Driving in UAE Floods and Rain: Car Damage and Repairs

Heavy rain is rare in the UAE, but when it comes it can be severe. In April 2024, the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254.8mm of rain in under 24 hours at Khatm Al Shakla in Al Ain, the highest rainfall since records began in 1949, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM). Flooding disrupted roads and left many cars stranded or submerged.

This guide explains how water damages cars, what to do if yours was caught in a flood, and how to avoid buying a flood-damaged car.

How water damages a car

• Engine (hydrolock). If the engine sucks in water through the air intake, the water can't compress. That can bend connecting rods and wreck the engine. It often happens when a driver tries to push through deep water.

• Electrics. Modern cars contain many control modules, connectors and sensors, often low in the floor or under the seats. Water, especially dirty water, causes corrosion that can show up weeks later.

• Interior. Wet carpets and padding breed mould and smells if they aren't properly dried or replaced.

• Brakes and bearings. Grit and water contaminate wheel bearings and brakes.

• Fluids. Water can get into gearbox, differential and engine oil.

• EVs and hybrids. High-voltage battery packs are sealed, but if one has been submerged it needs specialist inspection before use.

Driving in heavy rain: practical rules

• Don't drive into water if you can't see the road surface. You can't judge its depth or what's underneath.

• Slow down and leave a much bigger gap. Roads are slippery when rain first lifts dust and oil.

• Use dipped headlights, not hazard lights, while you're moving.

• Follow official advisories. UAE authorities issue warnings and road closures during severe weather.

If your car has been in floodwater

1. Don't start the engine. Starting a car with water in the engine can turn a repairable problem into a destroyed one.

2. Photograph the water level, inside and out, for your insurer.

3. Call your insurer and ask what's covered and how to proceed.

4. Have it recovered, not driven, to a workshop. See car recovery in Dubai.

5. Ask for a full inspection: intake, oil, electrics, interior and brakes.

Signs a car has been flooded

Check these before buying a used car, or after a storm:

• Musty smell or heavy air freshener

• Damp or replaced carpets, or water lines and silt under the seats and in the spare wheel well

• Rust on seat rails, pedal brackets and screws under the dashboard

• Fogged lights or moisture in the instrument cluster

• Intermittent electrical faults and warning lights

The National reported in 2023 an industry warning that some cars imported into the UAE had been flood-damaged or written off abroad and later fixed up, and that this isn't always easy to spot. Ask for the VIN and get a professional inspection. See our used car inspection guide.

Repair or write off?

That depends on how high the water went, how long the car sat in it, and whether the engine took in water. Water above the floor level, into the cabin electronics, often makes repair uneconomical on modern cars. Your insurer will usually decide based on an assessment.

After the storm

Once roads dry, many cars need:

• brake inspection and cleaning, see car servicing in Dubai

• body and paint repairs for debris or flood damage, see car body repair in Dubai

• a deep interior clean and drying, see car detailing in Dubai

• a battery check, see car battery replacement in Dubai

Browse car body repair across the UAE to compare workshops.

Sources: National Centre of Meteorology via the Emirates News Agency (WAM), April 2024; The National (2023).