hi everyone,

yesterday there was terribly flooding in the area in which i work here in north county san diego. there was a flash flood as an intense cell hovered above the area in which i was driving and i quickly found myself in a whole lot of water. the car naturally stalled and while the car was in still in motion as it was traveling previously down the street i was on, it only made it so far before it stopped. luckily, i suppose, it came to a stop just beside the torrent of water that materialized so suddenly and that i had passed through.

i attempted to restart the engine, which in hindsight after reading up about this situation online wasn't the best of ideas, but the engine failed to crank, so no additional damage was likely done.

i called lexus roadside services who sent out AAA and they checked the battery (ha!) and then attempted to jump the car -- nothing. the car doesn't turn over, so the technician stated that the car was likely in a state of hydrolock and checked the air filter (OEM f-sport air filter box) and found water inside.

the car was towed to lexus escondido in north county san diego and was left in their after-hours drop-off area.

the car is still under bumper-to-bumper warranty, but lexus corporate stated when i called that lexus will be unlikely covering the damages because it isn't their fault i happened to be caught in a natural disaster and suggested i call my insurance provider.

i called geico, who i have comprehensive with, and filed a natural disaster claim. the car hasn't been assessed yet, so i have no idea what's going on. i don't know if lexus is going to look at it first as i marked the box to not complete any repairs without contacting me first, or if the dealership is going to wait for geico to have its inspector, who is supposed to call today or monday, inspect the vehicle first.

the car is a 2014 lexus is250 f-sport with 48k miles on it. i absolutely love the car and have maintained it meticulously, garaged it every day of its life and finally paid it off just last month.

i am incredibly sad to say the least.

does anyone have a similar story to share or guidance to give? i'm lost and i have no idea how geico is going to cover the situation. i do NOT want a used engine going into my car., it absolutely has to be OEM rebuilt or new if it indeed needs a new engine.

ugh, i'm really, really distraught.

 

Sorry to hear this happened man.

I guess the first thing is Lexus will need to figure out why it won't crank.
Given all the circumstances, the most obvious explanation is it is hydrolocked.
Step one will be to remove all the plugs and crank the engine over...with the fuel pumps disabled.
This will expel all (or most) of the water. Next, clean the plugs, throw them back in, say a prayer, and fire it up.
One of two things will happen:

1. It will fire up and run perfectly fine, likely after a little bit of stumbling and a few start attempts. If this is the case, change the oil and filter, and out the door you go.
2. It will fire up and run almost fine, and a knocking noise will be heard. This is likely a bent connecting rod, in which case it's likely going to be a used engine next.

Unfortunately the cost of installing a new engine will be almost equal to the value of the vehicle...so insurance isn't going to approve that.
Rebuilding the stock engine is possible for sure, but then insurance would need it completely torn apart and a complete list of parts put together to see what the cost is. That in itself is costly, and likely insurance won't go for that either.
A used engine is the most likely scenario. The vehicle may not be old enough for them to justify declaring it a total loss.

 

Wow sorry to hear that. My money is on scenario 1 from Sasnuke. I've had a hydro locked engine and half a day later after tearing it apart in my drive way (mine was due to LIM on another engine/car) and then doing what Sasnuke posted the car ran like new, after running it and driving a few miles.

Btw I also work in North County SD. Where were you,?

 

So the first step is to get an evaluation of the condition by a professional mechanic. The dealership should be able to do this for you, but it will your cost to bear. If the issue can be resolved for a cost less than you insurance deductable you have no reason to try and make a claim. If the issue is determined to be significant cost, you should contact your insurance to file a comprehensive claim. It will then be up to the insurance company to determine how they will cover the claim. They may require the car to be fixed and possibly with used parts. You will have to negotiate this with your insurance company. The cost of a totally new engine is most likely large (>$10K with labor). While a used engine is probably half of that. With collision work, if the cost to repair is >50% of the value of the car, the insurance company will usually declare the car a total loss and simply cut you a check. I'm not sure if they'll use a similar cost ratio for mechanical work.

 

Of course assuming Lexus pulled the plugs and removed water and the car still doesn't start, a new (reman) short block is probably in order. You're probably looking at a 6-9k job. That might total the car.

 

Was the engine the only thing affected? Any water enter enter the passenger compartment? I.e. wet carpet that needs to be attended to, before you get mold.

 

Sad to hear this

+1 on this. I would make sure no water got inside the car.

More than likely the insurance will total the vehicle. There is a youtuber who had a c63s AMG and it also hydro locked and his insurance totaled it

 

I was in Fallbrook. I work for Fallbrook Unified School District as a kindergarten teacher.

Anyhow, I just got off the phone with Geico and Lexus Escondido who both told me that the damage is extensive and the engine needs to be replaced as there are numerous bent rods and pistons. The insurance company totaled the car.

The car has been modified so I'm really bummed because I totally love my car. They valued the car at 21k which I suppose is fair. I don't know what I'm going to get next with that. Nothing really stands out to me at the moment. I don't want another IS because it's going to be totally stock and it will take thousands upon thousands to recreate the car I just had.

Damn, this sucks.

 

The dealership stated the entire engine needed to be replaced, a cost of approximately 16.5k parts and labor.

 

Damn, that does suck.
21k is ok though right. I may be selling my 14 350 with some mods done, it would he a head start at least and way under 21k but 103k miles.
Hope you do alright to get it figured out and with the job and kids too...with the schools having just announced closure today.

 

yeah, sucks, dude. i have absolutely no idea what car to get next. like, nothing. nothing lexus sells at the moment is remotely interesting save for the lc500 and let's be serious, i don't have that kind of money.

i was thinking of leasing a volvo s60 inscription because i really like the way they look, but leasing is sketchy and the reliability on that power plant is questionable. definitely don't want to go acura and infiniti is a dying marque. the germans? i dunno. i mean, the 2 series is cool, but the reliability on those is sketchy as well.

and yeah, schools are closed to the public until mid-april here but we still have to report to our school sites in order to meet the requisites of our contractual agreements.

 

All the auto guys are hurting. I bet you could get a killer deal on a Stinger or G70. I'll always recommend a Model 3 because it's that good but I don't know if you have a garage. You could also lease a killer deal on the new 3 series.

Good luck whichever way you go.

 

thanks, man.

i do have a garage, so a model 3 could work. i forgot about the model 3. i'll have to give that closer consideration -- thanks!

 

I vote on the Model 3 Performance. You are in Cali so it will be super convenient.

 

Not to mention going from a mid 7 second car to a 3 second car would be quite a jump. The cheaper versions are also great as the only difference is the horsepower. The cost to own is unbelievable cheap too.