If your vehicle is totaled by water damage, comprehensive coverage helps pay to replace your vehicle, up to its depreciated value (called “actual cash value”). Water damage can be frustrating for any car owner, but having comprehensive coverage may help reimburse you if your vehicle is damaged by hail or flooding.

Telltale Signs of Flooding: Upholstery or carpeting that may be loose, new, stained or doesn’t seem to match the rest of the interior. Damp carpets. Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals or inside the hood and trunk latches.

If the vehicle is so damaged that it is no longer operable, the driver’s insurance company settles the claim by buying the vehicle and selling it as a “salvage” at an auto auction. Dishonest and unscrupulous car dealers buy the vehicles, dry and clean them, yet leave plenty of hidden flood damage.

For starters, water can do damage to the interior of a car, especially if it has a lot of cloth and carpeting in it. Water can seep into an engine through a car’s air intake and cause the engine to “hydrolock.” When this happens, it’s almost always going to lead to you having to get your hands on a new car.

Salt water, for those who live in coastal areas, can be particularly damaging to a car’s components. Even if it starts up on the first try, Nielsen says a flooded car’s engine, transmission and fuel, brake, power steering and electrical systems are vulnerable to increased wear and premature failure.

Perhaps the best remedy for a flooded engine is time. Simply open the hood of your car and let excessive fuel evaporate for as long as you can. After about 20 minutes try starting your car again without hitting the gas pedal. If this still does not work, you may have to check your spark plugs.

One method that can work is to keep something in the car that will absorb moisture. Some say that cat litter in an old pair of tights is a great way to do this. You can also get a portable dehumidifier that’ll collect any extra moisture in the air. Letting the car air out when you can will also help.

If it is wet as in water you may have to take the spark plugs out and clean them and find a way to get the water out of the fuel system. You could probably use a leaf blower, or just raise your hood and let the engine dry on its own. Starting the engine and letting it warm will accelerate the process.

Wet weather and heavy rain can even destroy parts of a car and leave passengers stranded in deep water. Water can get into a car’s engine which can destroy parts of the car and lead to serious damage. Other issues caused by driving through deep flood water include the risk of aquaplaning which can damage a car’s tyres.

If you notice water getting into the cabin during a rainstorm, bad weatherproofing is probably to blame. You could have damaged window and door seals or clogged door drains. This can allow water to get into the door panels and leak into the passenger footwell.

In general there are several possible causes of water ingress to a foot well, from a damaged or deformed door seal to a blocked air-conditioning drain hose or damaged heat exchanger. If it’s a heater/air-conditioning fault then the carpet will become wet again in normal driving in dry weather.