Having been out to (attempt to) collect SWMBO from the station (train turned back to Brum, but that's another story), i had to drive through several floods to get home. which got me thinking about the wading depth of the Octy 2...

I had my Astra 1.7CDTi through about 30cm of standing water in the past, and the Octy through 20-25cm before, but how deep can it go?

The air intake is by the front grille, probably about 40cm off the deck, so in theory 40cm? Or is there another component lower than that that will limit it?

Just a thought at this stage, but I may need to know later when i go out again...

The air intake is the main one to take care of, but the risk is creating a bow wave, even 6 inch decent length puddles can build up over the front of the car, so as lng as you go through it with decent revs in the right gear and keep the seepd fairly low and seady i'd say youd be ok.

The key is to drive in the depression behind the bow wave

Keep the revs high, don't lift off. control your speed with the clutch.

Just wondered how deep it could get before i had to stop and turn back?

The intake system is quite intricate on the TDI, there is a free flow plenum behind the grille, then there is a U shaped tube off the side of it which goes to the filter housing (which has a drain on it) before the air goes up, through the filter, MAF sensor, turbo, intercooler and engine.

You would have to go some to get the engine drinking water.

As for the official wading depth - :confused:

You would have to go some to get the engine drinking water.

Its doable - a colleague lunched a VAG TDI in her Beetle when an oncoming lorry splashed her with the bow wave (not sure if it was the 1.9 or 2.0 TDI).

BUT, that's re-assuring. Luckily the rain's stopped, and the roads are under less water than earliier. The wetest the Octy has been tonight has been about 10-15cm of standing water.

As for the official wading depth - :confused:

Don't think its quoted, that's why i thought I'd ask on here.

Sammycarp, You could always buy a Land Rover

I've had an Octy II wade through a good foot of water before, but i certainly wouldn't want to be going any deeper than that.

Yesterday, with the River Yeo bursting its banks I had the VRS TDi going through 30cm. I wouldn't want to do this again, as the noise of the water slapping against the doors was pretty scary in terms of the threat of 'internal dampness'. She seems to have survived intact though. There were loads of others stranded on the route, but considering there were no other options and massed traffic backed up behind, the occy did well. Maybe buy a Scout next time though....lol

Don't think i'll be lowering it, although I hear you can get Koni FSD shocks to go with the std springs? does this make a significant difference?

Dor.

The air intake is the obvious one, but are there any electrical systems below that level that might be vulnerable?

Our lane to the farm gets flooded - in fact yesterday it was too

I went through it twice - in and out of home (there are 3 sections of flooding before the main road)

This morning the water had drained away, and i parked up in what would be the deepest part - it would have been level with the top of the tyres on the 17's on the vRS... :eek:

Worked fine though - though had to turn ESP off in a rush - the wheels lost traction so were spinning and as th light was flashing up i could see the revs dropping off from the brakes being applied :thumbdwn: Would have been game over if it had stalled me out

Oh, and the car is still fine, so it coped pretty well, and yesterday wasn't the first time i've had to ford it through that depth...

I've certainly gone through about a foot of water in my PD140 without harm but I try and avoid it if possible

Sammycarp, You could always buy a Land Rover

:rofl:

Worked fine though - though had to turn ESP off in a rush - the wheels lost traction so were spinning and as th light was flashing up i could see the revs dropping off from the brakes being applied :thumbdwn: Would have been game over if it had stalled me out

I'd already thought of that

Good to hear she's good for a least a foot, but then I think I knew that. I'll let you all know if I exceed her capabilities

Don't forget about the exhaust level being a lot lower than the air intake. Try blowing through a straw then stick it in a mug of water and try again. Big increase in effort = backpressure in a car exhaust. If the engine speed drops it'll stand a good chance of stalling after which the whole exhaust is likely to fill with water and they'll be no chance of re-starting. Fancy opening the door in 18" of water? If the electrics short, no window power. Then dodge the hidden debris/holes etc. as you wade back to dry land. Don't fall down a manhole with a blown cover or you'll have a problem or two. Paranoid? Me?? Glub, glub, glub... :eek:

Exhaust? Meh! Keep the revs up (and don't let the ASR kick in), and that won't be a problem.

I tend to open a window before I venture in just in case