Expert: Jason Moreland - 5/10/2003

Question
My stepson tried to drive his 98 VW Jetta (automatic) through a flooded street.  He ended up floating.  He says the water came about halfway up the headlights on the outside and high enough inside the car to soak the front seats.

What precautions should we take in starting the car again?  I've heard we should change the oil, transmission, and gasoline.  I've also heard that if the water got into the air intake system the engine is messed up.  Will it hurt to try to start the car?

Answer
Mike,

I'd pull the spark plugs, and crank the engine without them for a few seconds to purge any water that got into the cylinders.

Did the car die when he drove into it?  If it did, either something electrical got wet when this happend and killed it, or it sucked water.  You hope the electrical is the problem, otherwise you've likely got bent piston rods and so forth.

Take out the air cleaner element and see if it got wet before you start it, too.  The water would have had to go through it to get into the engine.  If it was up to the headlights, it probably did get wet; the intake is below the bottom of the headlights.

Yes, change the oil.  Yes, have the transmission fluid changed.  However, on the transmission fluid, a dealer will have to do it.  It takes a VW scan tool to add the fluid to the correct level.  This is the ONLY way to do it correctly.  It is also special VW/Audi fluid-you CAN NOT use Dextron of any kind.

The gas tank is probably fine.  You will likely have problems all over the car from now on, though.  

Tell your stepson to pull his head out.  But then, you probably already thought of that....  :)

Jason