Submerged my Tacoma

The OP better hope the roads were not legally closed due to high water. If it can be shown that the truck was intentionally driven into known high water purely for a recreational standpoint, the insurance company has every right to deny the claim.

And if the claim is paid, every other Tacoma driver will pay for the damage since the insurance costs are based on claims paid.

While I am above personal attacks, my gut reaction says: ducking fidiot

 

They be watching.

 

The OP info says 2007, I doubt he has full coverage.

Salt water and electronics are a bad combo.
This wasn't a splash, but marinating overnight.
Simply turning on the key likely fried a few odds and ends.

On the plus side, y'all didn't get hurt or killed.
You really have to watch unknown water conditions.

 

Everyone hide!!!

 

My insurance guy said over beers they'll cover most forms of stupidity while telling me some screamingly funny tales of payouts involving Darwin Award candidate acts.
Guy spills a bucket of gas while cleaning a carb and tries to use his Shop-Vac to suck the gas out of the carpet. Can you say "Nuclear"?

But they will hound you over fraud.

 

I guess common sense isn't so common.

 

Yea, but that is classified as a "non-intentional fire", since gasoline and other motor vehicle fuels are exempt from the vast majority of hazardous materials regulations. And, it takes somewhat specialized knowledge on just how flammable gasoline actually is. Meanwhile, out there having fun driving through on giant puddle after another is simply asking for trouble...and if the road is marked "closed for high water" than it is in connection with a criminal act...

I am interested in how this is resolved by the insurance company.

Howard

 

DO NOT drive your vehicle into water if you DO NOT know how deep it is



p.s. - your truck will be totaled if you claim the damage on your insurance

 

I have a hard time believing that would be considered a criminal act. However, we are talking about California; they do weird things there.

 

No pics yet?

 

stupidity should hurt.

 

My ex's and my car both got hit by a flash flood.

I saw it started raining pretty good and I asked her if she wanted to move the cars up to the church on a hill just down the street, and she wanted to wait until the episode of True Blood was over.

By then we couldn't even get to them, lol, and some sod with an MD at the hospital down the road had his new Porsche wash past us and hang up in the (gigantic) storm culvert.

State Farm was awesome, though. They turned a 99 Taurus and an 03 Sentra into an 08 Fusion MT for us. Only 4-banger I ever really enjoyed driving!

Boy, I sure do miss that...car.

Good luck OP, both on your insurance and your car shopping. You don't want to keep that vehicle, unless you're out of better options!

 

that truck is totaled.

have fun trying to keep it working

 

Hrm. OP says he "turned off" the truck. If the motor didn't die beforehand, it probably didn't get enough water in it to hydrolock. Assuming it's not locked up with bent valves, he might be able to salvage the thing if he doesn't have comprehensive coverage.

I'd start by contacting the insurance company and seeing what they want to do and if you have coverage. If not, I'd pull all the interior soft pieces out, as much of the dash as possible, remove all the ECU's (4x4, PCM, etc.) and hit them with plenty of electric parts cleaner and dry them thoroughly for several days.
(BTW this includes pulling door panels and sound deadening material)

If you have an enclosed garage, I'd open all the doors and windows on the truck and keep the area warm with a salamander (heated blower) to hasten the drying process.

Then put it all back together and start figuring out which parts shorted and died due to the water damage and hand over your wallet.

As said earlier, if it's salt water (I'll guess somewhere along the Russian around Jenner or Guernville), forget about it. The corrosion has already set in and short of an entirely new wiring setup, it's not worth it (it may not even be worth it if it's not salt water, really).

Some Caltrans DB's and CHP made me drive my Matrix (knew I shoulda taken the truck last Thursday) through a flooded underpass. For a truck it would have been no BFD. For the Matrix, I was starting to get 'floaty' in the front end. I tapped the brakes, made the front end drop for traction and goosed the throttle exactly once. Had that not worked, I'd be making a claim, too.

 

I did dumb stuff like this when I was young. But the only thing I ever truly submerged was an ATV. And it came out of it fine. Drained the oil, pulled the plug, kicked it over a few times, replaced the air and oil filters, refilled it with oil and it was good to go like nothing ever happened. A truck... Probably not so much. I did drive an 86 4Runner on 35's through a river that was over the headlights once. I still can't believe to this day I made it through that one. But lots of beer was involved and it was over 20 years ago. Hopefully you have insurance and the road wasn't closed to traffic when this happened. If you don't have insurance drain all the fluids, change all the filters, and plan on swapping pretty much everything electrical.

 

Damn...that sucks. We have a lot of roads that flood around here. I used to work for the Corps of Engineers at the reservoir in my area so I know which roads go under and at what pool levels. That way if I know the current pool level/flow I can pretty well estimate where it is and isn't safe to cross.

Start doing some research on stuff like that. Of course, I doubt you will ever drive through a puddle again

Good luck but this isn't going to end well IMO.

 

Well no. The insurance company can not deny the claim even if he says he did it intentionally.

 

You guys are harsh.

Let the TW member who's never done something stupid in his life write the next bash.

Assuming complete coverage, I see no reason for the original poster not to bring it to his insurance company, telling them the complete story. Insurance fraud is when you're lying to get something covered that wouldn't otherwise be.

 

WTF have you been smoking? Criminal act?

I would love to know where people come up with this shit. The insurance company will pay for it and then drop him for being an idiot. Nothing more will come of it.