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'04 Chrysler driven into water

A friend's (female) '04 Chrysler with about 7000 miles was driven into water after a flash flood one night. The water was up to her seat, IOW her butt was wet from it. Some young people pushed it out of the water by hand about 5 min later, and it was towed to the dealership after that. There it sat, with windows closed and doors locked and with that water in it, for weeks (naturally there were other flooded out cars as well). Her insurance company made an estimate over the phone (sight unseen) and sent her a check. (!?) The dealership did some stuff to it and she is not even remotely satisfied. It stinks, there are water stains on the seats, you KNOW water has been up in the power seat motors not to mention the dashboard, having sloshed up there as the vehicle was being towed across town... And now she will NEVER have the peace of mind she did before this happened--which is one of the major reasons one buys a brand new car in the first place.

So I think the insurance company should just buy the car from her. The service she's gotten so far is a joke--both from the dealership and the insurance company. The insurance just wants to give her a check for a couple thou without even looking at the car just hoping she'll go away dumb and happy.

Does she have a viable argument for having them buy or replace her car? And if so, how is the optimal way to get them to do this?? She is just sick about the whole thing--the car, AND how she's being treated. Any advice/input/experience appreciated, the sooner the better please :=)

Reply to
Gomer Einstein
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Have her contact her state insurance board and the Better Business Bureau. They should be able to get some resolution started...

Reply to
Unknown User

Reply to
Dodge-Him

so she damgaed her car on purpose, what a dumb ass...

lucky the insurance paid anything, hmm maybe she could drive into a wall on purpose to.

Reply to
Punch

Just because you drive your car into stuff on purpose doesn't mean everybody does. Except you probably did it the first few times with NO insurance before you figured out you were doing it wrong.

Reply to
James Goforth

damn, you must have heard that story about me also? yeah its all true...

but seriously, think about this, wow lots of water where a road used to be, maybe I could just drive through it, wow getting deeper, guess I should just keep going that truck over there made it......

Reply to
Punch

Yeah, but this type of thing has only happened about a million other times. You can't tell how deep water is on an unfamiliar street as you're encountering it at 25-30 mph in the dark...the whole thing may have happened in the course of only a few seconds. Yeah, maybe if it was on the street she lives on...that'd be a different story. Indeed, the OP stated that the car sat around for some time, locked up & full of that smelly water, because there were "many other flooded cars." And someone would probably be more inclined to deliberately flood ANY car other than an '04 with 7000 miles--one that they'd just taken the big hit of the initial depreciation. But I know you were just joking :-)

Reply to
James Goforth

Well, here in Arizona - were original OP is probably from. They passed a (Stupid Motorist Law) Actual name. If you drive through any street or road with water on it and you get stuck or damage your vehicle you are 100 % responsible for: rescue costs, recovery costs, and all damages. Great law, and even though it is well publicized and signs are posted at all street crossings were the flash floods are diverted, I swear there are at least half a dozen moron's who get stuck. And the signs state. DO NOT CROSS IF WATER ON STREET!!!! Can't beat sensible signage.

Reply to
David

Perhaps the person was in an area where flash floods are extremely rare. "...Arizona, where original OP is probably from..."

By your description of the situation regarding flash-flooding there, Arizona would be the LAST place I'd guess her to be from.

Reply to
James Goforth

does occur more freq than you probably know have a

Reply to
Mark Miller

The person who drove their car into water was in the midwest, not Arizona. Apparently flash floods are far more common in Arizona than the midwest. Which makes it seem all the more unlikely anyone would drive into a flooded street in an area where they're used to them becoming flooded all the time (like Arizona).

Reply to
Gomer Einstein

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:56:35 -0700, "David" wrote:

Shame we didn't have that here in georgia. We had a flash flood back in june outside my house (and we're in the hills) so much rain fell, the drains couldn't manage it. about 16-17" of water at the deepest part. I grabbed my old british class1's (heavy duty, utterly waterproof, flueoescent yellow, covered in reflective stripes - same as british law enforcement wear for motorway work) and started waving cars on my side arond the flood, down a sideroad. There are a few little hills - 6-10ft tall, each of them, meant those comming my side couldn't see it (and its a state highway wth 45mph limit). This guy in a riced up accord, too busy listening to his kidney-shaker music goes flying past me, into the water. the cars a mid-90s, lowered, low profile tyres, cofee-can exhaust, CAi etc you know how it is. FRont wheels aquaplane, but the back ones obviously have some tread, as they, hitting the backwash of the water, or maybe it was the sheer weight of the sub(s) in the back, doesn't, and slows the car dramatically, this smacks the front end down (water spraying 10ft up - it was a HARD impact), and the stupid sod sucked/had it pushed up his CAi, and hydrolocked his engine. no-one came to help him out - most of the locals were trying to get stuff in the way to stop the bow-waves from the semi's that could cross, from flooding their houses. when a cop car came past 20 mins later, i explained what happened, as did some of my neighbours, and he wrote the guy up for speeding, and careless driving[1], or something. Don't think he got any insurance money.

An hour alter, the rain had stopped, the road had drained, and the tow truck was just arriving. Many of us had a good laugh about it, well, all except for the guy on the road i'd been diverting traffic down - his basement ended up flooded, and the fire brigade was still pumping it at at the time.

[1] he go ticketed for something, as a result of his actions. tread depth maybe, i obviously wasn't able to listen in as he wrote the ticket.
Reply to
flobert

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