So your car was stuck in a flood, now what do you do?
Eric · Dec 20, 2021 10:34 AM
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Over the weekend, torrential rain poured over most of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, flooding a number of areas in the process. If your car was submerged in the resulting flood, here’s what you need to do.
DO NOT attempt to start your car
First things first. You do not want to damage your car even further. DO NOT attempt to unlock your car using the remote, start your car, or drive your car. Instead, you should unlock your car using the mechanical key and disconnect your car's battery.
Time to dig out all the documents and make a police report
Once you’ve disconnected your battery and unlocked your car, prepare the necessary documents to facilitate your insurance claim, like the location, time and date of where the car was flooded, photos of your flooded car and damages, copy of your driving license, identity card, car grant, and insurance policy.
You’ll also need to make a police report within 24 hours for the insurance claim.
With the necessary documents and police report in hand, contact your insurance company and submit your claim request. Your insurance company will advice you on your next step. At the same time, it’s also a good idea to find out the betterment, flood coverage terms, and loss of vehicle use claims benefits while you’re on the phone with your insurance company.
Speaking of which, judging from the extent of the flood and number of cars affected, expect a delay with tow trucks being overbooked and workshop / service centre.
Furthermore, once you’ve managed to get your car towed to your designated workshop / service centre, expect at least a 2 week delay before the assessment is complete as insurance adjusters will be overwhelmed with claim requests.
Note that workshops cannot start repair works on your car until the insurance adjuster's assesment report is done.
With the sheer number of cars the workshop / service centre has to deal with, you’ll need to expect at least a 1.5-month to 2-month delay before your car is fixed.
In the mean time, you may have to resort to car subscription services like GoCar Subs; you can subscribe to a Proton Saga, Perodua Bezza, or Perodua Myvi from as low as RM 799 a month.
One more thing to take note of
Even though your car has been repaired, it won't be an easy task to remove the stench from your car's cabin. Consider sunning your car with the windows down, as well as doors and boot opened to eliminate the stench.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.