Fords (of the watery kind)

[Dave.tam]

So, there's this lovely little pub in Eynsford, which has a crystal clear stream/brook running by it, with a tiny humpback bridge that has a ford beside it.

I've seen numerous vehicles of all descriptions use the ford, and I've always wanted to drive through it myself but never had the bottle lol

It's about a foot deep at the deepest point.

What are your ideas on whether I should drive through or not?!

I'm a little dubious as I drove my Zafira VXR though a large puddle once and got water in the air intake

Reasons not to drive through on a postcard please.

 

[WDB124066]

Does the Owner's Manual say anything about this type of thing?

 

[Rosso1]

My brother had a old cottage there the church is opposite you can drive through it but i guess if its above your car skirts i would leave it to another time.

 

[brucemillar]

This depends almost entirely on whom is in the audience when you attempt it.

Good looking nymphs that are looking at you like you are their next meal? I would suggest that you delay your entrance in favour of the nymphs. Thereby avoiding any humiliation when you have to roll up your trousers and get out for a paddle. You will probably be wearing black socks and have ivory white spindly legs. Never a good look.

A coach party of tourist who look unlikely to be able to chase after you on foot. Go for it at full speed.

 

[lisa110rry]

I'd go for it in my Honda, not the little green car though.

 

[st13phil]

I know it well. Used to have outings to the Pied Bull years ago when I lived in Bexleyheath. Do they still have the Boxing Day bike meeting there?

I used to drive through the ford there when the water level was low - just keep the speed down - but would avoid it in a modern car unless you really need to go through it. The air intakes on modern MB cars are normally at top of radiator grill level, so if the water's deep enough to ingest it through the air intake you've probably got a bigger problem However, catalytic converters sometimes don't respond to thermal shocks very well, and that's what cold water + hot exhaust system equals.

 

[Ted]

Ignore them all.
I'm sure I read somewhere that the w205 has a wading depth of 5 feet.

You'll be fine.

 

[Simon_M]

No No No! I had a mare at that very ford!

I bizarrely decided one winter to try and rinse off all the winter salt from the under side of my C63 by driving through that ford. The depth indicator showed around 1ft so in I went. Think about it more carefully than I did, 12 inches would be pretty much up to the axles on 20" wheels, where are your axles in relation to exhausts and bottom of the doors, any fog lights and electrical connectors such as parking sensors that low down? Plus wheel bearings etc.

The trick to not stalling in a ford is to keep the revs up to stop water getting inside the exhausts and cats, when I heard water bubbling away at the exhausts I shat myself and booted it - the resulting bow wave came fully up over the bonnet to the wipers.

Lord knows how, but I did not cause any lasting damage that I was aware of. But other cars with lower air intakes do die in ford - colleague wrote off his Ford S-Max in one that was less that 10 inches.

Unless it is 6 inches or you have an ML - don't do it, trust me.

S

PS Pub's good though!

 

[DSM10000]

A friend drove his first company car (Peugeot 306 Diesel) through a ford, the air intake sucked up the water and caused a hydrostatic lock wrecking the engine.

To add insult to injury an ancient Mini drove around him and out the other side as he sat stranded.

 

[Chrishazle]

I've helped push a stalled car out of that ford - in the late 1950's, my late father's Austin 10!!

Would not try it in either of my current cars.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Go for it Dave. You only live once. And you'll be getting Mustang soon Anyhow's.

Ant.

 

[st13phil]

when I heard water bubbling away at the exhausts I shat myself and booted it - the resulting bow wave came fully up over the bonnet to the wipers.

Haha, must have been quite a show

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

I think the depth is about four inches....I have seen ducks swimming...and the water only reaches breast height.......go for it

 

[BTB 500]

As a kid in the 60s we used to hang around by the ford through the river Ash in Shepperton waiting for cars to get stuck. Then motorists would pay us to push them out

 

[Simon_M]

Haha, must have been quite a show

 

[neilrr]

I drive through a local ford all the time when it's about 12-14 inches. Going slowly minimizes the bow wave.

When it's rained a bit I drive around it.

 

[Dave.tam]

I'm too scared! I'll use the bridge lol

 

[John]

I know that Eynsford Ford well.

When I had my first car, Opel Manta 2.0 GTE back in 1994, I attempted to drive through it with a friend late on a very late Sunday night (thankfully, so no audience) when we were just driving around for the fun of it.

Having no experience and being 18, of course you just go for it.

Went in far too quickly, albeit I didn't know that was the case, and created a huge bow wave and promptly stalled.

Car refused to start so we sat there. Water was over the bottom of the doors (this car was lowered mind) so I opened the window to get out that way thinking I was clever. Jumped out over onto the paving stones which run aside the bridge and of course I didn't realise they would be wet and slippery from the algae etc.

Landed on my feet only to slide and land straight on my **** in the wet.

Oh f-ing great.

Then a cop car turned up with male and female cops - both finding the situation amusing and just left us to it suggesting we spray some WD40 on various areas. Of course nothing was open at that time and I had no breakdown.

So we just waited until eventually, I tried it and it started TFFT.

Able to drive out and all was fine.

Only to then come up against a flood road later on that year - thought I would take it slowly this time but of course I didn't go fast enough. Stalled again.

At least I knew I only had to wait for whatever it was to dry out...

Lucky I didn't kill the engine really.

 

[poormansporsche]

Many years ago I was told by the copper that caught me speeding through Eynsford that if ever they are called to assist a stranded motorist facing away from the pub, first thing they do is pull out the breathalyzer !

 

[John]

I was headed in the direction of the pub...

(It's very difficult to jump onto the adjacent paving slabs by the bridge from the passenger side window!)