What do you think?Lost cause?

[Watchootognbout]

They've been in 4 to 5 feet of water for about a week.
....and no,I don't own them.

Here's the situation:Northeast Illinois got some torrential rains last Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
Massive flooding.
Roads closed.
Houses flooded.
This is a small parking lot in a depression.A kind of bowl.
With a small drain.The DesPlaines river rose.
The sewers backed up.Flooding the parking lot.

 

[Fat Freddy]

They're red......They'll be fine.....

 

[Stumbo]

Fire the drummer...everything will work out.

 

[Chicory Blue]

--^@

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Probably fixable (being not cheap there's some budget for overhaul rather than scrap), but it would have been a lot cheaper to drive them to higher ground on Thursday....

 

[shadowtippy]

I wouldn't worry. I've seen trees in deeper water than that.

 

[TolerancEJ]

If those trucks have "floating cabs", you should have no problems.

 

[kesslari]

Probably be OK. At least they would if they were Soviet trucks...

 

[Watchootognbout]

Probably fixable (being not cheap there's some budget for overhaul rather than scrap), but it would have been a lot cheaper to drive them to higher ground on Thursday....

The amount of rain that we got in such a short period took a lot of people by surprise.
An insurance write off.To be sure.

 

[fhm555]

Lost cause.

Unless my insurance company was willing to provide replacements while they were being rehabbed.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Week and a half later.........water dropped........still there......

 

[5StringBlues]

That'll buff right out.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Featuring on the next season of Ice Road Truckers.....

 

[Munjibunga]

Engineers when discussing putting a parking lot in the flood plain:

"It's just a parking lot."

 

[Watchootognbout]

Engineers when discussing putting a parking lot in the flood plain:

"It's just a parking lot."

A below grade parking lot next to a river with a sewer drain that backs up.
There are other parking lots that did not flood.

 

[Munjibunga]

A below grade parking lot next to a river with a sewer drain that backs up.
There are other parking lots that did not flood.

Yeah, but it's just a parking lot.

 

[P. Aaron]

That one truck looks like it's a Volvo, they're usually dependable.

 

[Jrussblues]

If a vehicle isn't started in deep water then they are typically fine as long as th water does not reach a point in the air I take that is above the motor. Keep in mind that a majority of the mechanical parts are designed to keep fluids in which also keeps most fluids out. The interior and electrical would be my concern.

 

[Downunderwonder]

If a vehicle isn't started in deep water then they are typically fine as long as th water does not reach a point in the air I take that is above the motor. Keep in mind that a majority of the mechanical parts are designed to keep fluids in which also keeps most fluids out. The interior and electrical would be my concern.

@Mike N for a better educated guess. Things have breathers which are great for venting but suck at holding back water pressure.

The other concern apart from electrics is all your brakes and universals.

Seals which hold grease in are not necessarily holding back water. That's why wheels fall off trailers sometimes.

 

[Jrussblues]

@Mike N for a better educated guess. Things have breathers which are great for venting but suck at holding back water pressure.

The other concern apart from electrics is all your brakes and universals.

Seals which hold grease in are not necessarily holding back water. That's why wheels fall off trailers sometimes.

Most newer vehicles are designed with check valves on the breathers which can actually do a pretty good job of holding back water. Also, most of them are at the same level as your air cleaner save the rear axle which probably went below the water line. Rear axles are easy to drain and fill and if you have dry bearings they can always be pulled and repacked or replaced. A good seal will hold out water in a lot of cases even if the vehicle is submerged. A hot seal will draw in water so unless you drove them for half an hour then parked them they are probably okay. As for universal joints, I don't know but I would assume on a big rig they are all serviceable in which case adding some grease will take care of that issue. As for brakes if water caused brake failure then there would be no driving in the rain period. The air actuated brakes may have to be purged but again, if there are no holes in the system and the breather stayed above the water line then those are probably fine too.
All of that said, when we flooded down here in Louisiana last year and I spent months going through flooded vehicles for a living this was my experience. Additionally if they are fully covered under insurance then your insurance company may total them out regardless of whether they were actually damaged or not like they did for every vehicle flood damage claim down here.
Best of luck to you.