Help! Flood damage to my IS350!
06-01-09, 09:35 PM
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Help! Flood damage to my IS350!
Ok so here's a quick story:
About two months ago, we went to dinner and left my IS350 at home. It started to rain hard and flooded so we got stuck at the restaurant for a few hours. When the rain stopped, we headed home right away only to find my IS350 partially submerged. The water had settled in two places leaving two separate water marks at different levels.
We went through the whole process of getting it repaired through a Lexus dealership only to find out that they mis-diagnosed the problem and didn't see the higher waterline but they "conveniently" wiped away. Good thing i got pictures
From the pictures i think most people would agree that the car should be a total loss. But they gave it back to me and everything seems to work fine. Only a few electrical problems that i have found so far:
1. Passenger power door lock button doesn't work
2. Armrest cigar light doesnt seem to heat up the lighter but DOES provide power to my radar (wierd?)
3. The AC on auto seems to be blowing air a little inaccurately (ex:I normally drive at night with it at 78° but i had to put it at 72° to get the same level of comfort)
4. Seat ventilators are making more noise than usual
I have another appraiser guy coming because i demanded a proper repair based on the higher water line as they seem to ignore everything above the lower water line.
Ok, so now i need your help. Based on the higher waterline from the picture, what other things should I be pushing them to replace? I don't want anything that has touched water but i'm not very familiar with what and where things are inside the car hidden from view. Idealy, i'd rather have the car be totaled because nobody wants a flooded car.
Thanks for any help
1st pic: Lower water line across passenger side speaker
2nd pic: Nasty stuff settling. Pic shows that the water at that level is enough to almost submerge the seats and water soaked into the seats
3rd pic: Water line across backseats. This is the one that doesn't exist anymore. You can see the seats would be fully submerged
About two months ago, we went to dinner and left my IS350 at home. It started to rain hard and flooded so we got stuck at the restaurant for a few hours. When the rain stopped, we headed home right away only to find my IS350 partially submerged. The water had settled in two places leaving two separate water marks at different levels.
We went through the whole process of getting it repaired through a Lexus dealership only to find out that they mis-diagnosed the problem and didn't see the higher waterline but they "conveniently" wiped away. Good thing i got pictures
From the pictures i think most people would agree that the car should be a total loss. But they gave it back to me and everything seems to work fine. Only a few electrical problems that i have found so far:
1. Passenger power door lock button doesn't work
2. Armrest cigar light doesnt seem to heat up the lighter but DOES provide power to my radar (wierd?)
3. The AC on auto seems to be blowing air a little inaccurately (ex:I normally drive at night with it at 78° but i had to put it at 72° to get the same level of comfort)
4. Seat ventilators are making more noise than usual
I have another appraiser guy coming because i demanded a proper repair based on the higher water line as they seem to ignore everything above the lower water line.
Ok, so now i need your help. Based on the higher waterline from the picture, what other things should I be pushing them to replace? I don't want anything that has touched water but i'm not very familiar with what and where things are inside the car hidden from view. Idealy, i'd rather have the car be totaled because nobody wants a flooded car.
Thanks for any help
1st pic: Lower water line across passenger side speaker
2nd pic: Nasty stuff settling. Pic shows that the water at that level is enough to almost submerge the seats and water soaked into the seats
3rd pic: Water line across backseats. This is the one that doesn't exist anymore. You can see the seats would be fully submerged
Last edited by bntran02; 06-01-09 at 09:54 PM.
06-01-09, 09:42 PM
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06-01-09, 10:45 PM
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LOL...Let me try! Two months ago you had dinner, in another car, and left the IS at the house. You were stuck at the restaurant for two hours, came back home to find out that the IS was flooded...Did you leave the sunroof open? How did the water get in the car? Did you contact your insurance? I think they would of total the vehicle. If your worry about the premium will increase I would just take the hit. I would rather lose the car than have problem i.e. like now, later. Just my two cents. But yeah your story has holes in it.
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06-02-09, 09:38 AM
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IMHO you should fight to have this car completely totaled. Most insurance companies are notorious for trying to get out of a claim as cheaply as possible, so it's probably going to be a hassle. But water damage is just as big of a car killer as fire damage... once your electronics have been effected, problems will develop throughout. And expect that things which aren't a problem now, soon will be as corrosion sets in. My guess is that mold is already forming within your seats... that in itself is dangerous enough to you and your family. Unless they're offering to replace the entire wiring harness and strip out the interior (headliner included), then this car needs to be replaced. Just my two cents, but I'm speaking from experience.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
06-02-09, 09:46 AM
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LOL...Let me try! Two months ago you had dinner, in another car, and left the IS at the house. You were stuck at the restaurant for two hours, came back home to find out that the IS was flooded...Did you leave the sunroof open? How did the water get in the car? Did you contact your insurance? I think they would of total the vehicle. If your worry about the premium will increase I would just take the hit. I would rather lose the car than have problem i.e. like now, later. Just my two cents. But yeah your story has holes in it.
let me guess....SE Houston?
IMHO you should fight to have this car completely totaled. Most insurance companies are notorious for trying to get out of a claim as cheaply as possible, so it's probably going to be a hassle. But water damage is just as big of a car killer as fire damage... once your electronics have been effected, problems will develop throughout. And expect that things which aren't a problem now, soon will be as corrosion sets in. My guess is that mold is already forming within your seats... that in itself is dangerous enough to you and your family. Unless they're offering to replace the entire wiring harness and strip out the interior (headliner included), then this car needs to be replaced. Just my two cents, but I'm speaking from experience.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
PS. I also took some more pics and noticed that the seats have started to wrinkle from being soaked in water and found some rust in various parts places around the car that i'll post later
Last edited by bntran02; 06-02-09 at 09:51 AM.
06-03-09, 04:08 PM
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i know that flooding was/is a problem with the GS... but that water line is SO high... almost as though you left all the windows open and it rained for two days straight non-stop
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