What do you do when you come across a water-logged street?

I am specifically talking about the day which started dry and then heavy rain and completely unexpected and severe waterlogging, while you are still on road.

BHPian lapis_lazuli recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dears, I drive a sensitive 4 wheeler: a barge that is unable to keep itself afloat in water. Yes.

I wanted to learn from other members, especially these days when every big city seems to be flooded during monsoons. Delhi is infamous, read Minto Road underpass. Gurgaon: The guru doesn't bless the city either. So I am really scared. What if I go out to meet a friend and on the way back, it rains and there is a deep waterlogging in some underpass or a street that I need to cross. I cant turn back, the road is a divided road, and I cant park anywhere on the left and just wait it out. These scenarios happen: What would you do? Driving through water. Stay at home or plan with the weather app or just take a taxi?? It will happen to you some day, given the pace at which we are getting urban. So let us talk it out. Please . I am specifically talking about the day which started dry and then heavy rain and completely unexpected and severe waterlogging, while you are still on road.

It happened to me in Greater Noida, of all places, I reversed and came back wrong side. I admit. I was ready to pay a challan, the road was WIDE...read Toy City/ New Holland Fiat road I had enough space. The challan would have been cheaper than a hydro-lock. I won't be lucky everytime.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Water is a car's WORST enemy. I own two Jeeps and both of them can drive through flooded roads with aplomb. But guess what? While the air intake may be high, ancillaries like the alternator, starter etc. aren't waterproof. Water ingress causes all kinds of problems like rust, foul smell, electrical issues and more.

I never drive through a flooded road. When offroading, I try to avoid it 99% of the time.

I live right next to the beach in a coastal area and our lane does get flooded during heavy rains + high tide. If we're home, we stay at home. If we're out, we stay out. Driving through water is one of the worst abuses you can put your car through.

And it's not just my own cars. I have mechanical empathy for other's cars too. I was in a Scorpio-N from the media fleet and came across this underpass. Even a crossover made it through to the other side. I reversed, added 30-45 minutes to my commute and went the other way.

Here's what BHPian saket77 had to say on the matter:

If streets are too much waterlogged, I would try to stay at home.

I would like to minimize the risk to my life (by drowning), risk my finance (by hydro-locking & destroying my car for which I am paying EMIs), or if by chance nothing like that happens then facing an arrest and subsequent legal torture.

Thanks but I can do without any of these.

If at all, things turn bad when I am already out, I would park my vehicle at a safe place and may be take an alternative back home or even stay out for a day or so.

Here's what BHPian NomadSK had to say on the matter:

In that case, I will take a decision based on my safety and others on the road. Hydro-locking would be my least worry, If water is already at that level to create hydro-lock, I would be more worried about my and passengers safety than the car.

I was stuck in 2005 Mumbai famous flooding near BKC, I had to leave the car there and walk back home in almost waist deep water.

Here I have encountered many times (more than 10) that the day started pretty sunny and by the end of the work few hours of rain, floods the road. I have to cross around 5 underpasses to reach home, which are notorious to flooding in few mins, if you are stuck in a traffic in the underpass during such moment, Just leave the car and find a safe spot, now they have installed caged ladders in all the underpasses specifically for such scenarios, to come to the top. Luckily, I have never been stuck there and now those underpasses are closed by the authorities as soon as heavy downpour occurs. In that case, I have to take a longer de-tour with crawling traffic to reach destination

Here's what BHPian Smartcat had to say on the matter:

I think the question is:

• You are already outside
• If you are at work, it is already late in the evening, and have to get home
• It has been raining heavily
• The streets are water-logged

Now what do you do?

Personally, I have always driven through water-logged streets, but only after observing how vehicles ahead of me fared during the water-crossing.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.