I've always been told that when driving you should avoid larger puddles/pools of water because the cold water hitting the hot engine parts can cause metal to crack/fail/whatever.

 

Driving tonight in pretty miserable weather and with a few unavoidable splashes, I was just wondering whether the plastic protective trays/undertrays on a Fabia have any effect in reducing this in terms of stopping a large amount of water getting through?

 

Clearly I don't expect them to allow me to do a Top Gear-style adventure through 12" deep streams or anything ridiculous. Just that my commute involves a lot of places where in heavy rain large puddles form and it's often not possible to go around.

 

Or maybe I'm just overthinking everything

 

Cheers

Edited 15 April, 201610 yr by alessio92

Nonsense, the engine isn't made of glass. How do you think Land Rovers drive through four feet of freezing water, the engine totally submerged and breathing through a snorkel?

I would be more concerned about wheel bearings!

And cv joints. The undertray is a splash guard, it's what it's there for, not for -'damage' to the engine but stopping auxillary belts and sensor plugs from debris and splashes. Basically just be careful with deep puddles and water, slow down, avoid where possible but as long as you don't suck in any water in the only things that will suffer over long term will be bearings, cv joints and such as the grease will eventually get rinsed off and water can get held in the boots for a while.

Nonsense, the engine isn't made of glass. How do you think Land Rovers drive through four feet of freezing water, the engine totally submerged and breathing through a snorkel?

 

To be quite honest that did occur to me but I assumed the Landys had some kind of protection fitted on the underside. I don't know really!

 

I would be more concerned about wheel bearings!

 

 

And cv joints. The undertray is a splash guard, it's what it's there for, not for -'damage' to the engine but stopping auxillary belts and sensor plugs from debris and splashes. Basically just be careful with deep puddles and water, slow down, avoid where possible but as long as you don't suck in any water in the only things that will suffer over long term will be bearings, cv joints and such as the grease will eventually get rinsed off and water can get held in the boots for a while.

 

Cheers, that's good to know. Thanks guys.