $500, but am definitely glad that it didn't take as long as I expected.

 

I would think if you had water up to the middle of your doors what the power pack/ brain of the RS3 entertainment system got wet. I would have also made sure they pulled out all of the seats, carpet, any trim that got wet and wheel liners. Then checked to make sure they really did pressure wash it all out and vacuum it all out. I also would have wanted proof they really did dry the carpet out thoroughly before it went back in.

Water damage can be worse than an accident.

Did the flush the transmission? Did the check to see if water got in the CV joints or wheel bearings?

When I was into four wheeling you had to repack wheel bearings every time you did any deep water time like you did. I should really say you are supposed to.

I would double check what all they did. If they only replaced the engine and steam cleaned the interior they are forgetting some things.

 

watching...
i would like to know how it runs & smells after a while.

 

The water to the middle of my doors was only on the outside. I got about 3" of water or so on the inside of my back driver's side.

If there was water in the CV joints/wheel bearings, what would it sound/feel like? How would I know? I haven't gotten to see the car yet because the check from my insurance didn't make it to me in the mail yet. The service guy said he drove it around and it drove like a dream... we'll see!!

 

I hate to rain on your parade ... no pun intended but there is no way in hell i would have taken any less then a total loss. Matter of fact, here in NYC any water that touches the pedals inside the car is totalled. My future bro-in-law ran into a small lake ( what used to be a road ) last year and he was totalled out. He ended up getting more then he owed on his RS2. I believe he got a touch over 15K.

The list of things that can go wrong are endless.

* The ECU sits just behind and under the foot rest of the passenger front
* Just from poking around with electrical installs there are so many connections at foot level behind the dash and through out the car. Water will wreck those connnections.
* Like was mentioned ... the tranny fluid with water. ***** joints ... bearings .. all this was sitting in what you call rain water ( dont forget you live in FL ) which is surrounded by salt water. SALT WATER AND METALS DONT MIX.
* I have seen too many times here and heard it first hand, dealerships do not to quality work. More often then not Scion dealerships are only interested in one thing ... makes sales. This may not apply to you and i hope for your sake it doesnt.

Make sure you get everything in writing. Make sure if your insurance says it will be covered and for how long you get that in writing too. I truely hope that you have no problems with the car in the future.

BTW .... you have made a claim as well as the dealership installing a new motor, your car will now be labled as flooded or water damage should it be brought up to a future buyer.

 

you don't get to choose whether they total it out or not.....although you can fight..no guaranties of a win

 

Again, the water ONLY came up about 3" and ONLY in the back seat. It didn't come anywhere near the front seat, pedals, etc.

As far as the bearings and all that, I'm not sure what kind of problems I will have w/the wheels.

It definitely was fresh water. I was far away from any water in/outlets, and it had just rained where I was at.

I will definitely make sure that any future damages are indeed covered, like the adjuster said they would be. That's one of my biggest fears. They are paying about $4400 for repairs, so there's no way I would have been able to convince him to total it out (it was worth 3 times that, last I checked). On another note, I wouldn't have wanted to do that because I would be out a car, and don't think I'd really be able to get a new one anytime soon.

I would NEVER lie about the condition of the vehicle, I figured that I would have a problem selling it as a flood damaged vehicle.

It sounds like the best thing to do would be to keep her and appreciate her the way I have been for the past two years.

Hopefully I can pick her up tomorrow (if the check arrives in the mail).

I really appreciate everyone's input!

 

Sorry for your luck. As for worth, personally I'd only give you about half BB (on a good) day knowing it had been flooded.

I'm glad you get it back though; just stick it out and drive it because you love it.

 

OMG, I'm blown away by that. Just half?? Wow!! What a shame. There was absolutely nothing wrong w/the car until I drove into a damn river. Now no one would even want it

 

If I were you I'd just hold on to it and see how it goes. It's value has decreased, but you need to pay it down a LOT before it's worth anything more for you. As long as they do a good job on the cleanup, you should be fine.

 

Water was up to the door on the outside but only in the back. Was the car surrounded by water and that is all that got into the car? It obviously was inside all of the engine compartment so that means the front end was under water. That is why the axles, bearings, trans fluid, brake fluid, all electrical connections, fuse box and other items need to be looked at. Things may not be wrong now but they could have their lifespan shortened due to this river trip.

 

just dry it out.. happens all the time here.. I am a dealer tech, we recover flooded cars all the time.

Pull the seats and carpet, air dry them
Pull the spark plugs, drain the engine, etc.,.
99% recovery rate..
if your the 1%,
used xB engine $450....
Keep it

 

keep it...
How does it smell?