Flash Flood Left Me Zless

Jordo!

Not impossible that water could have seeped in, but so long as the car wasn't running, it couldn't cause any damage -- the damage happens when the motor attempts to compress the water -- and can't. They just need to make sure all components are free of water and normally lubed before turning over.

I don't know about needing a new motor -- but what about the rest of the car and the electrical system?

Water could have seeped in from anywhere where there was a opening along the whole intake tract -- it could have even seeped in through the exhaust too (although it would be less likely) if it was completely submerged -- once the water is up over the hood, you are at risk for getting water where it shouldn't, running or not.

That said, the problem caused by drawing in water that people normally talk about (i.e., hydrolock) isn't from the water itself, but rather from the attempt to compress it like air, which can break internal components in short order. That won't happen if the engine isn't running.

The intakes should be fine once they dry out -- although if they draw air in from down by the wheel wells, it is indeed possible to drive through deep water, draw up water while driving, and hydrolock the motor. However, in this case, any damage of any sort found to any part of the car will all be due to just sitting in water.

Again, I doubt the engine is really damaged, but who knows about the electrical system, including ECU, nav, etc. the interior carpets, and so on.

EDIT: Looking again at the pic, it doesn't look like the water got up over the hood -- but it might have been higher and then receded. It was moving, i'm guessing, so yeah, some could have found it's way into the motor. Anyway, I'm assuming the tech looked down the cylinder with a scope through the spark plug hole -- I don't know how else he could tell if there's water in there. I guess the oil may be milky and separating too. In any case, flushing the engine out with fresh oil should take care of all that, so the engine should be fine.

Again, it's all the other stuff I'd be looking into. If the interior damage is severe enough, they may just total it/declare it a salvage title.

Good luck!

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