Hurricane Harvey....flooded my truck....now what to do?

Sorry to hear about this - glad it was only your vehicles that were damaged and you are all safe though. Things can be fixed and replaced - still sucks, but glad you're OK first and foremost!

 

Insurance companies will likely be fast tracking vehicle claims by zip code. If you live in zip codes [insert list here], it's a total. This is what happened with my vehicles for Katrina.

I wouldn't want a vehicle that had flood damage anywhere near electrical connections. Flooding only carpet is easy to fix, but electrical is a big no-no. That's what Insurance is for.

 

Filing a claim the right thing to do. Even if they somehow don't total it, the repairs and any unseen damage (jacked up wiring gremlins) will be covered in the future. Don't forget all the wiring under the truck as well....actuators and such. Do it yourself, don't file a claim, and problems show up later...you're probably screwed.

The also need to drain and refill all fluids. Diff breathers prevent water coming in during intermittent water exposures and crossings. A rear differentials being submerged under 2' of water for a couple days is a whole different story.

 

I've rescued many flooded vehicles, and seen many others get rescued as well. Some with zero issues others with a few, but for some flooded vehicles, they're just beyond salvaging or not worth the sum of the parts and labor.
That's provided you can find a replacement under those circumstances. Sometimes you have to add that into the equation also.

Yours sounds like its very salvageable based on your description.

First go thru the Insurance and see what they give you, and you should be able to restore it for just the price of new carpet jute, some electrical spray and some chemicals treatments for mold and odors.

The trick is just to be sure to rinse all oem carpeting thoroughly with fresh clean water, same for the seat covers and sun dry them as the sun rays kill bacteria as well as dry. Disconnect battery, disconnect all floor connectors, thoroughly rinse flooring with fresh clean water and spray all electrical connectors with electrical cleaner, spray all flooring with mold inhibitors and deodorants and let it all dry out over at a couple days.

I would not have taken it to the dealer as they may have an excuse to void some of the electrical warranty or question it, but that's just IMO, under these circumstances some may actually show their humanitarian side and help out.

Edit: Oh be sure to drain/refill all fluids, goes without saying lol!

Good luck!

 

Give the guy a break man...

 

sorry to hear that man.

me - I would try like hell to get Ins. to total it. With water damage it could have
creeped everywhere and you may be in for electrical/mold issues and many
headaches for a long time.

 

He made a third one too.

Not trying to give him a hard time but one thread is more than adequate and gets all the posts in one place vs same thing in every thread.

 

Water didn't make it into mine, luckily, but much of the undercarriage was submerged for a significant amount of time.
Am I better off going through insurance or just having basic maintenance / fluid changes done myself?

 

If that's as high as it got, I would think you would be ok but you never know.

 

Had 2 buddies over the years who had vehicles flooded.....both were "totaled" out by the insurance company. They didn't even mention the word fix.

 

I doubt anything is under water but part of the tires.

 

Most likely gonna be totaled ,would just take off accesories you bought and saved them for your new tacoma it sucks going through this process

 

Looks like you should be fine IMO.
I would just drain & refill the diff fluid and use new plug(s) washers (2) in case some water got thru the axle seals. The front hubs are questionable as they're sealed and you can't lube them.

They can go thru lots of deeper water just fine, I've done it plenty times but being half submerged in water all that time is the issue. At worst case you just replace them (hubs) and be done.
If it was me, would just drive on for now and pay close attention to any grinding noises that would occur after a while if the lube got watered down. For peace of mind on a long trip, I would just replace them, easy job not too expensive on line parts and close the page

Good luck!
Cheers!

 

Peace of mind and warrantied by insurance company...I agree with most pay the $1k deductible. They will most likely total it and not try and trouble shoot every piece of flooded electrical...if that electrical is tied into airbags and other safety equipment they aren't going to risk it.

 

Service manual link and wiring zips.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/out/?url=https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=E4201B2041C373EC!151&authkey=!AHx1iTrEjYnqJHA&ithint=folder%2cpdf&inner=aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZvbmVkcml2ZS5saXZlLmNvbSUyRnJlZGlyJTNGcmVzLi4uNTElMjZhdXRoa2V5JTNEIQ==

 

Well if any of you decide to sell your flooded Taco or part it out, let me know. Don't let the insurance company send it to the scrap yard!

 

No kidding, if they total a truck with 1 inch of water on the floor, ask how much to buy it back. Replace carpet and padding. I'd buy it from you for scrap cost.

 

This happened in Houston a couple of years ago, and was totaled.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/flood-damage.375675

 

And? Do the math, what is $15 a month over 40 years?

 

Pay your deductible, my friend just lost his alpha 4c down there also. Best of luck with the truck