The flooding in Napier earlier this month has caused hundreds of cars to be written off, with the average car insurance payout exceeding $10,000.
According to a report by 1 News, warehouses and yards around Napier are filling up with cars that were severely damaged in the floods caused by torrential rain on November 09. The rains came during peak hour traffic in the late afternoon and early evening, exposing a lot of cars on the road to flooding.
The full extent of the insurance cost for the event is still a few weeks away, the report said.
Auto mechanics expressed worry that many cars that were exposed to flood waters may have damaged air bags and brake systems.
“If you continue to use the car and it's had water inside the ABD system, your braking system is no longer working as it should,” Wade Colville-Smith of repair shop Motordrome Napier told 1 News.
Meanwhile, Simon Hobbs of AA Insurance revealed that the insurer has received at least 250 motor claims. He also advised motorists to avoid driving in water more than 10 centimetres deep.
“When you're driving through flood water, you're pushing the water away from your vehicle and that can force [it] into properties,” Hobbs said. “Please stop the vehicle, either wait for the water to subside or just leave your car somewhere dry and come back to it later.”
