Car Rescue 101

MANILA, Philippines - To this day, we here at The Philippine STAR have been flooded with requests (no pun intended) to come up with an article on how to rescue a water damaged vehicle.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. While I really thought that this would be a redundant article because there have been so many that have preceded it, what alarmed me was that just about every article I read after typhoon Ondoy offered completely different advice – some of them contradicting the others.

So I figured that I would give you a step-by-step guideline on how I personally dealt with my car after it was sunk in the last typhoon, based entirely on the advice of the most trustworthy source I know when it comes to stuff like this.

Pacho Blanco, the chief engineer at Autoplus tuning house in Greenhills, (aka the Columbian drag lord) has this advice for anyone who may have had the misfortune of going through what I and many thousands of other motorists had to during the last typhoon.

Step 1: Disconnect the car battery and remove it.

Step 2: Drain the motor oil. Let it drain at least overnight to get all of the water out.

Step 3: If you car does not have a sealed transmission, drain the transmission oil. Let it drain at least overnight.

Step 4: Remove the spark plugs. You can set the spark plugs on the side for later use, although for the price of these things, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Step 5: Locate the computer box. This varies from car to car so it is a good idea to check your owner’s manual. Open it up and use a hair drier to dry out any moisture. Pacho claims to have had a very high success rate using this method, but in any case, most of the manufacturers are offering their computer boxes at cost or with significant discounts.

Step 6: The next day, add new motor oil and transmission oil.

Step 7: Put the battery back in and reconnect it.

Step 8: Turn the ignition key so the engine attempts to turn over. The car will not start without spark plugs. This is done to get the water out of the cylinders.

Step 9: Remove the old air filter. Replace the air filter with a new one.

Step 10: Put the sparks plugs back in.

Step 11: Start the car.

Step 12: Change oil again after 100 kilometers.

While we respect the fact that some of these steps can be complicated for some motorists, Pacho recommends that you do as many steps as you are capable of just to get a head start.  Just don’t start the car if you have not completed all the steps. This way, it gives the casa less work to do and will protect your car’s vital components during the backlog.

Remember, some of these guys have up to 500 customers per dealership to attend to. Many have even rented out empty lots just to accommodate the volume and are even subcontracting the work out just to try to get through it all.

This is not meant to replace the full service that you dealer can give you, but if you think of it as first aid before you can get to a doctor, you’re on the right track. Just like in a medical emergency, the first few minutes are the most crucial. You can minimize if not completely avert long term damage just by following these simple steps.

Next week, Dong Magsajo will walk you through the basics of restoring the interior of your car.