As we find ourselves in the monsoon season, we are witnessing terrible incidents on a daily basis.
In this post, we are taking a look at the tips and tricks to protect your car on the flooded roads. Monsoon season wreaks havoc every year. Most parts of our country reel under the terrible effects of water accumulation due to excessive rainfall and the lack of an effective drainage system. In fact, the news channels are full of reports from various big cities about water logging and damage to life and property. We see visuals of cars and the ground floors of residences inundated in water. While we are helpless in front of nature, there are some handy practices that one could follow to maximize his/her safety.
How to Protect Your Car in Flooded Roads
Drive Carefully
The first aspect of protecting yourself and your automobile during flooding situations is to drive carefully. Now I must mention here that you should ideally never drive in such scenarios, to begin with. However, if you do end up getting stuck in a predicament where you have to go out in an emergency or were already on the road when the flooding happened, you should try to look for areas which are high above the ground. If there are other cars on the road, you can follow them. Just make sure to drive extremely slowly. You can put the car in the first gear and keep driving. But if the water level is too high and the road is not adequately visible, you should leave your car and look for a safe place.
Disconnect Batteries
If your cars are stuck in terrible flooding situations and there is nowhere you can go, it is a good idea to disconnect the batteries. Doing so will prevent any chances of short circuits or damage to the battery due to excessive water. Needless to mention, it will also reduce the chances of electrical damage. In recent times, we have seen the water levels being so high that the vehicles were immersed in it almost completely. In such circumstances, it is imperative to protect the electrical components as much as possible. As a matter of fact, if you are stuck in the water and the electronics of the car malfunction, you could even get locked inside the car. The doors and windows could get jammed.
Don’t Crank Your Car
Now if you end up in a situation where the vehicle is stuck in the water and turned off, there are two approaches to handle this case. Either you must immediately try to restart it. If the car doesn’t start instantly, you must not try it at all. This is a hit-or-miss technique. The main aim is to not keep cranking the engine. Chances are that water has gone into the engine bay. Once the water starts to creep into the engine components, it will damage the functioning of all major components like spark plug, valves, crankshaft, cylinder block, etc. This is called Hydrolock. That is something we must remain careful about.
Tyres and Headlights
When the monsoon season is approaching, it is best to keep your vehicles in the top conditions. We know what the situation looks like each year. Therefore, the best practice starts before the season. Firstly, you must ensure that the car is serviced recently. Secondly, during this time, you should keep checking the tyre pressure. I feel the health of the tyres is the most underrated technique to deal with any situation pertaining to driving. These are the only components which are responsible for connecting vehicles to the road. Hence, they must always be in top condition. Apart from that, people often take broken headlamps for granted. But that is something absolutely critical to ensure visibility during tough environments.
What To Do Afterwards?
A key aspect to remember if your vehicle has been stuck in such a challenging environment where it was under water for some time. It goes without saying that all major components will have experienced the water. As a result, these must be properly inspected. For instance, you can check the condition of the disc brakes. A thorough cleaning becomes essential. This will not only dry the components but also remove the dirt that might have crept in with the water. Furthermore, the interior must also be dried thoroughly otherwise the cabin could stink.
One crucial practice is to replace the fluids of the car. Due to excessive water, it is possible that the fluids of the car might get mixed up with the water. Hence, their core characteristics and chemicals would be compromised. As a result, it is great to replace the regular fluids of the car if it is immersed in water during flooding. It helps that this is not a mega-expensive affair. In addition to the fluids, the air filters can also be replaced if they have sustained damage. Finally, you can take the car to the service centre for general inspection.
Also Read: Top Car Tyres Maintenance Tips For Monsoon Season
