vcash

Sorry for the rant - but looking for some suggestions on what to do next. I Bought an 07 530xi on Dec 02nd from Springvalley, NY and I live in Greenwich, CT. Due to the intense rain this morning, Greenwich has been having mini flash floods and on the way to work, I forded about 2 1/2 feet of water accidently (It didnt look that deep.) The engine stalled out right there and refused to start. So I decided to use the SOS button to get some help and it turned out to be a nightmare. Afetr 45mins of checks - the CS rep says its a natural disaster and 'GoodBye' and hangs up. At this point I am pissed and call them back and demand a tow truck to get me to higher ground. They say that they will not provide a tow truck as it is a 'natural disaster' but if I give them my credit card info they will send a truck - This ticked me off and not because I dont mind paying for it but because it could have been billed to me at a later point when I was not so frustrated. Anyway - I paid for the tow truck and they hauled my car into the Greenwich Dealer's service center where the service manager says that it looks like there is water damage that is not covered by BMW's warranty and looks like they might have to replace my engine which either I or my insurance has to pay for. They are performing more checks on the car right now and will let me know the extent of the damage. Also they refused me a loaner car again attributing it to a "natural disaster". I also called my insurance agent to see how they could help and they recommend not submitting a claim as my insurance might get cancelled as I have had 2 claims in the past 2 years so I might be better off paying for the damage myself. So at this point I really don't know what to and would appreciate some suggestions. Anyone know how much an engine would cost? Is it worth me paying for it or selling the car as is and then buing a new one? If so how much would I get - I paid about $55K for mine in December. Thanks.

P.S. Also I wasnt the only car stuck in the mess - I was accompanied by a 7 series and a S class - makes me wonder how these supposedly 'indestructible' automobiles get bogged down so eaily while evry Toyota and Honda zoomed right by.

jcflys

A rain storm is not a natural disaster. We are not talking about a hurricane here. Submit a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. I would also call someone at a state government office to let them know about this natural disaster bs. If it comes down to it, I would rather submit it to insurance and have them pay for the engine even if it means they drop you. Let the insurance company know that you will go public if they even think about not paying for the engine or dropping you because of it. A couple of good options are USA Today paper, Dateline NBC complaint and several different magazines that might intervene for you. This natural disaster excuse it total bs and is getting a lot of play from the press, so use it to your adavantage.

Ricracing

Sorry to hear about your incident!

I have diveded you matter into three;

1) F**k BMW, that's no way the treat a client :thumbsdown:

2) A flooded car is in practice a ex-car, ready for recycling...
It's not only the engine, it's the gearbox, the electronics and rusting etc

3) I do not know the US insurance policy in practice, but have them pay! No way I would suffer a 55 K loss.
After that change the insurance company! At least overhere it would work.

What is the countys responsibitity?
Was there anyone warning about the flood?
Why is the road built that way?
Etc

Fight!

nickolas_g

I agree that BMW should have towed the car without issue. I view that as AAA type service and if they do not want to make the customer happy then they should not offer the service on an emergency.

When it comes to your decision to drive through the water. I believe that is your fault. You were driving during a flash flood and the drive through the flood itself. A car will not be able handle more than 6 inches. I view it as the same as if you were driving during a blizzard or heavy snow. It is more your choice and it is you that is putting the car in jeopardy. God or the natural disaster was avoidable and you did not have to drive through the flash flood.

Sorry to disagree.

KAF

I think you are on a loser here.

From thier point of view you drove into a flood, the engine probably sucked in water through the air intake and as the engine stalled sucked it up through the exhaust.

No car can survive that. Any that got through the flood did so because the air intake was higher than yours and they kept moving very slowly with high revs to keep the water out of the exhaust.

Whilst they could have been more sympathetic they will liken thier responsibilty to that they would have had you driven into a river.

It is not BMW's fault.

Sorry, loads of sympathy for you.

vcash

Thanks for the replys - some encouraging and others not so much but they still hold merit. According to the NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE there was flash flood warnings for my county but not for my town though other towns were covered in the county. As for the road - honestly if you looked at it - it looked like no more than a few inches of water - like a puddle. I guess there was a deeper dip than one would imagine. Also after the 3 cars stalled out, emergency services came and blocked the road. I know many would say that it was 'my' choice to go through the water - but it seemed like a typical heavy rainy day - you wouldnt think twice about not leaving the house. As for speed - I wasnt going more than 10 mph. I think this is a case of being unlucky rather than risky. I think what has pissed me off more is BMW customer service than anything else - Its like they didnt give a s**t. I have hads a few Benz's and Lexus in the family over the last few years and there CS was fantastic with super quick reponse times. I really dont think I will ever buy another BMW because of this.

UUronL

You can try to research when exactly the county emergency services learned of the condition. If a significant period of time passed between their first notification and your accident, you might be able to lay the blame on their slow reaction. You might need to retain a lawyer however, and this kind of investigation might be part of the insurance company's claims process once they pay out your claim.


I remember a woman I used to work with got "lost" out on a frozen lake bed (I shit you not) with her kid in a GM SUV. Onstar guided her back to dry land. It made the news. I guess BMW would have told her the lake froze due to natural causes, and that they couldn't possibly help her. Hehehehe.

kscarrol

Yeah, the engine will be on you I'm afraid, or your insurance if you choose to file a claim. The response of BMW Roadside Assistance was not acceptable however. We frequently get such downpours here in New Orleans with associated street flooding. It is hardly a natural disaster, simply a rain storm. Not very comforting to know that if the weather is bad Roadside Assistance will not respond! Makes me want to renew the AAA I let expire when I thought that the BMW service would be just as good.

I shouldn't admit this , but I did a similar thing many years ago in my old Acura Integra. Heavy rain, a dip in the road on campus which I taveled frequently but I totally misjudged the depth of the water. Also did not know that the air intake was so down so low, water sucked in and ruined the engine. An awful lesson learned the hardway. Luckily insurance covered and since I had no prior claims I was in no danger of being dropped. Good luck!

Ricracing

With all respect and pity, it wasn't the cars fault.

Change dealer, a get yourself a E70, the new X5, with the insurance money!

aybeesea

Sorry but aren't interested parties going to ask "This is a road you use every day and you didn't know how deep the fording point was likely to be?"

ABC