mrbiin

Hi guys,

This is my first post to the forum after trading my 1998 E55 for a 2006 ML500 about three weeks ago.

Last Saturday I decided to take a trip to Þórsmörk (a very popular off road destination in Iceland). This involved crossing several small glacier rivers. Everything was going fine until I chose a bad crossing point and basically drowned the car in a river (with water coming almost up to the windscreen).

When this happened the car was doing about 10kph and almost made it out of the river before the engine cut out. I must admit that I paniced, but I waited in the car until a guy in a big Land Rover pulled my lovely black ML500 out of the river. This involved me having to climb into the trunk from the inside, get all the stuff out of the trunk into the rear seats and finding the tow hook for the front bumper.

After the car was out of the river, we had a look under the hood and discovered that the air intake was pretty wet, and decided not to risk any further damage to the engine. So the decision was to tow the car to the nearest tarmac road (about 20km) and get a tow truck to pick it up from there and transport it to Reykjavik. Some water got into the rear right side of the car (a few liters maybe) and we dried that out as quickly as we could.

While we were waiting for the tow truck the car started to act very strange. The instrument panel lit up like a Christmas tree with lights flashing randomly, the AC kept coming on and the windscreen wipers went on randomly. All this happened without the key being in the ignition. Also, while the car was in the river the rear door windows opened and the windows motors burned out, so that I could not close the windows before moving the car to Reykjavik. Thankfully the weather was really good and only some dust got into the car.

Anyway, about 6 hours after the accident I left the car at the dealers garage and returned home, so much for the camping trip.

I talked to my insurance company this morning and found out that my insurance policy does not cover this kind of damage (or any other policy available in Iceland it seems). I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer on the extent of the damage, and keeping my fingers crossed.

So, the moral of the story is, don't take your ML500 into a glacier river

PS. I don't have any photos of the car in the river.

uhaveit

My brother owned a C350 and he drove his car in less than foot of flood water . And the result ....... permanent engine damage caused by water . Insurance picked up the tab and paid him pretty much the full cost of the car.

sosh

With water that high I tend to believe that your car is a total loss. This is also supported by what you saw it do with the key removed. Good luck!!

vinceching

thank you captain obvious for that commentary

am_beagle

I think in foreign countries, people can and want to fix those problems. Inundation can not totally kill a car/or truck. They still be fixable. Even a blown engine (bent valve stems, rods....) can be repaired. Good luck in Reijavik.
Is the lesson learned that Land Rover is better in river crossing than Mercedes ?

sosh

You are correct, things can be fixed. However the problem here is not repairing the engine which is quite a simple thing but the replacement of the electronics is quite expensive and I believe that will make any repair not a financially sound decision. I also do not think that the Land Rover crossed at the same point that the ML crossed, at least thats what I got from the post. I have been to Iceland a few times and the terrain there is about the most rugged I have ever seen but its a beautiful place with terrible weather particularly in the winter.

DUTCH

Better than a Mercedes ML in that situation, perhaps; but certainly not better than a Mercedes G-Class in any and all situations.

MBS430

just for visual comparison, did you go deeper than one in the picture below?
I saved these pics a while back from either MBWorld or the other Benz forum.

am_beagle

QUOTE: Last Saturday I decided to take a trip to Þórsmörk (a very popular off road destination in Iceland). This involved crossing several small glacier rivers. Everything was going fine until I chose a bad crossing point and basically drowned the car in a river (with water coming almost up to the windscreen).

When this happened the car was doing about 10kph and almost made it out of the river before the engine cut out.

EV0LVE

i will never buy a used car again! but enjoy your car

mrbiin

Just a small update for you guys:

The damage has been diagnosed and all the spares have arrived. After tearing down the engine, the shop discovered that two piston rods are bent and they recommended replacing all 8. Also there are 3 electronic modules that failed, the engine ECU, something (don't know the name) controlling the back of the car and the amplifier for the stereo. In addition to this both rear door window motors need to be replaced.

The car is being repaired right now and delivery is estimated on Friday or early next week (depending on if they run into problems). Total cost for the repair is estimated at $10,000 to $12,000 (note that in Iceland this is an $80,000 car).

About the Land Rover that pulled me out: it did not cross the river at the same point, but it was heavily altered (38" tires, etc) and I don't think it would have had any problems with it.

MBS430: My car went A LOT deeper than the one in the pictures. As I said earlier, water almost came up to the windscreen. About half an hour after the "accident" a car came along (a Toyota Landcruiser on 38" tires, like the one in the attachment) and crossed the river at the same point as I did. It did not have any problems but the tires went completely under water surprising the driver.

I'll post an update when I get the car.

sosh

Good hearing that your ML is on the way to being repaired. I am quite surprised that it was not totaled. There must be more damage than you stated as there are lots more electronics that would have been under water. What about the wiring and sensors. Water will wick up the wiring and eventually cause corrossion in it and on the connectors. I think that when you get the vehicle back you may experience more issues as you drive it for a while but good luck!!

BryanW203

I would be very worried about future electrical problems with the truck. All thise wiring harnesses were under water and were exposed to water corrosion takes time to appear. I would drive that truck off the edge of a cliff and go buy a new one.