With flooding throughout the region, many are impacted. As we ensure those who are get the shelter, food and necessities they need to rebound and get back on their feet, one area where the recovery starts is with your vehicle. If you've had a vehicle that has been through a weather event like a flood or hurricane in the Houston area. In that case, we're here to assist you at DeMontrond Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, as our service center and auto body repair center are here to assess and potentially fix any flood or hurricane damage done to your vehicle.
What happens if my car gets damaged during a hurricane or flood?
If your vehicle is damaged from a weather event, either it's had debris or branches make impact with your vehicle's frame, causing exterior damage, or in a flood, if your vehicle was partially submerged under water during the event, you should try and get your vehicle to an auto body specialist as soon as you can. Acting quickly is the best course of action, as you want to ensure there's no water in the engine; plus, you should start trying to dry your vehicle out as soon as possible. It's recommended you get a tow, and you may need to drain the oil, transmission and lube beforehand if it's been damaged in a flood.
Additionally, you should file a claim right away with your insurance provider to make sure you get the right amount of coverage so we can get to work as soon as possible on restoring your vehicle to get it back to its previous state before any flood or hurricane.
How do I know if water is in my engine?
You'll know if water has gotten into your engine by checking with your dipstick, where you'd normally check your oil levels. If you spot water or it looks diluted, milky, or has brown bubbles or crusty residue, that means it's likely there's water in the engine, and in that case, you should get it to a service center right away. Driving any further with an engine with water in it is dangerous and will cause significant damage to your vehicle if unaddressed.
You should also check for any damage in other areas, like the interior, as wetness likely means it made it inside your vehicle. You should attempt to dry and vacuum up standing water and absorb it as much as you can to clean it out and ask your mechanic to check over all electrical and driving components for damage. We'll do all that if a flood or hurricane damages your vehicle.
You can get started and discuss options, including new cars, trucks and SUVs from our dealership if your vehicle has too much flood damage and your insurance can help cover the loss. Contact us to being soon.