Repairs for cars which have been submerged in floodwaters may require at least two weeks and RM10,000 in repairs, according to the Johor Automobile Repairmen’s Association, The Star reports.
Last week, the southern state was once again inundated by flash floods, resulting in the evacuation of 1,591 victims in four districts to 21 relief centres (PPS) as of the morning of March 1.
Flood victims with water-damaged vehicles should be prepared for a longer wait to have their vehicles repaired as the market is facing a shortage of workers and spare parts, said the association’s chairman Ku Chong Sin. Many parts of Johor are still experiencing floods, and cars are expected to be towed into workshops in the next few days, depending on when the flood waters recede.
“Cars that have been submerged will usually have electronics damage, engine problems and foul odour apart from scratches and dents to the external body. It costs a big sum of money to fix if the insurance does not cover floods,” Ku told The Star.
Based on past experience, some owners of flood-affected vehicles would choose to sell their water-damaged cars instead of paying substantial sums of money to get them repaired, Ku said. There has also been a shortage of vehicle spare parts since the Covid-19 pandemic due to supply chain disruptions, and the situation has yet to improve much even after travel restrictions were lifted last year, he added.
“The weaker ringgit is one of the factors causing the shortage as we cannot compete with other countries in the acquisition of spare parts, which are already quite limited in the market,” Ku said. The matter is compounded by a shortage of skilled manpower, as many have left to seek different opportunities in Singapore, Ku added.
Consumers are advised to add flood coverage for their vehicle insurance, said Universiti Teknologi Malaysia school of mechanical engineering senior lecturer Muhamad Hasbullah Padzillah. “With the unpredictable weather and floods happening quite often these days, it is wise to spend a bit more on vehicle insurance to avoid having to fork out a bigger amount when hit by a natural disaster,” Hasbullah said.
Owners of flooded vehicles are also advised to resist the urge to start the flooded vehicles immediately after flood waters recede, because this could cause further damage. “If the soiling is more than 10 cm above ground, it is better to have the car towed to the workshop because a wet gearbox and engine, leading to hydrolock, can damage the vehicle further,” he said.
Here, we have also compiled a selection of rates from insurance providers for Special Perils coverage, where the additional costs as of March 2022 were found to be between 0.15% t 0.50%, from company to company. As the weather of late continues to bring rain, the additional coverage brings welcome peace of mind. Have you added to yours?
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Pity & Hopefully you all can make your claim from the previous Environmental Man who state Malaysia is not a Climate Vulnerable Country back in 2021 and then go dishing out Direct Negotiation Tender for Flood Mitigation Projects here and there while approved but little to no work carried out.
Guess its relax la Bro project already given to Crony who simply do work while parts of the sum goes into some others bank account as found recently.
Can we add this peril coverage on existing insurance which have not expired yet? or we can only add this peril for new renewals only? someone pls enlighten me