Flooding and deep puddles!

[TW]Fox · 13 Nov 2009 at 15:56

Bug One said:
Get back to ironing the creases out of your seats Fox. Its not hard to gauge the depth of a puddle when traffic is in front and coming the other way.

jamief said:
If there are other cars in front driving through the puddle it is reasonably easy to gauge how deep it is

What he said was..

everyone was moving into the middle of the road

So if everyone was moving into the middle of the road there was no way to guage its depth by observing the car in front, was there?

PiKe · 13 Nov 2009 at 15:57

jamief said:
Christ I don't think anyone would drive through a 3 foot puddle.

I'm talking about < 1 feet as an absolute maximum!

Well the thread is titled flooding and deep puddles

Always slip the clutch and keep revs high if going through a flood in my previous cars to try and prevent water going up ma' pipe!

Matt82 · 13 Nov 2009 at 15:57

jamief said:
Christ I don't think anyone would drive through a 3 foot puddle.

I'm talking about < 1 feet as an absolute maximum!

1 foot was a doddle even in my lowered golf with an additional intake poking out the bumper lol

i saw a 4x4 going through ahead adn the water was just above the wheel nuts at the bottom of their rotation so i figured the golf would take it

EvilDreams · 13 Nov 2009 at 15:58

[TW]Fox;15309709 said:
What he said was..

So if everyone was moving into the middle of the road there was no way to guage its depth by observing the car in front, was there?

Internet pedantry wins again

jamief · 13 Nov 2009 at 15:59

[TW]Fox;15309709 said:
So if everyone was moving into the middle of the road there was no way to guage its depth by observing the car in front, was there?

Where I live(d) the country lanes were extremely narrow, so observing the car in front going through puddles was always possible. However, if you are blindly driving through a puddle at high speed without any idea of the depth then you are a bit misguided, I'll admit.

Matt82 · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:02

EvilDreams said:
Internet pedancy wins again

not really, because you just look at how high the water was compared to the car that went through in front of you and decide from there

[TW]Fox · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:03

EvilDreams said:
Internet pedancy wins again

Not really, he's moaning about everyone going round a flood/'deep puddle' even though with no cars in front going through it its hard to work out its depth.

Overlag · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:03

Janesy B said:
You own a Ford, I'd be avoiding those puddles if I were you

its probably already got rust holes under it

Bug One said:
It appeared to hold up better than the Fire Service van in front of me. Despite driving through the puddles like a complete girl (who knows it may of been a girl) a huge plume of black, then white smoke came out of the exhaust. Ground to a halt and looked terminal.

I happily splashed past just to show my defiance.

its because the car is used as a beach landing craft by the marines

PiKe · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:03

At the very least on main roads, you have the kerb as a reference point too.

lordrobs · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:04

I enjoy pretending to be a rally driver down a country road as much as the next man but I also like my car intact at the end of it so I would probably classify as one of your wimps

When I had the Hyundai and didn't give a monkeys (or before I grew up a bit) if the car wasn't coughing and spluttering after a decent sized puddle then I wasn't trying hard enough

Matt82 · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:05

i was up north the other week in my dads van, there was some heavily flooded roundabout, well over the curb level.... in something like that though you can just plough through and it doesnt matter

the van was so slow and heavy that stupidly deep water didnt even move it off its course

Overlag · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:08

PiKe said:
At the very least on main roads, you have the kerb as a reference point too.

exactly. If its below the kurb its not deep enough to worry, if its above then it is tbh.

Hawk Tuah · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:12

[TW]Fox;15309755 said:
Not really, he's moaning about everyone going round a flood/'deep puddle' even though with no cars in front going through it its hard to work out its depth.

Not everyone was going to the middle of the road. Just a few people directly in front. Many others were driving quite happily through the clearly shallower puddles, and taking it easy through the clearly deeper puddles, as I was. The one person I mentioned, who happened to be driving a 4x4, decide to stop in the middle of the road however and wait - which I would happily describe as being a complete wimp.

I have no problem judging the depth of a puddle. I'm not going to cite any evidence for this other than over ten years of driving and never flooding an engine. If we're making a record, I'd like to point out that I also tested my brakes once I was out of the puddles and also gave the car a check over once I got to work.

You really are the most pedantic person I've ever come across, once again making a fun pleasant thread topic yet another battle ground by picking every little hole, and sitting on some imaginary moral high ground - as if you've never splashed through a puddle.

Howard · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:17

I do tend to avoid the bigger ones if possible as I'm worried about killing something

Last time I went through one that was more than an inch deep was half way round the big roundabout on the way to work, water gushed all over the car and there was plenty of steam coming off my brakes

Hawk Tuah · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:17

Overlag said:
its probably already got rust holes under it

Is there a known issue with Ford and under body rusting? :confused:

I know Ford Ka's were terrible, but I wasn't aware of an issue with the new Fiestas? I checked my underside (ahem) last weekend and it looked immaculate. I have added some extra rust proofing to a few areas that I thought looked vulnerable.

Overlag · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:20

Bug One said:
Is there a known issue with Ford and under body rusting?

I know Ford Ka's were terrible, but I wasn't aware of an issue with the new Fiestas? I checked my underside (ahem) last weekend and it looked immaculate.

na i was just following janesy's lead. KA's werent treated thats why they were bad. Old fords are.... well just old fords.

Meridian · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:44

My air intake is inside the driver's side wing, roughly level with the axle: fording anything deeper than a deep puddle is not a good idea. I keep thinking I ought to keep a fair of tights and a screwdriver in the boot so I can disconnect the thing if necessary.

M

Westyfield2 · 13 Nov 2009 at 16:56

Last year, April I think it was when there was lots of serious flooding up north, we were out as a family in dads A4 Avant TDi Quattro.
Went through loads of what I'd call "big puddles" but other would call flooding. Came to one a bit deeper than the others. This is a lane that is one car width with hedges either side so there's no turning round. Dad decides to try it and in we go.... car sounds really ropey while it's in it but gets through to the other side..... and then dies. Just out of the water. Won't start again.
Pop the bonnet and the plastic engine cover is soaked, but that doesn't matter it's a diesel so no spark plugs etc! Then I saw where the air intake is

. Could they have put it any lower!
After 5/10 mins the car decided to start and drove home, belching thick black smoke and driving like a dog.
Next morning it really didn't want to start and more black smoke so dad drives it to work and gives the keys to the fleet manager who has the garage tow it.
Bent rods, bent valves etc etc.

New engine needed

. Audi main stealer labour rate + brand new engine from Audi = written off. Dad phoned the insurance company the day after work got the payment enquiring to buy it (we'd do the engine change) and "it's already been sold". :rolleyes:

Writing off a £27k car.... without a scratch on it! And that's the record £££ of damage anyone there's done to a company car. Still, got a LCI M-Sport 5 Series Touring now :cool:

.

IAmATeaf · 13 Nov 2009 at 17:22

When I used to work in Winnersh some 8-9 years ago a work colleague in a people carrier was inching his way towards a rather large puddle, I gave him the finger to hurry up so he put his foot down and promptly stalled right in the middle. Couldn't get his wagon started again and he then had to decide whether to stay or get out with me laughing at him down the phone. Told him it was fine to open the door and get out, the car filled up with water when he did. By this time others had stopped to gawp and laugh at him make the journey to dry land.

[TW]Fox · 13 Nov 2009 at 17:51

Westyfield2 said:
Audi main stealer labour rate + brand new engine from Audi = written off.

Writing off a £27k car.... without a scratch on it! And that's the record £££ of damage anyone there's done to a company car. Still, got a LCI M-Sport 5 Series Touring now .

There is no way it did anywhere near £27,000 of damage neither does it cost anywhere near that full dealer rate to replace the engine. Either the car was worth noway near £27k (Which unless it was barely a few months old is likely the case) or it was insured under a policy which provides a replacement new car on cars less than 12 or 24 months old in the event of a large claim.

It wasn't £27k of damage.