[Norfolk2016]

I had a question for everyone. I have a 2014 328i and during heavy rains I turned around near the water's edge of a flooded road, but didn't actually go in the water. Next thing I knew the car shuddered and died. Water got sucked up into the engine, totaling it, and costing insurance around 5k for a new engine from Germany. My questions are: is this common for a 3-series? Are they that sensitive to driving in/near standing water, or was I just unlucky? Where is the air intake for the engine? Thanks for the advice!

[Billfitz]

The air intake is off to one side behind the kidney grille, so the only way you'd suck water into it is if you were either at least a foot deep into water or you got hit by a wave high enough to go through the kidney grille.

[CruzM3]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

or you got hit by a wave high enough to go through the kidney grille.

lol

[Norfolk2016]

Sounds like I was more "unlucky" then...

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by Norfolk2016

I had a question for everyone. I have a 2014 328i and during heavy rains I turned around near the water's edge of a flooded road, but didn't actually go in the water. Next thing I knew the car shuddered and died. Water got sucked up into the engine, totaling it, and costing insurance around 5k for a new engine from Germany. My questions are: is this common for a 3-series? Are they that sensitive to driving in/near standing water, or was I just unlucky? Where is the air intake for the engine? Thanks for the advice!

I've seen posts regarding one or two of this. It's obviously not common, but somehow water gets splashed up high to get into the intake.

[Grimmy]

The air box on most cars is designed to deal with small splashes. As air and any water goes in the kidney grill intake, it would enter the large volume air box and separate, with the water dropping down and out the drain hole, whilst the air is sucked up through the roof of the box, through the air filter and onto the engine. You would have to seriously drown it to get water through the box. Quite how it happen'd is beyond me if you didn't go in the water.

[Hachima]

The max depth allowed is 30cm for MY2013 and 25cm for 2014+ according to the manual. In particular on the passengers side where the intake is. So making a left U turn in standing water would put you at more risk than a right turn/reversing out.

[tuco44]

Not common at all, in fact, this is the first instance I have heard of and I have been driving BMWs for years.
Are you SURE you didn't go into the water.....??????

[fatalkarma]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Not common at all, in fact, this is the first instance I have heard of and I have been driving BMWs for years.
Are you SURE you didn't go into the water.....??????

Unless you've modded it the air filter sits at the top of the engine bay so unless you submerged the car can't see how you for water in from intake.

[casualDIYer]

5k for a new engine? Really?

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by menncars

5k for a new engine? Really?

Probably more likely a "short block" (cylinder block and pistons/crankshaft, etc.) as the upper end wouldn't be subject to as much damage. I had a Chrysler LHS that got into deep water (above the front right tire) when my son was trying to get home during a very heavy rainstorm and was unfamiliar with the area we had just moved into. The engine hydrolocked and put a rod through the crankcase. Insurance paid for a rebuilt short block and the heads (it was a V6) and all the other parts were salvaged from the damaged original engine.

To answer the OP's question - no, this is not common and could only have occurred if the water reached the intake, filled it, and was drawn into the throttle body. The drain holes are only able to handle condensation or small amounts of water (such as from road spray).

[zamboni]

I don't recall we got flooded in CA unless you traveled to other States.

[chiefneil]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Not common at all, in fact, this is the first instance I have heard of and I have been driving BMWs for years.
Are you SURE you didn't go into the water.....??????

There was a post from another guy maybe a year ago with a hydrolocked engine. He swore that he drove really slowly through hardly any water that other cars were flying through.

Can't say that many people really believed the part about driving really slowly or the part about hardly any water or even the part about other cars flying through. But who knows what really happened.

Anyway, I've accidentally bombed through a several inches of water in my E46 to where water splashed up as high as the windows and you feel the car suddenly slowing like you just hit the brakes. Reading these posts makes me realize how lucky I was not to get water in the intake.

[Labeef]

It's common for any engine to have a catastrophic failure when it sucks up water. Water cannot be compressed like fuel/oil so the pressure has no where to go but through the side of the block or destroying the connecting rods.

[435MSport6Speed]

Originally Posted by Hachima

The max depth allowed is 30cm for MY2013 and 25cm for 2014+ according to the manual. In particular on the passengers side where the intake is. So making a left U turn in standing water would put you at more risk than a right turn/reversing out.

That's 1 foot....

[STR3T]

Wow...I'll be much more careful...just went through 4-6 inches minimal at some speed this weekend...have taken Bugs and TRegs through higher. Was only concerned the Bug might start floating off adrift.

[Kev314]

Parked overnight in a driveway that had a noticeable inclination (with front of car higher than back.) This was not San Francisco steep but enough of a gradient that it took a little extra effort to open the door and for this old guy to get out. There was a very heavy and prolonged rainfall overnight. Run-off from the garage eave was hitting the ground a few inches in front of the car.

Upon first start next morning the engine stumbled and stalled. Took two or three attempts to get it going, with the engine then running roughly for a minute or two.

Service advisor, a thoughtful type, later speculated that rain bounced off the pavement and settled in air intake, but he was clearly puzzled. There were no codes and no subsequent problems. This was a 2014 328 xdrive with around 5000 miles when it happened.

[Joss]

A completely different car perhaps but I hydro locked a vw passat a few years ago.

It was completely my fault, drove through a ford that was too deep, while driving through it didn't seem that deep and I made it out the other side only for the engine to stall.

£5k insurance claim and an entire new engine and turbo. Not a happy experience at all.

Despite the intake being quite high up I think the way the front diverts water wasn't helpful.

[Hachima]

Originally Posted by paulff3

That's 1 foot....

Actually it's less than 10 inches...

[paul e]

25 cm = 9.8", 30 cm= 11.8", ok guys?

[Norfolk2016]

A big Thank You to everyone for the replies! It is especially helpful to know this is not common. And as folks guessed, the flooding happened while driving in another state (FL).

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by Norfolk2016

I had a question for everyone. I have a 2014 328i and during heavy rains I turned around near the water's edge of a flooded road, but didn't actually go in the water. Next thing I knew the car shuddered and died. Water got sucked up into the engine, totaling it, and costing insurance around 5k for a new engine from Germany. My questions are: is this common for a 3-series? Are they that sensitive to driving in/near standing water, or was I just unlucky? Where is the air intake for the engine? Thanks for the advice!

Not just BMW, but any damn engine that ingests water is going to get water logged. An engine is a vacuum so it will suck water into it if the inlet is near or below the water line. That is just common sense, but common sense is not so common. Either way be careful next time, observe cars in front of you, be aware of the depth, etc.

Another side note. The filter box is not necessarily where the inlet is. It could be much lower.