Precautions for Assessing Water-Damaged Vehicles

[RileyFitz]

Precautions for assessing water-damaged vehicles: 1. No-start reminder: Remind customers that starting the vehicle is strictly prohibited before repairs, and test drives can only be conducted after inspection and confirmation post-repair to avoid engine damage due to water ingress in the intake system. Create no-start warning signs, print them, place them in plastic bags, and affix them to the front and rear windshields, as well as the left and right rear door windows of the damaged vehicle. 2. Timely handling: Water-damaged vehicles require prompt attention. Immediately cut off the power supply, perform timely rescue operations, disassemble and clean the vehicle, and contact professional electrical equipment repair services for on-site coordinated handling. 3. Accurately determine water ingress status: Differentiate between static water immersion and dynamic water immersion. Before disassembly, check if the engine has water ingress and confirm with the repair facility whether the engine is affected. 4. Confirm water immersion level: Determine the water immersion height based on the watermarks on the exterior of the vehicle body and inside the cabin to establish the scope of damage and assessment standards. 5. Verify the authenticity of high-value parts: Confirm the installation location of high-value electrical components reported by the repair facility, photograph the restored electrical components, or provide a diagram of the parts' installation positions. 6. Special part considerations: ABS pumps and ABS sensors are generally not damaged by water immersion and do not need replacement; spark plugs can be cleaned; catalytic converters usually do not require replacement if water has entered—simply start the engine normally after repairs to dry and expel internal water through exhaust gases.