Model 3 Wading Ability

[Jason71]

Got caught in a flash flood today due to the thunder storms on a B road near my home. I was following a Mini and we hit flood after flood. In theory a Tesla is a great car for flood water since it has no air intake or exhaust but it's also a pricey piece of kit to drown. You have to keep the speed very low though or lose your undertray ( as I previously discovered). I worked on the principal that anything a mini could handle so could I. Eventually we reached what I knew would be the last and worst place and it looked a bit deep but the Mini had gone through so knew it would be OK. I set off into the deep and then caught a flash of movement to my left. At which point I realised the mini hadn't gone through but had bottled it and taken a left just before the bridge!! Turned out it was quite deep. Between 18 inches to 2 feet based on the footage and the fact it was lapping almost upto the frunk opening.
The good news is I made I through. No adverse effects ( so far) except some very dirty door shuts/sills. It's not something I would recommend but it's good to know the car can do it if needed

 

[Medved_77]

Very very brave. I would have turned back.

 

[Russinating]

Should have gone through at 60 tbh.

 

[Durzel]

What's hanging down in that photo? Looks like some rubber tubing or something, or is that just a trick of the light?

Having heard about these cars having issues with undertrays that have fallen apart when wet (hopefully only on early cars), and that water gets in to the sills just washing it, I would not have driven through that!

 

[markharro]

So presumably the battery is completely sealed and isn't affected by immersion?

 

[Jason71]

So presumably the battery is completely sealed and isn't affected by immersion?

Supposedly yes. Even spray from puddles would be likely to get un unless it was. In fact in some ways high velocity spray is worse than wading pressure is much higher. Wading didn't rip the off the under tray which puddles at high speed can

 

[Jason71]

What's hanging down in that photo? Looks like some rubber tubing or something, or is that just a trick of the light?

Having heard about these cars having issues with undertrays that have fallen apart when wet (hopefully only on early cars), and that water gets in to the sills just washing it, I would not have driven through that!

It's a reflection of the bottom of the door in the water under the car.
Its high velocity water that rips off the under tray like hitting a deep puddle at 50mph. I know because that happened to me as well once. They get wet every time it rains so are not inherently allergic to water. And no they have not fixed the issue. There has been talk of a stronger ABS plastic under tray but the replacement one I have is exactly the same as the original as far as i can tell

 

[Jason71]

Should have gone through at 60 tbh.

yeah I tried that as well once and this was the result.That I don't recommend.
If you do have to go through water of any depth even a big puddle. Do it slowly people!

 

[Exscite]

So, how do you repair something like that? is it expensive?

 

[Jason71]

So, how do you repair something like that? is it expensive?

Not by Tesla standards . its only a shield Its held on with a dozen bolts or so. you just un-bolt it and bolt on a new one. The part is about £150 and is DIYable. I had mine done at a service centre for free but it took a lot of arguing.

 

[LongRanger]

Slightly disappointed you haven’t revealed the “James Bond Lotus” mode that kicks in when you encounter flood water !

Don’t think I would have been brave enough to try more than about 9-10 inches of water- good work !

 

[pgkevet]

I wonder what it'd look like if you pulled the frunk liner?

 

[stonecoldrmw]

Got caught in a flash flood today due to the thunder storms on a B road near my home. I was following a Mini and we hit flood after flood. In theory a Tesla is a great car for flood water since it has no air intake or exhaust but it's also a pricey piece of kit to drown. You have to keep the speed very low though or lose your undertray ( as I previously discovered). I worked on the principal that anything a mini could handle so could I. Eventually we reached what I knew would be the last and worst place and it looked a bit deep but the Mini had gone through so knew it would be OK. I set off into the deep and then caught a flash of movement to my left. At which point I realised the mini hadn't gone through but had bottled it and taken a left just before the bridge!! Turned out it was quite deep. Between 18 inches to 2 feet based on the footage and the fact it was lapping almost upto the frunk opening.
The good news is I made I through. No adverse effects ( so far) except some very dirty door shuts/sills. It's not something I would recommend but it's good to know the car can do it if needed

View attachment 551424 View attachment 551425

You sir, are a braver man, than I!

 

[interbear]

Brave indeed. No way I’d have done that, although I tend to be paranoid where water and cars are concerned. It’s the uncertainty of not knowing how deep it is until you’re in it and can’t go back. So I apply avoidance strategy

 

[Jason71]

You sir, are a braver man, than I!

I appreciate everyone calling me "brave" when what you are all (rightfully) thinking is idiot and you are not wrong.
I only did it because i mistakenly thought the car ahead had gone through and thus it could not be nearly as deep as it turned out to be and by the point I realised I was kind of committed. Turning back would have meant driving though about 10 more floods for the second time all of which were much less deep that the one above when I drove through them but getting deeper by the minute so to some degree I was almost trapped. Even the Mini that turned off seemed to have come to a halt a few meters away so that route looks problematic as well. Its amazing how quickly things can go bad. I had driven the same road only 2 hours previously and it was bone dry.
Still no issues to report apart from PTSD though I appreciate there could still be knock on effects down the road.

 

[j1mgg]

Always imagined how well it was sealed, just a nagging in my head that a big battery and water don't mix, but then it is a car for the road and should have already been tested.

 

[Mark-R]

I appreciate everyone calling me "brave" when what you are all (rightfully) thinking is idiot and you are not wrong.
I only did it because i mistakenly thought the car ahead had gone through and thus it could not be nearly as deep as it turned out to be and by the point I realised I was kind of committed. Turning back would have meant driving though about 10 more floods for the second time all of which were much less deep that the one above when I drove through them but getting deeper by the minute so to some degree I was almost trapped. Even the Mini that turned off seemed to have come to a halt a few meters away so that route looks problematic as well. Its amazing how quickly things can go bad. I had driven the same road only 2 hours previously and it was bone dry.
Still no issues to report apart from PTSD though I appreciate there could still be knock on effects down the road.

I have a semi-professional interest in recording the weather and I have a professional tipping-bucket rain gauge in our Shrewsbury garden. We had over 10mm of rain in less than 10 minutes, and the peak intensity was 144mm/hr. The Met office describe rainfall over 50mm/hr as 'violent', and this is the highest rainfall rate I have recorded since 1 June 2018. It went bad very quickly.

 

[Jason71]

I have a semi-professional interest in recording the weather and I have a professional tipping-bucket rain gauge in our Shrewsbury garden. We had over 10mm of rain in less than 10 minutes, and the peak intensity was 144mm/hr. The Met office describe rainfall over 50mm/hr as 'violent', and this is the highest rainfall rate I have recorded since 1 June 2018. It went bad very quickly.

Yeah that fits. I assume you posted partly because you saw my location as Shropshire. Maybe you even recognised the road. I was in Baston Hill when the rain came down, it almost missed us completely so I had no idea it had been so bad. When we headed back towards Telford the A5 was blocked due to an accident ( probably rain related in hindsight) we diverted to the back roads in only moderate rain so I was totally unprepared when the road ahead suddenly turned into something from a disaster movie.

 

[Jez_GB]

I see how you can get caught out..... If I know the weather is likely to be this bad the 3 stays under the car-port, and the ICE gets a (rare) outing

 

[Mark-R]

Yeah that fits. I assume you posted partly because you saw my location as Shropshire. Maybe you even recognised the road. I was in Baston Hill when the rain came down, it almost missed us completely so I had no idea it had been so bad. When we headed back towards Telford the A5 was blocked due to an accident ( probably rain related in hindsight) we diverted to the back roads in only moderate rain so I was totally unprepared when the road ahead suddenly turned into something from a disaster movie.

Shropshire is a big county but I was pretty sure I recognised the rail bridge (and your latest post confirms it). I followed the thunderstorm on the Met Office rainfall radar as tracked in from the south east. We were on the southern edge of the storm so I'm not surprised Bayston Hill escaped most of it, but the A5 and B4394 east of Shrewsbury must have been close to the centre.