[Zappo]

Originally Posted by shuvc

As of now the bill is around 35K. I have paid around 19.5ish. Insurance had paid the rest.

Now add to it the 8K approx for the headlights and the switch console. So total 43K. My outgo, 27.5K.

However, my 27.5 outgo consists of 9K of work which I had anyway planned for in October and others which I may have forgone for the moment, but still went ahead since I'm finicky.

# 3M anti-rust - 3K
# Full interior and exterior polish - 1.1K
# New cloth seat covers - 1.1K (did not even try to wash the old ones)
# New headlights - 3.7K. Old ones can be repaired to some extent if I wish to.

Huh?! Of the 35k bill you have yourself footed almost 20k? Thats more than 50% Now what kind of an insurance coverage is this?

So you have changed those headlights after all? That same levelling motor issue was bugging you, was it?

[shuvc]

@zappo, unfortunately almost all the parts replaced were plastic. Hence got 50% cover. This is Maruti insurance through Royal Sundaram. Heard that Bajaj Allianz was not so liberal with some of the flood cars.
Yet to change the lights. Not bothered abt levelling, but it seems that the motors are stuck at the lowest point. Even after all adjustments high beam is lower than normal low beam. Driving is a pain on roads without streetlights. Plus reflectors are soiled.
Since EII lights cost 3.7 a pair, am thinking its worth the peace of mind and safety.

[shuvc]

Update:
The car continues on its slow journey to good health.

New headlights on the car now. EII non-levelling ones. Costs 1770/- each. (The prices of the EIII levelling lights have been reduced from 22K a pair to around 11K a pair). Here's a snap of an old headlight.



The burnt switch console has been replaced ... under warranty .I love Mohan Motors and Maruti.




Outstanding issues
# Another actuator that controls the recirculation mode of the climate control has gone kaput. Hoping this also gets replaced under warranty.

# Central locking using the remote is acting erratic since last week. Locks/unlocks at times. Locks 90% times. Unlocks rarely. Haven't found any other pattern.

# FE still seems suspect. Probably 1.5 kmpl down, specially with the AC on. Need to test more to be certain.

Originally Posted by shuvc

I'm now running my first full fill with XtraPremium without AC. Current FE seems to be good i.e. > 11. Will top up in a few days and know exactly.

I got 12.23 in this run. So without AC it seems fine.




Pics of some components that were damaged earlier.

The key-inside/door ajar warning buzzer module - Costs around 2.7K




The two pieces of the climate control console - Costs around 14K total

[virage]

There no delicate way to put this, my hyundai verna is currently underwater.
My car is one of the hundreds if not thousands of cars in chennai that have been completely covered by water. Since most of chennai is still crippled, she is going to be sitting there for quite sometime. Due to the scale of damage and the casualties, I don't think i will be able to take her to a garage right away.
That being said, i do have a few queries.
- Can she be saved? or is she a write off( feels like a death in the family )
- What are the steps that i can take to save her?

I do have a bumper to bumper insurance coverage, but will they honor a claim?

p.s Mods if this does not warrant a new thread please do merge with the appropriate thread.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by virage

That being said, i do have a few queries.
- Can she be saved? or is she a write off( feels like a death in the family )
- What are the steps that i can take to save her?

I do have a bumper to bumper insurance coverage, but will they honor a claim?

p.s Mods if this does not warrant a new thread please do merge with the appropriate thread.

I share your pain Virage. I am from Chennai too and we will fight together to come out of the current situation.

- Can she be saved? or is she a write off( feels like a death in the family )
* I still have hope. Have you managed to get the battery disconnected before total flooding ? It can be saved if you allow it to dry naturally (which might be a month or more given the current prediction) with ventilation. Check after a month's time and decide. Chennai's humidity is of huge concern, but we will cross that bridge after some time.

- What are the steps that i can take to save her?
* Remove battery immediately. I am sure it would have short circuited by now.
* Drain fuel if you can and store it away. Not necessary at the moment.
* DO NOT MOVE THE CAR OR ATTEMPT TO START IT.
* Take multiple photo / video of your submerged car (showing number plate, location, house number) in the same parking location so that insurance guys cannot try to do any foul play with you. It will serve as a proof of natural calamity and not intentional drowning of asset. (Believe me they will take this stand during this time to save themselves of the losses and might be a lengthy court room visit also.). Record insurance agent's visit to your location during assessment. They should not be given any free hand to wriggle out of the situation or responsibility.
* Call the insurance people for on site assessment. Might take time due to natural calamity. Insist for this.
* Do not attempt to do anything until the insurance assessment is done and final figure is reached.
* Even after that, get the car towed or transported on flatbed to service station.

Hold on to that hope. We are with you.

[famousshoes]

Im so sorry to hear that mate :/ how old is your car? Going by what i've read on the forum the insurance should make good. all the best.

[DRIV3R]

Really sad situation in Chennai, and it is disheartening to see people suffer and the cars totally submerged.

What one should do in case you are expecting to flood around your car:

• Disconnect both terminals and tape it around or stow it away from the battery
• Use polythene bags and rags to cover and tie around both the air intake and the exhaust
• Use jacks/bricks to raise the parked height of the car to prevent water from entering the interior cabin through door sills

If the battery is not disconnected, the ECU, BCM and other electronics would be short circuited and would fail.

A friend had taken the above precautions in the previous stint of floods, but still his oil sump had more water than oil, the car's interiors and engine internals had to be completely removed to be cleaned.

And lastly, NEVER EVER attempt starting the car. It would hydrolock the engine and cause more damage to the engine and pocket.

[WindRide]

Its widely regarded the Madras calamity is man-made and not an act of nature.
I assume most of the submerged cars are in the southern low-lying suburbs where houses have violated multiple human settlement norms.
Can the insurance company deny insurance citing this?
"Its not an act of god that caused damange to your car, but only your negligence that you parked it inside a lake-bed" could be a retort, for example?

[ajitkommini]

I don't mean to be insensitive but wouldn't it be possible to avoid this kind of damage by moving the car temporarily to a different area - parking it at the home of a friend or relative for example, or maybe using the office parking etc.? Of course, this wouldn't be possible if there is a sudden, rapid flood or if the owner is away and returns only after the car is submerged.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

I don't mean to be insensitive but wouldn't it be possible to avoid this kind of damage by moving the car temporarily to a different area - parking it at the home of a friend or relative for example, or maybe using the office parking etc.? Of course, this wouldn't be possible if there is a sudden, rapid flood or if the owner is away and returns only after the car is submerged.

Easier said than done, almost 90% of the city was submerged. Given the volume of cars, there and the mobility, there was little that could be done.

[libranof1987]

Once it is possible, why don't you call up your insurance provider and talk about this so you know exactly how to proceed and the do's/don'ts.

Photographic evidence will tremendously help.

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

I don't mean to be insensitive but wouldn't it be possible to avoid this kind of damage by moving the car temporarily to a different area - parking it at the home of a friend or relative for example, or maybe using the office parking etc.? Of course, this wouldn't be possible if there is a sudden, rapid flood or if the owner is away and returns only after the car is submerged.

Feasibility? It'd be pretty late by the time people realize the magnitude of damage; finding a safe place would be difficult, getting there much more and getting back home the most difficult. Plus, given the kind of damage Chennai has seen, I doubt there are a lot of areas where you can be assured cars be safe. And of course, there wouldn't be enough space for outside cars.

Plus, people should rather plan on staying safe themselves rather than worrying about their cars.

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

I don't mean to be insensitive but wouldn't it be possible to avoid this kind of damage by moving the car temporarily to a different area - parking it at the home of a friend or relative for example, or maybe using the office parking etc.? Of course, this wouldn't be possible if there is a sudden, rapid flood or if the owner is away and returns only after the car is submerged.

All of the arterial roads are blocked/submerged at many places. People urge towards higher ground for personal safety than to venture outside to save cars. Many offices have basement parking and they are the first ones to get flooded.

See the picture. In less than 3 hrs of flooding, water levels were running at dangerous levels and traffic was closed down for safety. This is right on the GST higway (NH45) near Urapakkam. I went there next morning and whole place was devastated, All cars in the ground level parking were submerged

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Its widely regarded the Madras calamity is man-made and not an act of nature.
I assume most of the submerged cars are in the southern low-lying suburbs where houses have violated multiple human settlement norms.
Can the insurance company deny insurance citing this?
"Its not an act of god that caused damange to your car, but only your negligence that you parked it inside a lake-bed" could be a retort, for example?

Please be sensitive on this topic. Not all places flooded are built right on water beds. Many places are damaged since natural water ways and lakes are blocked. This is not necessarily because of the folks who built their houses there, just that water has no where else to go.
Almost all flats/houses are constructed with approvals from the authorities. It is the government and authorities to be blamed for the uncontrolled/unrestricted constructions.

[WindRide]

^ Apologies if my query sounded insensitive. I completely understand the grave nature of the situation. Its horrible to see even from this far away.
Insurance companies are known to be heartless and will try every trick in the book, including questioning the legality of the parking location of insured vehicles. Especially in the near future, when they face a deluge of claims.

[amit_snk]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Its widely regarded the Madras calamity is man-made and not an act of nature.
I assume most of the submerged cars are in the southern low-lying suburbs where houses have violated multiple human settlement norms.
Can the insurance company deny insurance citing this?
"Its not an act of god that caused damange to your car, but only your negligence that you parked it inside a lake-bed" could be a retort, for example?

Man made or not, I don't think it can be a case to disown the insurance. If Chennai floods are man made, Srinagar floods are even more 'man made', people here have encroached on a lake bed but insurance claims here were given without any issues here, I don't think there should be any problem.