The fact that it was salt water or not is of little concern at this point. Kind of like getting hit head on by bus and wondering if the bus was white or off white. Water is water, and even if it was milli-q water, it would have picked up enough contaminants along the way to screw you over.

If the interior was wet enough that the seats are ruined and the carpet is still wet, it would probably be in your best interest to have the car replaced and not repaired. As others have said, a water damaged car in the US is as good as scrap. There's no telling what is damaged or how badly. I would really push the insurance company, perhaps even get a lawyer to send a strongly worded letter. In any case, best of luck.

 

IMO there is no way to reapir this car, my son flooded his Vdub, and it sat for 6 hours in the sun, steaming that musty smell into everything. 2 years and it still smells terrible

 

the last thing i want is a gerry-rigged, moldy, crinkled leather interior car with teething problems down the road reliabiilty wise. the norm here appears not to be to total cars that are flooded...

i've accepted the fact that the final repaired product will not be what i dropped off at the docks at Newark, NJ. the problem is i may not have a choice to get a new one. hence want to be as diligent as possible in the repair process. but yes, this is a complete nightmare.

 

Sorry to read about this. I feel for you. Seems it would have been better to sell the car in the US even at a reduced price and buy one over in the UK.

 

Get a lawyer. Given the consequences on your beautiful and very expensive car, an investment of up to $10k in legal fees would be warranted. If you try to sell the car, the evidence of flood damage will be pretty easy to detect on inspection. That will reduce the value of the car considerably, even if the car is "fully restored".

 

Sorry to hear about your situation. By the title of your blog "extensive damage" I think you know the answer to your situation. Get your car totaled or retain an attorney. Water damage comes back to haunt you whether it is fixed or not. Rot, corrosion, mildew, whatever happens regardless of repair. Ask anyone who lives in the hurricane belt or flood belt. That's why one needs to be weary of Texas/Florida cars on eBay. Lastly, consider resale value if you do repair it. Everyone else will run from your car..one can almost ALWAYS spot water damage (rust around bolts/screws, smells, ect......Sorry

 

Sounds like a total loss any way you slice it. Any update to what does your insurance adjuster says? It is hard to believe they only want to replace the wiring harness under your coverage. Speak with a manager, document EVERY conversation, make sure to keep pushing.

 

this thread just has me shaking my head...how can you expect Porsche to warrant anything that was caused by third party negligence so the warranty issue does not matter...you are left to deal with the offending party's insurance company...you should have engaged a solicitor immediately to insure that you will be made whole...the shipper should be bonded...get a lawyer yesterday

 

A friend had water damage to his car and had insurance replace everything that was damaged, and it always had some electrical issue, there really is no way around it, push to have the car totaled, and hire a lawyer if needed, don' settle for less as you'll be even more heart broken living with a gremlin of a car if they attempt to fix it. Go all optional routes, see if you can file a better business bureau complaint and such, Keep at it! Don't let these fools get away with this! Good luck!

 

How can something like this happen, where did the water come from, and maybe other cars were affected as well?

Sorry to hear - push hard for a total.

 

I don't expect Porsche to warrant anything, it's a question about in the future, if Porsche warranty is applicable in a vehicle that's suffered from water damage. I found out the answer to this by the way. The factory warranty in the US is voided if flooding intrudes the engine, anywhere else, you're ok assuming parts affected from water damage are replaced as opposed to fixed.

As for insurance, I paid for separate insurance coverage especially for marine transport of a vehicle. The insurance claims surveyor is an independent party who assesses the vehicle damage on behalf of the underwriter's of my policy. The import/export agent I hired for the transport of the car has already filed a claim against the shipping company Wallenius. Once the underwriters release the funds, I'm not on the hook to have to pay for anything. Just a question of pushing harder for totalling the car, which currently the insurance surveyor is not at all on board with.

 

gotcha...sorry you are having to endure this...hope you are adequately compensated when all is said and done...

 

Horrible story. I'm curious how so much water got into your car. Considering the grease marks were already there when it arrived in UK, me thinks that maybe some dockworker in Newark took it for one hell of a joyride... maybe one that included driving the car into a pond.

I would not want this car back if it were me.

 

Terrible story, and I feel for your time, energy, and emotion. Your shipping company has liability insurance for its cargo. It may take some detective work to find out if this happened at the dock in NJ or in transit, but this car is almost certainly ruined. Even if repairs are made the latent effects of this degree of immersion may take years to fully manifest. I would discuss the circumstances with a lawyer or law firm experienced in shipping claims to at least get an opinion.

 

Ok...so besides the car, which in my opinion is totalled and will NEVER be the same...it seems that you have some $$$ tied up in mods as well.....you neeed to push for that loot as well with the "separate insurance company". With what you have described....warped seatbacks, soaked seats, leather damage, carpet...dash...etc...it will obviously take a ton of cash to get this car back to the exact condition it was in when you dropped it off for shipping. I hope you have a lot of pictures inside and out as this will help your case with the surveyor. If the outcome or their settlement is not to your satisfaction, get a lawyer. Matter of fact it would not hurt to consult one now, before you really need him (or her).