Hope this is a defect. I went through a deep puddle that was along side of the road yesterday and something crappy happened. Both of the wheel well linings (passenger side) ripped out from under the fenders and flew out on the road. Believe me, this was a funny sight to see, but wth is up with that? This was not a deep puddle and other people ahead of me were going through it without any problems. The worst thing is, Acura will not pay for the repair! I know it is a defect in design. I have never had anything like this happen before. All I can say is watch out for water!

 

I have already had my passenger side wheel well liner replaced. It looked as if it had been tightened too much from the factory and the plastic was breaking out in chunks from the screw to the outer wheel well. Sounds like some high quality plastic...

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by bricot on June 14, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

Hot aluminum block engine + cold water = zoinks!!

 

Same thing happens to so BMW 5-Series owners. E39 has VERY low intake opening, and if very close to the ground. Many has driven the car over water, suck the the water, and whole engine cesed resulting in damaged engine(s). Many of them need engine replacement...

Andy Kuo

------------------
'92 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
Pearl Grey/Black

'02 Acura TL-S
Satin Silver/Ebony, w/out NAV

 

The BMW 5-Series problem is, if I remember correctly, not a problem with stock cars. Most of the aftermarket CAIs locate the intake very low, and without any sort of shield to keep water out. Over on the Bimmer boards, a lot of folks have decided not to risk it until a better CAI kit comes along.

 

I'm removing my AEM CAI and putting stock intake back when winter comes. There is no rain during summer...

 

I am also pretty sure that the 5 series problem is only with aftermarket air intake systems.

 

Here is another reason to avoid deep water at all costs... Many new cars have air intakes that are below the engine and low to ground to keep whistling and noise level low.

A friend of mine drove his new Saab 9-3 through a deep puddle, and the air intake sucked a bunch of water into the engine, resulting in a $1,700 repair. His engine has never been the same since then.

He had a long fight with Saab claiming this was a design defect and how stupid this was a car made in Sweden with lots of snow and ice on the ground. Saab eventually split the bill with him, but claimed it was his fault for driving the car into something it wasn't designed to handle (deep water.)

Food for thought!