VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Heavy rain. It's not uncommon in Hampton Roads.
But it does create obstacles for drivers, locals and visitors alike.
According to experts with AAA, it takes just 6 inches of water to damage your car and 12 inches for it to be carried away.
That's something to think about before driving through water.
Gina Wood with Virginia Beach AAA said her team typically sees two to three customers a week who have damaged cars from flooded waters. She says water intrusion can cause a world of issues from short to long-term electrical issues to catastrophic engine failure.
Wood said there are more electronics associated with cars and if water damages some of the technology it can be pretty pricey to fix.
"It can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars to total vehicles, if an engine has catastrophic failure a lot of insurances consider it totaled at this point because it's not usually just the engines, modules or electronics," Wood said. "It adds up very quickly so it's up to the insurance companies to see if they're even going to cover it if you don't have anything but liability you're out of luck."
Wood said it can make driving dangerous, as well. As water dries it corrodes which can harm the electronics of the car. This can cause you to lose control and crash if too much damage is done.
"There are situations where the damage is so bad that steering goes out and you have no control of your vehicle," Wood said. "With engine lock up you have no control of your vehicle at any given time. Any water damage can severe damage not only to yourself to your vehicle to other people's properties."
While your car might seem fine after driving through some water, Wood says it might not be an issue until later.
"It may not show up right away. Everything might be working fine and then six months later your dash is lighting up like a Christmas tree because the wiring and everything is starting to corrode," says Wood.
AAA recommends avoiding water, and turn around instead of risking the life of your car and yourself.
