Flood cars Mackay

[Grahame Collins]

Hi fellas
My B2600 Mazda got a bit wet in the floods.The water did not wer the seats but got into the footwells.
When the water receded ,I washed it out with a hose and power washed the engine bay.

I checked the fluids for water and gave it a spray of CRC and Lanotec and away it went with out so much as a misfire.
Its been a great ute apart from ?????? fuel economy.

I have driven through deeper water than the flood with out any problems
My insurance company the RACQ seems hell bent writing it off .
They are saying all sorts of nasties can occurr in 3 to 12 months .

IApart from obvious things like uni joints and wheel bearings that I would have needed to place soon anyway -I am at 120,000kms now.What could you blokes see happening as far as potential hidden damage . You can bet the market price payout won't cover the cost of the replacement.
I have to make a decision very soon.This is the last of the three cars in the family 2 insured one not.all 3 are now deemed flood cars and only had water to to top of the rims.
thanks
Grahame

[Andy Mac]

Hi Grahame,
Checked fluids, did you look at the drive train? Maybe water can get into diff or gearbox (breathers?), check for water foam in the level plug. The bell housing isn't usually sealed too well, inspection plate etc, but it would drain away just as easily I'd have thought.


Good luck:)

[wheelinround]

Grahame water & silt will have got inside channels, Chassis Rails and under the floor strengthening ribs and it isn't easy to get out other than drill holes which leaves bare metal.

Drilling the holes is dangerous using electric drills :oo: ZAP

Look at what its insured for and consider the cost of R&R
R&R of interior replacement as floor & door trims will need to be replaced as they are only Masonite or MDF

Mechanically what Andy has said diff tubes, bearings, bearing hubs, gear box if water has entered ny of these you can bet so did silt which means complete pull down o remove grit and silt from bearing surfaces.

These are worse case and thats what insurance co's will be looking at, you can be sure they will on sell it.

[les88]

Have you checked with the insurer for a pay out and you buy back the truck
les

[Grahame Collins]

Thanks fellas ,
I will bite the bullet and let it go,
But bugger it. l have not long back fitted new tires and I have a mate with the same truck.
I will swap him wheels over Easter, and take my canopy off and take off my after market cruise control.

Thanks for your advice,

Grahame the
wheel less

[bobsreturn2003]

always a good idea to bleed brakes and check the wireing , as they take a while to show problems . just sold my b2500 diesel , good unit ,but diesel is a lot dearer than petrol up here . certainly wet this year . went through in febuary ,from bris -cairns , road needs some flood proofing /and upgrading . perhaps you should get some car ramps ? and get above it . regards bob

[Harry72]

I'd just check the fluids if there's no water leave as it is, if there's traces of water drain and change the oil.
The only other place in a jap ute is the sill panels, check if the slotted drain holes if they are clear you have no problems, if your paranoid pump in some endrust/fish oil.

" My insurance company the RACQ seems hell bent writing it off .
They are saying all sorts of nasties can occurr in 3 to 12 months ."
My guess they reckon you dont pay enough...

" Its been a great ute apart from ?????? fuel economy."
Yep they are a good ute, I've put mine through hell.
Fuel economy... mines not bad, about 400km per tank around town and 550km hyway.
I had a V8 BA falcon ute... I think the B2600 economy is good!

[malb]

Grahame, I have an insurance assessor over the road from home and we discussed the water damaged cars from the Hunter area mid last year.

His argument is that there are electronics buried in a lot of places like under the seat etc, and once water has reached sill level or gotten in, it is standard policy for them to write off because once they commit to repairing anything, they have to provide lifetime guarrantee for everything as customers will always complain that something was missed.

The main point that I was making in the discussion was that a hell of a lot of flood cars were being auctioned off in Sydney at the time, and selling below average pre flood auction prices, but for more than they would realise for parts in a wreckers yard, i.e. they were being bought by the fringe trade for resurrection and onsale to the unsuspecting.

Remember, it is your decision whether to procede with the claim or not. If you were happy with the vehicle before, and know that you have had minor damage only (carpet or trim etc), you may well be better to hang onto the car. Better the situation you know than the unknowns involved in buying secondhand. Sure, you might take 3 years off the time to rust onset for the floor, but the chassis would not be badly affected. Something bought with the payout may well have been bent and patched before, or badly thrashed and drop the mechanicals in a year or two.

Retaining the vehicle may present problems with future insurance, but you may get around that by offering a waiver for future water damage issues.

[munruben]

My son bought a water damaged car a couple of years ago down the Gold Coast and had heaps of trouble with it. Never stopped giving him problems. fix one thing and then something else would go wrong with it, mostly electrical and computer related faults and very costly to repair. He bit the bullet and sold it in the end at a loss. Pleased to get rid of the darn thing.

[Harry72]

You'd need to sink a B2600 up to the dash to cause electrical problems... they are a basic ute, if it been a 1990's+ falcon or commodore then you'd be in trouble:(