New Year's Day had dreadful weather ooophnorth - lashing with rain all day and howling gales knocking bits off all the trees.  Driving back from Ambleside late that night, on route to a friends in Dentdale, I found that the small winding lanes were completely awash with the deluge pouring off the fields and fells.  Driving conditions weren't helped by drifting banks of very low, dense hill cloud ripping across the windscreen and flying bits of debris everywhere.  

 

As anticipated in such conditions the Yeti splashed it way through 'pond' after pond, taking it cautiously in second gear so as to avoid too many waves of water being thrown up onto the windscreen.  All seemed to be going very well until just before our destination the Yeti got, almost literally, completely out of it's depth, first indicated by the tsunami which washed over the front bonnet, drowning the lights out temporailry - yikes!  Too late to turn back or to stop, it was a case of sailing onwards, with a little less throttle and in first gear I managed to subside the bow wave so that it resembled an amber-lit fountain, bubbling away at the front.  Any slower and we would have stalled.  And dammit, it was like this for a further 50 metres or so, although it felt like an age.  All I could do was to keep the throttle on sufficently and the revs high as we steamed forward in first gear.   In the near pitch dark it was very difficult to see how deep (far up!) the water was but common sense (yes you're thinking I have that in short supply no doubt) told me this was NOT good and way over the recommended Skoda manufacturer's levels.  Eventually surfacing onto drier land, I kept the Yeti in first gear and the revs high and reaching the village car-park allowed the engine to run for a further 15 mins while checking lights and for any signs of damage, etc.  It was too dark to do much more.

 

Next morning I approached the Yeti with great trepidation, opting to check the engine oil first for signs of water ingress.  Extremely relieved to find that there appeared to be none - phew.  And the good ol' Yeti started without a murmur.  

 

It several days later now and I can't seem to find any signs or symptoms of problematic issues, but have kept my fingers crossed.  Had I been aware of the depth of the water I would never have driven through and would have headed for a local hotel or B and B for the night, but in the dark and such conditions, plus my unfamiliarity with the route, it was very difficult to determine.

 

Anyway, I was mightily impressed with the Yeti, as were all of my passengers. 

 

Anything I should be looking out for re mechanical/electrical implications from the flood?

Worth opening the Air Box and looking at the air filter, see if it is totally dry.

Worth opening the Air Box and looking at the air filter, see if it is totally dry.

Thanks. Great idea - Will do first thing in the morning.

I had that when my Fiesta XR2 was nearly new. At one point all wheels were off the road.
The only thing that showed after was an occasional squeek from the clutch/release bearing for a few years in damp weather

I kept the car for about 12 years and 138,000 miles with no problems.

Strewth!!
That's deeper than I've been!!

Strewth!!

That's deeper than I've been!!

Indeed! It was an experience I would have gladly forgone.  I never want to be in that situation again.  I had been thinking of opting for an Octy Scout for my next Skoda, but the additional ground clearance available with the Yeti and its apparent near amphibious qualities have caused me to rethink seriously any future options.

Might you get it checked over by a qualified marine engineer? 

You were lucky there - if the water was up to bonnet height, then it was above the height of the air inlet for the engine...

 

If it had sucked water in, it would have been instant wrecked engine, and a Yeti stuck in the deep water !

If you get the bow wave in the right place, just in front of the car, you get a hollow behind it that is below the air intake level.

The problem comes when you either go faster than the wave and it "breaks" continuously over the bonnet, or it suddenly gets deeper and the bow wave "sinks" as the nose of the car goes down.

 

The air intake tract of the Yeti looks quite good so it is possible that a "water trap" might have been built into it. Certainly the Td4 Freelander was like that. The bigger problem is getting water onto the ECU, as one member here found on Salisbury Plain a few years ago. 

 

I've certainly gone through water over sill height, which is the approved fording depth. The door seals are very good!!

You were lucky there - if the water was up to bonnet height, then it was above the height of the air inlet for the engine...

 

If it had sucked water in, it would have been instant wrecked engine, and a Yeti stuck in the deep water !

Having seen a Toyota pickup that did this, it is not something I would recommend. High compression diesel engine +water = expensive result.

 

There was a hole the size of my fist in the engine block out of which the piston was hanging on the conrod. They sourced a reconditioned engine (the pickup was quite old when it happened so no point in a new one).

If you get the bow wave in the right place, just in front of the car, you get a hollow behind it that is below the air intake level.

The problem comes when you either go faster than the wave and it "breaks" continuously over the bonnet, or it suddenly gets deeper and the bow wave "sinks" as the nose of the car goes down.

 

The air intake tract of the Yeti looks quite good so it is possible that a "water trap" might have been built into it. Certainly the Td4 Freelander was like that. The bigger problem is getting water onto the ECU, as one member here found on Salisbury Plain a few years ago. 

 

I've certainly gone through water over sill height, which is the approved fording depth. The door seals are very good!!

The 1.8 petrol (as the subject of this tale) does indeed have a form of water trap inside the plenum box before the air filter. The lid is easily removed so you can see inside by gently springing the clips open along either side - no tools required, unlike the air filter box itself which never ceases to amaze me as it needs about 8 screws to be undone to get inside.

Of course, if the water level is high enough, then it could still overwhelm the trap.

Thought it might.

Thanks John.