Tampa street floods leave long-term consequences for local drivers

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Flooded streets in Tampa this week have caused significant damage to a number of cars.

Many have been towed to AAA Auto Care Plus.

“Unfortunately, here at my location at AAA, we’ve seen about 20 towed in since Wednesday, the same exact issue,” said Benjamin Gonzalez with AAA.

The damage to some cars is very expensive.

“Unfortunately their vehicle stalled out driving through some high-standing water, and right now they can’t get the vehicle started, and unfortunately it’s hydrolocked,” Gonzalez. “That means that water has gotten into the intake of the engine, and it can no longer be turned over and so, unfortunately for the owner, it means he’s going to need a new motor.”

He said the engine can be destroyed if the car becomes stranded in high water.

“When you drive through standing water, water will get sucked up through the intake of the engine, and unfortunately, it will mess with the dynamics of how that engine works,” Gonzalez said. “Water will get where it shouldn’t be, where your oil normally lubricates your pistons.”

He said drivers should always avoid driving through high water.

He also suggests anyone looking for a used car in the coming weeks and months should do a careful inspection to avoid problems.

“First thing I would recommend doing is you can open up the trunk of a lot of cars, there is a little compartment at the bottom where water will collect if it’s ever been in water and you can see and if there is a moldy smell, definitely stay away from that,” said Gonzalez.

He said even if the engine doesn’t fail, water can create long term problems for a car.

“It can cause long term electrical issues, it can cause issues with how your vehicle performs while it drives, and obviously resale value is a real issue as well,” said Gonzalez.

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