It's going up to £5.10 in the new year too. Expect wales to become a coin free zone as virtually every driver crossing into wales will now get £4.90 in change.
Sounds like the puddle was the cause. If you are lucky, the worst you could have done is blown a gasket, other than that, bent rods, damaged valves etc. However the good news is if you are comprehensively insured, you are covered!
Couple of years ago, reasonably deep puddle in the 530d. Nice and slow with no ignition to worry about being diesel that is), just kept the rpm up enough to stop it running back down the exhaust and suddenly splut splut - locked up solid - new engine £7,500. Insurance paid up ok but had a nervous weekend before being sure that they would!
Incidentally, it wasn't that deep, just above the wheel rim (at the bottom!) and well below sill level (I had plenty of time to assess the depth whilst waiting for recovery truck)
I still haven't discovered the air intake point on this car - any BMW experts care to enlighten me... then I'll move it!
The engine didn't actually stop. the car did, the engine kept running but wanted to stall. The radiator has hit the fan, the fan has made a mess of the rad, water has leaked out, the car was driven with no water in it I guess, for about 5 minutes. hence warped head.
Atleast this head has plenty of metal left on it to be skimmed.
If it hasnt been skimmed a couple of times or more! You could still claim
Unfortunately in my role as an Insurance Engineer, hydraulic lock is all too common. Alot of the problem is to do with air intakes and exhausts being so low down. You just need to look at the size of the air box, inlets under wing splash shields. it really is quite crap! Everyone used to moan about the BL and other products but we are really no better off now. Just look at the size of the recall lists, mostly to do with ball joints failing, electrical connectors causing fires, CAT problems! And all this is before they are as old as our cars.
I have to agree with you there Mr Slant4, we get lists of recalls from VOSA every 6 months and publish this info in some of our products, some as you say are quite astonishing. Renault Espace of anout 96 vintage is a goodun, air intake down by the drivers side wheel, who`s bright idea was that!!!!!!
the car was driven with no water in it I guess, for about 5 minutes. hence warped head
Possibly...but not necessarily.
Does really depend on whether you were moving along or not. Also the car wouldn't have been completely dry for the whole 5 minutes. But it will need checking...
why did you decide the h/gasket had gone anyway ??
any way you'll soon be able to do them in your sleep (thats if you get any what with pulling engines out)
and what comp did you have ??
I've just had a though. this is odd. My 1850 had 160psi all round when that was checked over a year ago. This one with low compression pistons in it had 175-150psi before the head was retorqued, and there was a bit of tightening in 3 or 4 of the studs/bolts.
No bubbling in to the expansion tank or pressurised coolant pipes though.
Oh and decided it had gone as it had run with no water in it. When the bonnet was lifted it was steaming and crackling... The reason I didn't check it out was the battery was so flat it wouldn't turn the engine over when I went to comp test it last time I was home.
