I just read of a few owners that drove through high water and blew their engines. I live in southern FLA and we get some big rains and high water. Is this something I need to worry about?

 

Only if you like to drive thru high water at speed higher than you should. Are you the type that sees standing water as an amusement ride? Do you like to try to splash the pedestrians?

Drive too fast thru water in any car and you might find yourself up doo-creek. The MINI is no different. Beware the Hydrolock!

 

You'll never have a problem if you do not enter into water that you do not know the depth of.

I would not take my MINI through anything deeper than about 4 inches, and then I would do it only slowly.

Here in Birmingham, we have one 4 lane major road (Lakeshore Avenue) that frequently floods briefly after heavy rains.. I was once there when it happened and although all the other cars were driving thorugh 8+ inches of water, I simply stopped when I got to the water and refused to move my car. I know I caused a traffic jam and probably pissed off hundreds of people, but my MINI stayed safe and dry. Police officer stopped and asked me why I was not moving and I told him why and he agreed that I was smarter than the rest of the folks.

 

It's more of an issue with Coopers than Cooper Ss, due to the location of the air intake directly behind the grille versus farther back in the engine compartment. According to the manual, a water depth of one foot is the absolute maximum that you can pass through, and at that point you should only be driving at "walking speed," in order to prevent spraying water up into the engine compartment. Personally, I take Yucca's approach - slow waaaay down for anything over an inch or two, and don't take the chance at all if it looks like it might be anywhere near a foot deep.

 

Keep in mind that at least one of the stories I read involved someone going very slow in less than one foot of water. However and oncoming car was goign much faster and kicked up a wake that was too high. Best thing is to stay out of the water.

 

It's not really a great idea to go through the water if you can go around it ...You're in South Florida? I am here in Key West...not much survived the storm surge from Wilma, not even the VW "bugs". I don't like going through water especially in areas I am not familiar with because, specifically in S Fla., there might be a sink hole on the other side I can't see. Paranoid? Maybe so, but I like my MINI and don't take unnecessary risks. I know which streets will flood, even in the lightest of rains, and stay away...

I guess the moral of the story is if you insist on going through water, check your insurance policy first to see if it's covered.... Mick

 

I live in Miami Lakes and well rain and deep water is an issue we cannot scape down here...

If I see water I go around, even if that means it will take me and extra 30 minutes to get to where I'm going. Unless is like half and inch or an inch deep...

I advice you, to worry more about having some good all weather perfomance tires so you won't spin out at high speeds on the expressway when you hit water...

dry weather tires and water on the expressway do not I repeat do not get alone... specially if you didnt see it coming

 

"According to the manual, a water depth of one foot is the absolute maximum that you can pass through"

At that point you might need oars anyway....

 

I read about this in mini2.com, a British site, I think you are right about it being more common in coopers, the air intake is connected to the air box and if water gets in there is no place for it to go except into the engine. I have given myself a little peace of mind by installing an after market air filter, (see in my gallery) at least if water gets into the engine compartment it will have to get sucked into the engine as oppose to forced injection. That's my take, I could be wrong, I've been wrong before.