After the flood: The fate of those cars trapped near Toronto’s Don River

Tammy and Wayne Chan were driving south on Bayview Avenue to meet friends for lunch on July 16, when the rain intensified and the water started rising.

“We thought we were okay. As we were going through, my husband said, ‘It’s impossible.’ We didn’t get out [of our car]. We were waiting for water to stop, but the rain did not stop,” said Tammy, who is retired. “We never anticipated that the Don River would be overflowing and throwing water onto the other side of the road.”

When they saw Global News reporter Sean O’Shea approach the vehicle, Tammy opened the door of their 2019 Volvo XC60 and the rising water moved into the cabin. They called 911, sought refuge at a nearby Audi dealership and waited for a tow truck to arrive. But police later blocked the road and the Chans returned home on public transit four hours later. After the water receded, Wayne returned to the scene only to find his vehicle and others nearby vandalized, with their windows smashed.

“It’s a complete write-off for the car. Even if they fixed it, I wouldn’t want to drive it,” Tammy said.

On that day, Toronto received more than a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, causing massive flooding and damage to property and vehicles. The Chans’ car was among about a dozen vehicles that were trapped on parts of Bayview and the Don Valley Parkway as the river overflowed its banks and flooded those arteries.

As climate change intensifies, insurance experts say we can expect more of the same.

“We know the frequency and severity of severe weather has been increasing across the country,” said Rob de Pruis, national director of consumer and industry relations at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). About 15 years ago, the insurance industry was paying out on average $700-million annually for severe weather across the country, according to de Pruis. “In 2022 and 2023, my industry was paying out over $3-billion in both of those years for severe weather damages.”

To protect used car buyers and ensure vehicles on the road are safe, Canada has mandatory rules to identify and label as “salvage” or “irreparable” cars that have been severely damaged by fire, collision or flood. Every province or territory keeps track of irreparable vehicles. In Ontario, for example, it’s under the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Depending on the amount of damage, the car can either be repaired and put back on the road or deemed a total loss and written off. That vehicle can only be sold for parts or scrap.

Fellow Torontonian Paul Tang, 54, had a similar experience to the Chans that day, but he wasn’t driving his 2020 Range Rover Evoque. It was parked at Grand Touring Automobiles’ dealership in Toronto for servicing after receiving a recall notice. It was flooded in the parking lot.

“Their excuse is reasonable. On the day of the storm, they sent everyone home … By the time they got to the flooded car, it was too late,” said Tang, an architect, who expressed frustration that his car was damaged because he’d taken it in for a recall and the dealer’s lot flooded.

Grand Touring Automobiles, which said seven cars on its property were damaged, isn’t responsible for the flooding, de Pruis said. “Even though your vehicle is in the care [or] custody of someone else, a repair shop or dealership, your personal vehicle would be [the] first payer of damages. The repair shop is not legally liable for the damage from hail or storm.”

Photos show more than a dozen cars in the Grand Touring lot with water at least past the bumper, although it is unclear how many of those cars belong to the dealership.

“The storm caught all of us by surprise … capping the wettest seven days in over 100 years in Toronto. We are fortunate that the majority of our cars were spared,” said Paul Cummings, dealer principal and chief executive officer at Grand Touring Automobiles. “We are currently working with all stakeholders and our insurance provider to address the next steps [for the damaged cars].”

There are numerous car dealerships along the southern part of the Don Valley River and we contacted three that are in low-lying areas. We reached out to three sales managers at Audi Downtown Toronto, where the Chans sought cover, and no one responded. Mercedes-Benz, which has its downtown dealership just up the road from Audi, said there was “no flood damage.” Lexus, which is next to Mercedes, also said there was no damage.

Lou Trottier, a Globe Drive contributor and owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga, has had many customers asking about damage to flooded vehicles recently.

“My rule of repair is if your feet are wet, you likely have problems because there’s a whole bunch of computers that sit under your feet, especially under the passenger side,” he said. “Assuming your feet aren’t covered in water, there’s a reasonable chance that the manufacturer’s shielding did a good enough job to keep the water out.”

Yet even if the vehicle seems fine in the immediate aftermath, de Pruis warned that water damage can corrode electrical components over time, leading to short circuits, vehicle fires or electronic components that can stop working.

“Today’s vehicles are so technologically advanced and utilize computer chips and microprocessors for many features on a vehicle. Once these are compromised, it can affect the safety of the vehicle when it’s on the road. It affects not only you as a driver but everyone else on the roadways, including pedestrians and buildings,” de Pruis said.

Unfortunately some of those vehicles could still be resold to unsuspecting buyers and end up on the road again.

People may try to sell a damaged vehicle in the interval between when the insurance company finds out and when it shows up in the database branded “irreparable,” de Pruis said.

Further, if there’s no insurance claim made, because the vehicle was uninsured or the owner declined some coverage on an older vehicle, there would be no formal record of a vehicle being branded irreparable.

“The key point is buyer beware. Do your research. Utilize the tools you have available and use common sense. If something seems highly unusual, it might be,” advised de Pruis.

Consumers should look for signs of water damage. Sometimes you can actually see a water line or a distinct dirt line on the door or dash. If the car has a mouldy, musty or mildewy smell, that’s another red flag, said de Pruis.

To protect yourself, he suggests using third-party reports such as Carfax, which provide the vehicle’s history and information on damages, repairs or comprehensive claims. He says you can also conduct a vehicle information number (VIN) search through a provincial registry and use the IBC’s Vin Verify tool, a free website to see whether a vehicle has been branded irreparable. Getting a vehicle inspection from a mechanic is also a wise move to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive.

As for Tang, Insurance deemed his car a write-off. Fortunately he purchased extra coverage that covers the original purchase price of his 2020 Evoque including taxes and fees. He says he is thinking about taking the money and not getting a new car.

When Wayne Chan went back to his vandalized Volvo later that Tuesday evening, he was relieved that the thieves weren’t able to break into the trunk. He removed his valuables, called the police and returned home, leaving his car there.

When he contacted the police in the morning, they said it had been towed to an impound lot. Insurance adjusters reviewed the damage and deemed it a write-off. The Chans received current market value for their car and aren’t sure what kind of car they are going to buy next.

How to spot a flood-damaged car

Last month, Consumer Reports published an article with how to detect water damage. Here are some telltale signs:

• Inspect the carpets to see whether they show signs of having been waterlogged, such as smelling musty or having caked-on mud. Brand-new carpets in an older vehicle may be another red flag.
• Check the seat-mounting screws to see whether there’s any evidence that they were removed. To dry the carpets effectively, the seats must be removed and possibly even replaced.
• Inspect the lights. A visible waterline may still show on the lens or reflector.
• Inspect the difficult-to-clean places, such as gaps between panels in the trunk and under the hood (such as behind the engine), for mud and debris. A waterline around the engine compartment is a clear indicator of flooding.
• Look on the bottom edges of brackets or panels where grime wouldn’t normally settle.
• Look at the heads of any unpainted, exposed screws under the dashboard. Bare metal will show signs of rust in flooded cars.
• Check to see whether the rubber drain plugs under the car and on the bottom of doors look as if they have been removed recently. That may have been done to drain floodwater.
• Check engine oil. The water mixed into the oil can create an odd, milkshake appearance.
• Check the air filter. Water would cause the cardboard frame for the filter to look textured and soggy.