Sunk the minivan! NEW PIC

[PowerTrike]

Last weekend my parents went out on a nearby lake to do a little ice fishing with friends. My old man got lost on the way off somehow and hit a channel with thin ice. It went down fast. Everyone got out alright (I wasn't there) Next day we had to hire a vehicle recovery team with a diver to haul er out. The Caravan's totaled but luckily it had full coverage insurance and should be covered. What a mess! Supposedly its not worth being repaired, having sat under freezing water for a night.

Anybody else have any "thin ice" stories?

[x.system]

I don't think the insurance company is going to cover that if they find out it was on a lake. I know it wouldn't be covered in michigan, might be different where you are.

[HemiChallenger71]

I was going to say what X said, good luck with the insurance company covering it.

I RODE over open water (hydroplaned) with my 350X christmas day 2002, I didn't have any brakes so I came upon open water, about 12-16ft. wide to both sides of the canal, WOT in 6th gear and held it. I instantly slowed down a lot when I hit the water, but made it across to the other side. The back tire of the bike cought the edge of the ice, and flipped me off and the bike over several times. I bent my handle bars and that's it and rode home. Interesting to say the least.

[jeswinehart]

sure glad every body got and all is well PowerTrike. that had to be some very tense moments,,, wow !
a truck went thru the ice sevral years ago here in home town and they were coverd for every thing ,,, recovery cost and for the totaled vehical.
( insurance companys will total a submerged vehical in a heart beat cause of the eletronics/liabilty aspect end of it )
one thing wasn't covered though ,,, the sterio that was added to the truck.
a couple of my dive buddys recovered a stolen montecarlo from a ohio quarry. bought it for a dollar from the insurance company while it was still on the bottom in bowling green, ohio. they got it dried out and running and made a tremendious profit from the sale of it.

again ,,, glad everybody made it safely to shore.

john

[mymint87]

seems to me if ya replace the ECM. you should be back in business

[Red Rider]

ECM? Electronic CounterMeasures? That must be one high-tech minivan.

[yamaha225dx]

electronic control module = ECM

I would have to disagree that if you replace it that everything would be fine. once a vehicle is submerged in water (newer vehicles) the condensation never leaves, the wires corrode and cause all sorts of havac with the electrical system.... I have seen it and as John said most insurance companies total it out because of liability. I.E. air bag might not go off because of corroded wires causing extra resistance

[junjun01]

electronic control module = ECM

I would have to disagree that if you replace it that everything would be fine. once a vehicle is submerged in water (newer vehicles) the condensation never leaves, the wires corrode and cause all sorts of havac with the electrical system.... I have seen it and as John said most insurance companies total it out because of liability. I.E. air bag might not go off because of corroded wires causing extra resistance
Right On The Money....Once All The Electronics Gets Wet, They Never Get Normal...Have Seen It Many Times...This One Camry Keeps says That There Was Something Wrong With The Air bag...Because The Car Was Underwater,They Never Recover From That

[PowerTrike]

Yeah I've heard of many older carberated vehicles and snowmobiles that have went under being fixed and back in action again. But yeah all the electronic crap is messed up and the interior smells. lol. If it was me I might buy it back from the insurace and try to part it our for a little more but my parents don't want to mess with it. As far as insurance goes I was really suprised but I think they are going to come through and pay fer everything. I'll try to get some of the emabarrassing recovery photos I took up later when they are developed!!

[Howdy]

Hmmm, I am reading this thread and thinking evil thoughts towards my P.O.S. van. I couldn't do that though. ( I say that as I am looking for a lighter ). lol

Howdy

P.S. What type of van was it?

[junjun01]

P.O.S ?? :rolleyes: :oops: ...What's That? :oops:

[Howdy]

P.O.S ?? :rolleyes: :oops: ...What's That? :oops:

That is short for Peice of Sh**. ;)
Howdy

[junjun01]

Oh.........Funny! :oops: :-D :oops: :-D

[PowerTrike]

Hmmm, I am reading this thread and thinking evil thoughts towards my P.O.S. van. I couldn't do that though. ( I say that as I am looking for a lighter ). lol

Howdy

P.S. What type of van was it?

:D lol Howdy. Hope ya get yer tranny situation fixed asap!

The sinker was a 99 Dodge Grand Caravan. Another emabarassing thing is that its my moms small business company vehicle and it had our Phone # and business (Fisher Signs) decals on the back window... cheap avertising for the onlookers watching it get pulled out i guess :rolleyes:

[AirManCam]

Not true about the electronic stuff. :rolleyes: I race snowmobiles and they are all digital and they are fine as long as you shut the motor off. Also you want to kill all electricty. ;)

[PowerTrike]

A pic of the recovery.

[junjun01]

More Pics Please!! :-D :-D

[smokinwrench]

I'm not from up north and I don't no crap about the ice, but it seems kinda stupid that if your van fell through the ice to take a heavy ole wrecker out there not to mention the other vehicles.

How do you know when it is safe to go on the ice?

Is there some kind of (ice tester) that says its safe?

How long can a scuba diver stay down in freezing water?

I'm not trying to be rude, just curious.

Josh

[yamaha225dx]

airmancam,
I think that automobiles have more: 1. carpet that retains water and keeps wiring damp longer. 2. modules that get corrosion on their terminals which creates excess corrosion. 3. are inclosed and not able to dry out as easily as a snowmobile.

At the technical college that I got my Automobile Technology degree at we had several water damaged vehicles... needless to say after a year or so they were useless because of the modules being shot and numerous other electrical issues. not to mention they stunk inside because of the mold starting unde the carpet.

[BigGreenMachine]

I don't know bout anyone else but the open ice on the bottom of the picture would have been warning enuf to stay away from that part of the ice.

You check the thickness of the ice with an axe or an auger(big handpowered drill). Thats the easiest way.

A scuba diver in an ordinary wetsuit wouldn't last long.

[Dan Tenn]

http://www.almanac.com/edpicks/safeicethickness.html

Here in Minnesota on the mighty miss, I normally wait till theirs at least 8 inches before I will take a vehicle on the ice. The thing with rivers is that the water under the ice is always moving, and the thickness of the ice can change depending upon the current in the area. Just have to be more aware of driving on rivers versus lakes. Lakes on occasion have natural springs that will have thin ice near them also. These are very dangerous also. Just remember drive with windows down and hold the door open in case you need to make a quick escape.

[ATC crazy]

I'm not from up north and I don't no crap about the ice, but it seems kinda stupid that if your van fell through the ice to take a heavy ole wrecker out there not to mention the other vehicles.

How do you know when it is safe to go on the ice?

Is there some kind of (ice tester) that says its safe?

How long can a scuba diver stay down in freezing water?

I'm not trying to be rude, just curious.

Josh

I agree with your first paragraph...

Usually, the ice is safe to walk on at 4" thickness (6 for me :D )
I would personally, not drive on the ice unless it was a good 2' thick or more :?

[AirManCam]

Crazy, an inch of ice over still water can hold up to around 250-300 lbs. I wouldnt chance it that much....but. I have seen people park there sleds on the edge of ice and theres water 10 feet away to go to the bar. I would laugh if they come back all drunk and be like weres our sleds :D

[PowerTrike]

The incident happened at NIGHT, thats why they couldn't see the channel and by the time they did it was too late. My parents were unfamilar with the lake and got a little lost. The rest of the ice is safe. Ice thickness can vary from place to place and an area with any kind of current in the water is dangerous. As for the recovey team, they are professionals and they have supposedly recovered over 100 vehicles icluding quads, sleds, cars, trucks, and even an airplane w/o sinking a single vehicle of their own. 2 weeks after this incident another car went in on the same exact channel and a snowmobile earlier this season. The lake is in my opionion poorly marked.