Possible electrical damage to car after flooding

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Late last night/early this morning (right towards the end of the Rockets game actually) there was a big storm in Houston and the city's pretty much shut down. My apartments parking lot flooded to point where I had to get rid of 3-4 inches of water from the interior of my car. There's no water on the dipstick and the engine seems to work fine so far, but the airbag light is red, and I've read that that could be indicative of electrical damage.

My car's a mid sized Japanese sedan from the late 1990's and while it was still running fine, I figured that I'd be lucky to get 1500 from a trade in, before the flood damage. I don't have comprehensive coverage, so I'd have to pay for repairs myself. If it is an electronic problem, does anybody know how much it would cost? The cost-benefit of spending thousands to repair a car I could sell for at most a thousand seems a bit off. Any experts here?

[maarsen]

If it is just the airbag, check out replacing it. If you have to start replacing electronics, consider scrapping the car. With maybe faulty airbags, make sure you wear a seatbelt at all times.

[ThinkerX]

Kind of obvious, but check the fuses.

Also, most automotive shops (and even some parts stores) these days have a electronic diagnostic tool. They hook it up to a couple points in the wiring while the engine is running, and five minutes later that gadget will spot most common electrical problems. Might run you something like fifty bucks, though.

[Tears of Lys]

No advice, really, just commiseration. That sucks. I'm sorry!

[litechick]

I am not an expert but I will do my best...

Anything electrical under the water line must be assumed to be fucked. Since it is such an old car, a DIY person may put some time into filing off corrosion and verifying that contacts/connections are sound--that's a question of how DIY you are/how competent you feel/how badly you want to postpone replacing the car.

Because corrosion takes time to make itself known, you may experience increasing levels of dysfunction over time. If you are tempted to bail, do it sooner rather than later.

Many years ago I remember a geographical case of serious flooding which resulted in many vehicles being aggressively marketed in areas outside the flood zone. My local mechanic ruminated on the essential uselessness of a flooded car. I have always taken his words to heart. I would avoid a flood car at all costs. (That was in regards to a car which had been flooded to the roof.)

So then it becomes a moral question--Do you try to pass it off on some unsuspecting person who doesn't realize the hell they are in for? or Do you take it on the chin as bad luck for you?

Only you can make the judgment call. There is no way of positively knowing whether the car is heading down a spiral of electrical headaches. Repairing electrical problems is a pain in the ass and professional mechanics will charge accordingly. Also, it may be totally fine. 3-4 inches shouldn't be that bad.

Consider it Roulette--you can't know what number will pop up, you either take an intuitive leap or you don't.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Weigh your options and choose the best you can, then don't beat yourself up or second guess. Good luck.

[Loge]

Well, cars have to be water resistant to some degree or they would fail each time you drive while it's raining or in the car wash. I'm not really a car guy but I think the sensitive parts are placed fairly high above the ground (right under the hood), so they probably weren't submerged. As for the red light, all modern cars are equipped with on-board diagnostics, which the repair shops can read out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics