Rainfall nightmare for car owners

Cars stuck in Saturday’s big flood at Lebuhraya Thean Teik in Air Itam, Penang.

• Pinang points

WHEN a car is submerged in water, the owner will be in for a woeful time.

Worse happens if the car seizes up when the driver tries to course through flooded roads.

Thousands of motorists were caught in last Saturday’s flood, and we lost count of the number of tired, frustrated drivers we saw who tried to plough through water, only to have their cars stall midway.

In Bandar Baru Air Itam and Paya Terubong, it was sad to behold the hundreds of cars immersed up to the bonnet.

Never, ever, try to start a car that had been sitting in water more than halfway up its wheels, said a friendly mechanic.

Water will enter the engine through the exhaust pipe and air intake. As water fills the cylinders, it will ‘hydro-lock’ the engine because the pistons cannot compress water.

If water enters the engine block while you drive through a flood, the mechanic said your engine could be beyond repair.

All sorts of moving parts within willbend and twist as the pistons, designed to compress air, slams into chambers of water.

The mechanic told me if flood waters reach the doors, have it towed to the workshop.

A BMW automotive engineer made me smack my forehead. He factored in the mud and salinity of river water wreaking havoc to the car’s components and body.

If it were a submerged Seven Series BMW, he said it would cost about RM100,000 to fix it.

He bemoaned motorists who face flood risks and do not buy ‘act-of-god’ insurance.

“Overhaul the car and sell it.” There was a merciless hopelessness to the tone of his voice.

If you drive an off-road vehicle like a pickup truck, you could be in better luck, though the engineer still advised not driving through more than 50cm of water unless the vehicle is customised.

Why does it flood so often in Penang? How would you feel if your car were submerged?

A day after the big flood, state Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow urged Putrajaya to approve the state’s long-awaited application for RM350mil to work on the Sungai Pinang basin.

But his statement only irked Penangites on social media.

“Pakatan ni keje cari alasan ke settlekan masalah? Laporan tunnel yang x siap-siap leh bayar xkan ini pon mau tunggu duit federal kot... (Pakatan looks for excuses or solve problems? (Undersea) tunnel report can pay, but this one waiting for Federal money,” said one.

Another said that: “Aiyo... use Penangpocket money solve the problem first la, why always blame others when problem happened. If Penang government can make so much profit as u reported, why don’t u settle the society problem with state funds?”

The problems do not disappear when the flood recedes. Penangites suffer each time and I sympathise with the owners of those cars we photographed.

The Penang and Federal Governments need to come together and solve our flood woes before worse things than submerged cars happen.