[shekar.ca]

Originally Posted by kaustubhp

Here is my advice: I am sure you would not but please do not make any attempt to do anything with the car. I am sure an insurance claim would have already been lodged. I believe you have RTI insurance which should help you get the entire amount of claim, barring may be extended warranty and accessories which are billed separately as I understand. Please insist the insurance company that there is no way insurance repairs can "indemnify" you. The loss cannot be computed and calculated by any forecast and you cannot possibly have the foresight of contemplating all issues that may arise.

If and when your claim is getting approved, please go through the claim approval form carefully so that they do not leave a devil in the detail.

Best of luck!

Thanks kaustubhp. I have logged in the claim yesterday and well note the points you raised. Will be very careful about this.

Originally Posted by cryptarchy

Where would you pump the water out? It is my understanding that flooding happens because drainage is blocked/overwhelmed.

Absolutely it is. Whilst they are trying out to pump out the water using a couple of motors, it seems to all come right back. Situation compounded by further rains since this morning.

Originally Posted by kunalghogle

Remember do not start the car and remove the battery terminal immediately before you do anything. Take video/pictures of all the steps as much as possible and use a tow hook if the flatbed cannot go down the basement. All the best with your claim.

Yes Kunalghogle, that's the plan. Thanks.

Originally Posted by ChandraSekarMN

Hi Shekhar.CA. my car is half in water in Seethammal Colony 1st Cross (should be about 200 mts from your place). I have spoke to my ASS (Ford) and requested for a RSA vehicle (through a vendor suggested by them as the same was not included in my Insurance). One positive I see is that, you might be financially protected due to RTI cover. But when I am anxious about my 4.5 years Aspire, I can understand what can be your state of mind for such a new and a lovely vehicle. But just relax when things are not under our control.

Oh you live really close by, we should catch up once the times improve. Sorry to know about your Aspire, but like you rightly said, we just need to patiently wait this phase out and take it as it comes.

Originally Posted by sandeep.menon

With the amount of electrical and electronic components, and mechatronics in modern day cars, the estimation will be huge, and will certainly cross 75% of IDV, which is the threshold mostly considered for declaration of total loss.

While this can be tough for anyone to handle, pat yourself on the back for having picked up the RTI cover. Was a very smart decision, in retrospect.

This will pass. Keep us posted!

Thanks Sandeep, will definitely keep posting updates.

[CalmConquests]

Let me begin by saying that losing a car, especially one that is brand new is quite a sad day. Im sure this would be a day that the OP would probably never forget.

After reading this post last night & i couldn't help but want to help other Bhpians in & around Chennai avoid a dreadful event like this in the future.

I am also aware that it is pretty late in the day given Chennai is undergoing some pretty harsh whether right now as I type this. But, i would like to try & help a few fellow enthusiasts at-least in the future.

To all of you reading this post, in & around Chennai, if there is ever a situation like this where the IMD has predicted very tough weather where flooding is a high possibility in your area, please DM me.

Im fortunate enough to manage a few commercial spaces that are located in lesser flood prone areas. These spaces have car-parking facilities in the ground level & above ground level.

Though i can in no way Guarantee them to be 100% safe, these places are designed with a lot of Fail-Safes in mind & these places have never seen any flooding thus far over the last 10 years. I can only accommodate a limited number of cars, but, it is very likely that i will find you a covered space to temporarily park your beloved car in.

[VW2010]

There is coverage but this is what this area is going through. There is an electric Nexon under the water.

https://youtu.be/-Kt-Pqo99ds

[Nishith]

Originally Posted by shekar.ca

Thanks kaustubhp. I have logged in the claim yesterday and well note the points you raised. Will be very careful about this.
Oh you live really close by, we should catch up once the times improve. Sorry to know about your Aspire, but like you rightly said, we just need to patiently wait this phase out and take it as it comes.

Hi Shekar,

I hope things have got better now. Glad you had taken RTI, this should help minimize your financial losses w.r.t the car.

Do take care, its the after effects of the flood and disease they spread that affect the most also keep us posted on the progress you make and how things look after the water is pumped out?

Thanks,
Nishith

[shekar.ca]

Hello everyone,

An update from my end on developments over the past week in two parts (in view of the photo upload restrictions) - here is part 1 until seeing the condition of the car:

- Flooding in the basement continued from Nov 7 until Nov 14.

- Insurance claim was filed with ICICI Lombard on Nov 9 on the advise of the dealer and claim number shared with dealer.

- On Nov 9, I also noticed a few items which were kept in the boot of my car floating near the basement entrance - that gave me a sense that the car was open or at least the boot. I couldn't help but think if there was some impact of the car hitting the pillar or any of the other vehicles in the basement, etc. Later, I would be proved wrong on this.



- Whilst water pumping on the street started from Nov 8, the heavy rains on Nov 10/11 only made the situation worse and hence, no tangible progress was possible.

- While pumping resumed from Nov 12, water on the street and inside the basement was finally pumped out late night on Nov 14/ morning of Nov 15. As the water level gradually reduced in the basement, I was able to get some glimpses of the basement, car and bike.

Basement entrance from the gate (finally water level reduction):


View inside:


First glimpse of the car and bike:



First possible view of the front of the car at 10 pm:


- Nov 15 morning is when I was able to confirm that boot was open and that there was substantial damage, water, dirt and muck inside the car thanks to the water ingress.

This is how I found the car and the interiors:

[shekar.ca]

Here is part 2 of the update, covering the towing attempts from Nov 15 until the car was finally taken away on Nov 17:

- At 9 am on Nov 15, updated the service advisor assigned at the Kattupakkam service centre on water being drained and he asked me to log in a call with Jeep Road Side Assistance (RSA). Immediately did so and was promptly assigned a reference number.

- Jeep RSA first sent a big tow truck which couldn't enter the basement. Subsequently, after chasing up with RSA and the tow service provider multiple times, a smaller tow truck was sent later that night (around 19.00 hrs), along with a person from Allianz. He tried using an external battery in order to switch on the electronics in the car and turn off the EPB (Electronic Parking Brake), but taking care not to attempt switching on the engine. Despite trying multiple times, the EPB could not be turned off and the car wouldn't budge an inch.



- The Allianz person mentioned that he is raising a request back to Jeep RSA to deploy a service engineer at my site in order to help with disabling the EPB, and that it will be taken up on Nov 16. It was clear at that time that it was nearly impossible to even move, leave alone take the car out, unless technical support from the dealer was provided.



- On Nov 16, there was no contact from Jeep RSA. I contacted the service advisor and he assured me that he will find a knowledgeable technician for the job, but it might take until the next morning for this. He also asked to request for a tow truck from Jeep RSA to be available readily when the technician comes in.

- On Nov 17, I found out through a dear friend (who runs a garage on Old Mahabalipuram Road [OMR] for super bikes and under whose care my Interceptor currently is) that the EPB is controlled through a separate motor(s) and can only be disabled by connecting a 12V battery to the motor and unwinding it. I passed on this bit of information to the service advisor who said he will handle this.

- On Nov 17, after speaking a few times between RSA and service advisors at Kattupakkam and OMR, I was assigned a technician from Kattupakkam. I initially presumed the car will go to Kattupakkam, but after a few mins of confusion was asked to inform the RSA to drop the car off at OMR - reason being there were already 20+ flood damage cars in Kattupakkam and only 3 at OMR, so the dealer wanted to manage the load.

- Two tow vehicles with a team with Allianz, arrived at the building by 15.00 hrs - one a 207 to enter the basement and the other the flat bed which would do the duty from the ground floor to the service centre.




- At 15.30 hrs, a technician arrived and got started off.

Here's him unwinding the motor on the driver's side rear wheel



He did a similar job on the passenger side as well.

- He tried releasing the steering, but wasn't able to achieve it. Then between him and the Allianz folks, they agreed that the car can be moved albeit slowly and carefully. At this stage, I requested if the technician can stay until the car is completely taken out and he agreed without any hesitation.

- I also tried understanding from him on why the boot opened up. Apparently once water level crosses tyre level, the Jeep has sensors which unlock all doors and the boot in order for passengers to get out in the interest of safety (in case stuck in floods). In my case, it worked a bit against, and he suspects the water pressure opened the unlocked boot! So much for all my imagination!!

- Back to the towing, the first step was to turn the car from its parking spot towards the basement exit, without steering control. Next they had to maneuver/ control the car's movement battling a tight angle and very little moving space on all sides. After persisting patiently and trying for more than 2-3 hours, the team managed to pull the car out of the basement.

The wheel getting ready for towing:


Yay the car has turned:


Now just a straight way out of the basement:


Phew - out of the basement after 10+ days:


Hello road:


Releasing the car from the 207:


Free and ready for the flat bed:


- During this process, they also found out that the tow hook provided with the car was missing (presumed to have floated away and not traceable). The boot floor board was however found and promptly put back into the boot

- Enter the Jeep technician again who managed to arrange for a tow hook from the OMR service center. A person from Allianz was deputed to go pick that up, whilst the 207 drove away, Jeep technician bid good bye (thanked him for his support) and the flat bed truck was ready waiting

- After a couple of hours, received a call that the tow hook has arrived and that the car is ready to be loaded on to the flat bed



Time to bid goodbye:



- Around 21.45 hrs received a call that the car was dropped off at the OMR service station. I thanked the two Allianz gentlemen (Kubendran and Prabhakaran) for their amazing hard work over the past 6+ hours to ensure my car was safely taken out transported.

So there ends the first stage of this process. Now the claim process, survey/ inspection, etc. start. Will keep you all posted.

[Axe77]

Its heart breaking to see the images of the car in this state. So sorry once again for your predicament and loss.

Your detailed insurance procedure updates will be very valuable for everyone in the forum. Hopefully you can get a RTI type total loss support - given how recent your car is that should give the most palatable outcome.

I know its off topic but any update on how the Interceptor fared once you recovered it from the flood?

[SnS_12]

That’s a heart braking sight but at least things are moving now and the car is at the workshop finally.

The complications of having an electronic hand brakes is just not the sought of thing you don’t want in such a situation.

I was just wondering how will a car be towed out from a parking with a tight entrance /exit like this spiral one. This is thought that comes to my mind every time I park in CR2 mall in Mumbai.



Here is hoping your claim settlement process is smooth and quick and in lines with your expectations. And hope the 650 is back home soon.

[supertinu]

Really sorry to read about your turmoil. Hopefully you get total loss on the car and move ahead with a new purchase.

any clue how the boot opened up?

[SaiSW]

It is heartbreaking to see a person's car meet such a fate. I hope you get a good sum from the insurance provider and you are able to move on to another car. As another member said, your detailed updates about the insurance process in this scenario will be very much helpful to a lot of people in this forum.

Hope your Interceptor fared better.

[drift87]

I am really sorry. Its heart breaking to see such images, I cannot fathom this happening to even a 10 year old car.

[snallagatla]

Originally Posted by shekar.ca

So there ends the first stage of this process. Now the claim process, survey/ inspection, etc. start. Will keep you all posted.

Its sad to see the car in such poor condition. Hope your insurance claim gets resolved quick and smooth.

[ScorpWarp]

Originally Posted by shekar.ca

Time to bid goodbye

My heart sank reading this about the new compass and interceptor, a heartbreaking story! I hope the claims are processed sooner and you get another brand new shiny jeep and a new bike, all the best!

[lamborghini]

Had a recent experience in the Mumbai floods last year, with a family member's nearly new Swift submerged in his basement exactly like yours.

Car was written off quickly, claim was processed by Future Generalli and payment was done relatively quickly as well (within a week or two).

However, it isn't so straightforward:

1) Please tell the insurance company you desire to get the Registration cancelled so they can negotiate with scrap buyer accordingly - many scrap buyers will fix & sell if the car is not de-registered (which it should be as a total write off) and in case of any registration issue the liability may fall on your head.

2) Submit relevant forms and documents to RTO, get registration cancelled. Some states, like Maharashtra will refund a portion of the RTO tax paid in case of a total loss, though it can be a time consuming matter (14 months and counting in Mumbai).

These may not apply in case you have chosen the RTI package, but do try and make sure you are absolved of any liability - enter into an agreement on stamp paper with scrap buyer where you are indemnified from any future liability (our insurer required it, but should be done in either case).
Some insurers may act smart and say RTO Cancellation is not possible (since they will have to pay more from their pocket - in our Swift's case, the Scrap buyer reduced 2.xL off the price if the Reg was cancelled), but hold firm and if needed there are numerous news articles on the same online with SC / HC rulings on the matter which should be quoted.

Thankfully Future Generali was a gem to deal with, and hope your experience is similarly smooth.

[chaksjr]

In September, my Liva was filled about a couple of inches with water due to mad Delhi rains and my apartment being on a downslope with shoddy maintenance. Even that much was heartbreaking to see, can't imagine the pain of looking at a new car in this condition. Hopefully your RTI will help you get the right amount of money back.