HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — If you live in low-lying areas, you probably saw a lot of flooding on Sunday, but even if you didn’t drive through it, your car could still have water damage.
“If your car is parked and water gets into it, because it gets high enough, don’t star the car until the water goes down,” said Bill Canady, owner of Canady & Branch Complete Car Care. “If you do, it’s going to get inside the engine.”
If you don’t know if water got in the engine, there’s a hack for that.
“Them, or someone else, check the air filter,” Canady said. “‘Cause if the air filter is wet, that means water came in through the air filter and into the engine,” Canady explained.
A new engine can cost between $5,000 to $12,000. But even low water can do lots of damage. Canady said there could be computers under your carpet. If those get wet, and it’s an older model car, some insurance companies will just total it because there’s no telling what could go wrong.
“The powertrain control module, the body control module, they can get water in them,” Canady said. “And even if it’s OK when you get in the car and start it, that water gets into the wiring and it could progress up through the wires, corrode stuff and then you have problems down the road. Another thing, under these seats, these are electric seats. So, if those motors get wet—yeah.”
Canady said when there is a flooding event, flood-damaged cars make up about 30% of his business for the month.
“You’ll see some of these great big trucks drive through it, and then a little car will say, ‘Well, I can do that. Different situation. Big trucks shouldn’t drive through it either. But, either way, don’t drive through it.”
Canady added that an upholstery shop can replace your carpets and interior if they get wet, but they can’t check to see if the computer has been damaged, so he said you might want to take it to a mechanic just to be on the safe side.
