Is your car La Niña ready?

The hot, dry summer season of 2016 is officially over. Cloudy days and sporadic thunderstorms signal more intense days of rain and storms ahead, and months and months of typhoons; more so this year, now that meteorologists have declared the onset of a wet and wild La Niña, the complete opposite of the scorching El Niño weather phenomenon.

We know that water and cars usually don’t mix (unless you own one of those customized amphibious vehicles), so the rainy season entails some extra preparations, and a whole new motoring mind-set, usually the kind that employs a lot of common sense.

Example: During heavy rains, it would be best if you knew which streets in your neighborhood get easily flooded. Or on an unfamiliar route, it would always be wiser not to drive headlong onto a flooded street and ask a resident instead if the street is passable for light vehicles—better if you could avoid it altogether.

These, and other rainy-day tips, have been compiled by Inquirer Motoring over the years. Here are some other useful pieces of advice:

1)

Be visible in all weather conditions.

But don’t use your hazard lights (flashers). Social media has seen many netizens urging fellow motorists to switch their headlights on, but not their hazard lights, during a heavy downpour. Using hazard lights can likely confuse other motorists who intend to shift lanes.

2)

Reduce your usual speed.

Remember that Skyway accident years ago when an SUV hydroplaned, rammed through the railing, flew off the ramp, and landed on a jeepney on the SLEx service road below, killing a passenger? That tragedy began when the SUV speeded over a small puddle of water collecting on the elevated highway.

Now imagine yourself moving at high speeds over an entire flooded street. You don’t just receive a lot of cursing from the pedestrians you drenched, you may also find yourself gliding over to disaster.

If speed doesn’t kill, it damages—at great cost at that. Potholes and floods are a common tandem during the rains, and when cars, whether old or new, run on submerged potholes at great speed, the resulting damage may not just be limited to a ruined suspension system, but also to flat tires and disfigured rims.

3)

If you find yourself driving in a flooded area, be aware of lane separators, or any large object/obstruction/open manholes on the highway that could be submerged during floods.

4)

If you’re unfamiliar with the area, it would be best to ask residents before driving into the flooded street, or wait for another vehicle to pass, taking note of the path the vehicle has taken, and the depth of the flood. If you follow that vehicle, do not tailgate.

5)

Avoid the unfamiliar. During floods, it’s best to stick to routes that you know well. Avoid taking shortcuts, especially if the shortcut you’re taking is unfamiliar and flooded. Remember, you never know what lies beneath those seemingly calm floodwaters. The 3,000 or so working parts in your car rely on your good judgment.

6)

Be especially mindful of your car’s electrical and electronic systems. If there’s really no choice but to take on a passable (emphasis on the word “passable,” OK?) stretch of flooded road, be sure to first turn off your reconditioning system and lights, so that in case the floodwater gets in contact with the alternator, there is less chance of a short circuit.

7)

How deep is that flood? If it’s more than half a tire deep, better not pass. There will likely be damage to the underside of your car if half of your tires is submerged in water.

At this level, water may reach the wheel bearings, ball joints, tire rods, and axle boots of the CV joints (for front-wheel drive). If there’s a small tear, and the water enters the axle boot, the CV joints start to rust.

All these parts have rubber boots and are lubricated. As long as these parts are lubricated, they are safe, but with frequent soaking and submerging in water, the lubrication is lost, and this could signal the start of damages.

8)

If you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being in a stalled, flooded car, and abandoning is the only option, then disconnect the battery (that is, if you still have time).

When the water subsides, don’t attempt to start the car right away. If you start the car and the components—particularly the electricals—are still wet, they could burn. That includes your all-important computer box.

Instead, have the vehicle towed to the nearest service center for a checkup.

When the water subsides, you can also remove the spark plug and crank the engine to remove the water that has seeped into it (water will come out via the slots of the spark plugs), and then replace your car’s fluids: oil, gear oil and transmission. Have the carpets and the interior cleaned, of course.

Remember: Protect your car’s electrical components. Once these components get wet, many other parts could be damaged. If you don’t bother to check if the computer box is wet when you start the engine, it could burn.

The cost of this neglect? Somewhere in the P40,000 range, depending on what kind of car. European cars’ computer boxes can cost more.

Let it in, but don’t suck it in. If the flood turns out much deeper than expected that the water threatens to “invade” the engine, wave the white flag of surrender—and let your engine “die” to drive another day. Immediately follow the advice stipulated above.