SAN ANTONIO — A flood watch remains in effect for South-Central Texas, including San Antonio, as repeated thunderstorms threaten life-threatening flash flooding over already saturated ground on July 14, 2026. Jake Calohan, assistant manager of Cambridge Auto Center, warned drivers that navigating large puddles during such conditions can lead to severe and costly vehicle damage.

Calohan said customers consistently bring vehicles to the shop with issues directly linked to driving through deep standing water. One common problem, he explained, is the loosening of the skid plate—a large plastic shield mounted underneath the car to prevent water from surging into the engine compartment. “Skid plates are just basically big pieces of plastic that go under the whole car to protect against water from going up over into the engine,” Calohan said.

The weight of water in large puddles can dislodge the skid plate, causing it to drag and scrape against the road surface. When vehicles are driven through water deep enough to submerge body panels, the risk of internal damage increases. “You’ve submerged that thing to the point of where the body panels are starting to get into the water,” Calohan noted.

Water intrusion becomes especially dangerous once it reaches door lines. “Your door lines get under the water, that’s when water starts coming in and starts killing all the computers or worst case scenario gets in your engine and kills it,” he said. One vehicle currently at Cambridge Auto Center requires a complete engine replacement after water entered the engine following a drive through a large puddle. “It’s here for a whole engine replacement because they drove through a big puddle and water went up over the top of their engine, got inside of it, and just ruined the engine,” he added.

Repairs from such incidents can cost thousands of dollars. Calohan emphasized that if a vehicle begins to shut off after passing through standing water, drivers should not attempt to force it forward. Continuing to operate the vehicle in that state, he warned, can exacerbate the damage.