Troubled Waters

With flood conditions seemingly much more common these days, it’s easy to get caught out. Heavy rain can come out of nowhere, with roads flooding at every turn, particularly when driving on country roads.

It’s often hard to tell how deep a flood may be, even on familiar roads. A small amount of water in your air intake can do big damage to the engine, and the air intake may be lower down than you think. There’s also the risk of water entering through the exhaust if your revs drop to low. Door seals will only hold back the water so long and many components will not resist immersion.

Even more alarming, your car can be swept away in fast moving water even if it seems very shallow. Normally safe fords can become extremely dangerous. Experts advise not entering flood water deeper than 10cm. Always go slowly in flood water to avoid creating a bow wave which could wash over the bonnet.