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Flood water reached my Altroz DCA's glovebox: What parts to replace?

2nd January 2024, 11:36 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

The insurance survey report says to repair the car, which came as a surprise because considering the damage, I expected it to be declared as a total loss.

BHPian nemodotme recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, on 20th October 2023, I bought my first car - a pre-owned red Tata Altroz DCA. Last Sunday I got the RC book, and the very next day Cyclone Michaung hit Chennai.

I was fairly sure that nothing would happen but slowly the water kept rising and by Tuesday morning, my car was in 30 inches of flood water almost to the dashboard. I could see water inside the glove compartment and center gear console.

It is heartbreaking and I am sad.

The insurance surveyor's initial survey asked for the vehicle to be repaired (which was surprising since this was level C and should have been a total loss).

I got someone from the Tata workshop to see my car but both the steering and front wheel were locked and they couldn't fix it.

Now the only option was a tow that has a wheel skate/dolly/trolley/freewheel that is added to the front wheel and moved to the open area where it can be towed on a flatbed.

I purchased a wet vacuum and heat gun and cleaned and dried it to the best of my ability. I didn't want my car to just sit there in the flood gunk and rot till I got it towed to the workshop.

After a lot of hassle, I got a private tow and spent 5k to drop the car at a Tata workshop.

The front wheel seems to be locked due to the gear (not due to the brake), trying to move the vehicle the front wheel was moving a couple of inches and was stopping causing a slight shake in the engine. This is related to gear / transmission?

What are the parts that might have been damaged (Transmission ? + electronics modules like ABS, Airbag etc) which I need to insist on replacing to ensure reliability?

I would be extremely grateful if someone could guide me in this.

Thank you.

Here's what BHPian VellVector had to say about the matter:

Looking at the level of the water, it would be safe to say that the water level was sufficient to flood the transmission and a good portion of the engine bay.
Ask the ASC to include in their estimate:
A new engine and transmission assembly (the surveyor will ask for the oil to be drained in front of him to confirm the entry of water).
All the electronic modules (ECU, ABS, interiors, entertainment, etc.)
Brake calipers
Wire harnesses
Starter / Alternator
Fuel pump / actuators
Entertainment system - Speakers, things like that
Air Conditioning
Airbags (if the water level was that high)
All the switches and other things that may have been affected
Seats (the insurance company won't agree to this - they will ask the ASC to clean them)
Basically, get everything possible added to the estimate. Anything that the insurance company asks you to repair instead of replace ask the ASC to give a written guarantee that it can be repaired and will be in warranty. If they can't do that for any part ask them to tell the surveyor that the brand cannot repair that part.
Depending on the surveyor there may be a few rounds of these discussions before the vehicle is declared a total loss.

Here's what BHPian Habanero City had to say about the matter:

Please do not attempt to move the car or crank or push start any flood-damaged cars as it will get hydrolocked which seems to be your case.
This would cause severe damage to the engine, especially the connecting rod.
Based on your report, the car seems to have suffered extensive water damage and would be better to scrap it.
Please negotiate with the insurance company and the service center about this.

Here's what BHPian porsche_guy had to say about the matter:

It seems that you did not release the shift lock for the transmission. I am surprised that even the RSA person did not notice or know about this. Next time onwards, for any AT car that needs to be towed, do always follow this process so as to not risk damaging the transmission. I feel you should send strong feedback to the people at Tata Motors to better train their technicians about this. Anyway, attaching the instruction page from the Altroz owners manual for manually releasing the shift lock.
To be honest, with a flood-damaged vehicle, it is tough to accurately assess the extent and intensity of damage. You will only truly get an idea once the car is opened up. Nasty surprises should be expected. That said, a basic idea of the work required can be found on many threads on this forum such as this one - Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios.