Beware The Puddles
As the temperatures start to warm it up here in Madison, the rains will begin, and puddles will start to congregate on the street and in your local potholes. In heavier rains roads may not be able to drain properly and will flood. When driving in these conditions it’s a good idea to (safely) dodge any large puddles to avoid costly repairs due to water damage.
When a vehicle drives through a deep puddle, this can cause water to be sucked up into the intake and other areas of the car. Consequently water can get into the: engine cylinders, differentials, transfer cases, & transmission. This causes all sorts of issues, worst case scenario, a seized engine. The deceiving thing about puddles is that you can’t really tell how deep they are or if the road underneath them is still there. If you have a vehicle with a lower clearance, it’s more likely that water will be able to reach your critical components due to the shorter distance to the ground. Vehicles with a higher clearance are less likely to have issues but are not immune from it.
I drove through a deep puddle! Now what? Well that depends… did you make it through the puddle? 🫣😬
If your car turns off while driving through the puddle: 🙁
1. ❌ DO NOT try to restart the vehicle.
2. Make sure you are safe. If not, call non-emergency to notify them of a disabled vehicle in the road and of your situation. If you have a friend or family member nearby see if they can come be your safety car until the situation is handled. Make sure they park nearby and avoid puddle your car is disabled in!
3. Call a tow company and have it towed to your favorite auto repair shop. If the police are involved they may already have a tow truck in route.
4. Call the repair shop the car is being towed to and let them know what is going on. They are probably going to have to take some time to shake down what made the car to stop running and any other potential issues. 🔧
If your car doesn’t turn off when you drive through the puddle. You aren’t in the clear yet!! It can take up to two weeks for issues to start rearing their ugly heads.
1. Call your favorite auto repair shop to have your fluids checked for water contamination and have them flushed as needed.
2. Keep an eye on your electronics. The water can start corroding electronic components and they may start acting weird such as: randomly turning on or off, diminished usability, & intermittently acting up. If this happens take your car to the automotive repair shop and have them check for corrosion.
3. Cross your fingers & toes.🤞🤞
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. In this situation it’s better to have the minor inconvenience of turning around (if you can) and going a different route if you find that you can’t avoid a large puddle or a flooded road