Napier garages brace for deluge of flooded cars

Most cars which drove through shallow flood waters for a short period of time will be fine, but those driving through or sitting in deeper water will need to be checked. Photo / Paul Taylor

With the flood clean up now mostly done, Napier garages are gearing up for a rise in the number of cars coming in for a check up.

Reid Auto and Electrix director Mary Quinn said they had already had five cars through their Napier South garage on Wednesday morning – just one day after the team had finished cleaning up the mess left behind by the floodwaters.

"We had knee-deep of water right through the business.

"It was a hard nine-hour cleaning slog for all of us. Our guys were amazing."

Down the road in Onekawa, Carlyle Automotive's Malcolm Cunningham said he expected to be very busy over the next few weeks checking cars which had been in the flood waters.

"I've already got one here that's not salvageable. It's going to be a write-off."

"If the car has stopped while they were driving in the floodwaters, and if the water has gotten up past the seats it's most probably damaged the ECU [engine control unit]."

He said it was difficult to check cars for all the flood damage and many might be written off.

Whether a car would be written off was dependent on a number of factors and the insurance policy, Automobile Association motoring advisor Cade Wilson said.

"If a vehicle drives through shallow floodwaters usually it will dry out after a few kilometres of driving.

"There's no time for the water to get in anywhere and the brakes will dry out with heat.

"If the water is slightly higher and there's the pressure wave of water coming up, if it comes up near the bonnet then it's a good idea to go and get it checked out by a mechanic."

It was also a good idea to get cars parked in shallow flood water checked out, as water can seep through cracks and splits in your drive line, potentially damaging the engine or contaminating fluids, he said.

He said it was important not to start cars which had been in deeper water with water inside the car, and to first call the insurance company.

"Don't even try to start it. Chances are it's gone through your engine.

"If you try and start it, it will hydraulic."

Generally, these types of cars were written off as the cost of replacing damaged electrical components would outweigh the cost of the vehicle, but it was still important to check with insurers first, he said.

As of Wednesday, AA Insurance had already had more than 140 motor vehicle claims relating to the flood.

Colin Anderson, of Hawke's Bay Transmissions Specialists based in Onekawa, has seen plenty of cars that got stuck in rivers written off after getting water in the transmission [gear box].

"It just destroys them," he said.

The reason water getting into the transmission was so bad, was because the moisture never comes out by itself causing parts to disintegrate, he said.

"The breather [vent] on the transmission is very low compared to an engine.

"Because of the heat that builds up in the transmission, it sucks cool air in so it will suck in floodwater.

"It will ingest water but can't expel it."

He said it would lead to problems later on.