You can install our site as a web app on your iOS device by utilizing the Add to Home Screen feature in Safari. Please see this thread for more details on this.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
We went to sleep Sunday night completely dry and no water in sight in a neighborhood that doesn't flood. Woke up surrounded by water 4 feet deep around the house and rising. Water came up almost to the roof line of my S. Didn't recede for four days. Easy to say that you would plan ahead and put your car out of harms way. Not always possible.
Order already in for a P100D. I'm assuming my flooded car is totaled.
Model S (70 RWD Coil Spring Suspension) flooded in my garage on August 27 in Houston. I thought I'd share details about my experience thus far that may be of interest to the community.
The car ultimately sat in about 22 inches of water (measured from ground), probably 21 near the front and 23 near the back due to incline of garage.
The car became incapacitated when the water level was barely at the front door sills (roughly 6 or 7 inches of water from ground). While trying to move the car I got a warning message about the 12v battery and the car would not shift from Park. At this point I could still open and close the doors as normal.
When the water got higher, somewhere between 10 and 15 inches from ground, the car appeared to go into "Shutdown Mode". A horn like alarm sounded for a while and the car popped into front and rear hatch. Note: The Front Trunk was partially popped open but I couldn't open it fully. The rear hatch was fully unlocked.
When the water rose to its peak level of approx 22 inches from the ground, it stayed near that level for quite a while - about 18 hours before any significant receding of water.
At this point the car was completely unresponsive and my only entry was thru the rear hatch. To enter the rest of the car (aside from breaking window), I would have had to crawl through the hatch - then somehow undo 2 child car seats in order to lower the rear seat rest, then manually unlock the rear passenger doors (via the emergency wire since Child Safety lock was active) or through front doors. Of course while navigating through a dark, wet, and very dirty warm cabin.
In the process of cleaning out my garage and cars the next day, I accidental closed the rear hatch partially and it latched so I could not get back in. (Yes, I felt like an idiot).
Three days after the flood occurred I was able to get a Tesla Roadside Assistance guy to come by and open the driver door manually (Cost $195). From there we opened all the doors and began cleaning. Note: Since the windows cannot lower themselves they get pushed by the chrome trim and won't close as normal subsequently. The windows remain outside the upper chrome trim if you close the door.
I don't think I can open the glovebox or front trunk as they remain locked.
The lower portion of the back trunk held water like a bath tub. Three days after flood it was full of water. See picture of stuff floating in there.
I'm writing this post four days after the flooding event. There is currently no place to send/service the car. The Tesla Service centers remain closed (There are two in Houston). One of the authorized body shops said they'll let Tesla owners store flooded cars with them but they'll just send them to Tesla when they reopen. Frankly not a big deal for me since I suspect my car is a lost cause, but perhaps frustrating for an owner whose car barely flooded.
Just to be clear, I am in no way complaining about my experience here. But I thought some might be interested in what happens when a Model S is exposed to water, and some of the situations an owner with a flooded car may encounter.
Note: I don't have a good picture of full 22 inch submersion since the power went out and the garage was dark at that point.
Assuming this car is totaled there is no doubt we'll be getting at least one more Tesla (I suspect my other car is totaled as well). Either another Model S, Model 3, or both. I sent Elon Musk a message already requesting Expedited Delivery of Model 3s for Reservation Holders with flooded cars. Also, my house and family are fine - just the garage flooded. I feel very lucky.View attachment 244835 View attachment 244836
Batteries don't like being submerged. I take on a lot of "battery" projects... computer/server UPS systems, building my own electric car, etc. and when my shop flooded a while back, the batteries on the floor had dropped from 12.x VDC to .04 VDC sitting in the water.
A Tesla could probably survive if the batteries were disconnected (12v and HV) and the water stayed below any electrical connections. I think 20+" would be a problem regardless of battery connection status.
Seems this shot of a Leaf (from over 5yrs ago iirc) going through ~ 14" of water & surviving doesn't bode well for the Tesla.
Our X, with suspension in extra high might make the difference - hopefully.
.
If it is saltwater that flooded the electronics, it would corrode the traces etc...of the car.
So you live in a flood plain and a category 3 hurricane was coming your way and you left the Tesla in your garage?
He must have bought the James Bond submarine optionGiven this report what I don't get is how this ever happened?
Tesla Model S - Drive Through Flooded Tunnel
Was this a hoax?
I believe I bought your s70 on Copart. Says Eric and Jennifer inside for settings.
I live in the Dallas area and actually worked on the car today. I took out the BCM and cleaned it, there was some corrosion on it. I may plan to coat the board in the future to protect it from further corrosion issues.
I'm down to the, what I think is the problem left and that is the contractors in the Battery. I plan to drop the battery and install another known good one. (I bought 4 tesla's on Copart). Not sure how to get into the battery to check the contractor but will figure it out.
I would like to chat with you and perhaps see If I could get the second key fob if you have it.
I put a lift in my machine shed to facilitate the swapping of batteries, etc. I may also take apart the motor/controller to look for water damage.
My goal is to have 2 good working Tesla's. I have 6 wind Turbines on my Ranch near Muenster Texas (aprox 1 GWh Annually) and 240 Solar panels on another ranch in Argyle Texas. Hence my electricity cost is free. The wife and I have been driving Chevy volts since 2012.
I also developed my own controller for my Wind Turbines (150 KW Each). They are 1986 models that came down out of Tehachapi Ca and needed a new controller. They are asynchronous motor/gen like the motors in the Tesla so I'm quite comfortalble working on the power and control systems.
Thanks Eric. I hope it all worked out well for you after the flood and hope your doing well with your new tesla.
Kindest Regards
Michael Roehrs
1. Can I put in the higher performance Motor in the s70? I think so. Depends on the coding on the main computer but, I suspect it will work?
2 Can I put an 85 KW battery in the p70? Will it show out as an 85KW machine afterwards?
I've always wondered if anyone tried a hot wire knife to cut the adhesive:
Michael, It sounds like you did buy my car. Small world. Good luck with your project. How much did the car cost you at auction? Would be happy to answer any questions for you if I can.I believe I bought your s70 on Copart. Says Eric and Jennifer inside for settings.
I live in the Dallas area and actually worked on the car today. I took out the BCM and cleaned it, there was some corrosion on it. I may plan to coat the board in the future to protect it from further corrosion issues.
I'm down to the, what I think is the problem left and that is the contractors in the Battery. I plan to drop the battery and install another known good one. (I bought 4 tesla's on Copart). Not sure how to get into the battery to check the contractor but will figure it out.
I would like to chat with you and perhaps see If I could get the second key fob if you have it.
I put a lift in my machine shed to facilitate the swapping of batteries, etc. I may also take apart the motor/controller to look for water damage.
My goal is to have 2 good working Tesla's. I have 6 wind Turbines on my Ranch near Muenster Texas (aprox 1 GWh Annually) and 240 Solar panels on another ranch in Argyle Texas. Hence my electricity cost is free. The wife and I have been driving Chevy volts since 2012.
I also developed my own controller for my Wind Turbines (150 KW Each). They are 1986 models that came down out of Tehachapi Ca and needed a new controller. They are asynchronous motor/gen like the motors in the Tesla so I'm quite comfortalble working on the power and control systems.
Thanks Eric. I hope it all worked out well for you after the flood and hope your doing well with your new tesla.
Kindest Regards
Michael Roehrs