Hello,
Apologies if this has been asked previously. We are currently on flood alert in parts of Gloucestershire (yeh I know we are also in a drought)......
Just in case I do encounter any floods in the next week or so in my Panda 4x4 does anyone know of it wading depth? It has raised height so it is more than an average car. Anyone have any ideas?

Theoretically, up to the lower part of the front badge, since the air intake is located right next to it.

Not sure I'd chance it, though.

I don't think there's a published, official wading depth but as KozmoNaut says, the air intake is at the level of the upper part of the front grill. Now, establishing a bow wave can actually improve the wading depth but if the bow wave breaks then the engine can be hydrauliced.
Don't know about the door seals, though. I suspect sustained wading in water above the sills would result in a flooded interior.

If water reaches the grill, then the engine will die - simple as that. And as a 'bow wave' technique is generally recommended (ie: higher at the front of the wave, with a low point behind it, by the engine), that would be curtains for a Panda.

But if you're stuck and have to cross a flood, stop, open bonnet and unclip the airbox completely and push to one side. Air intake us now much further back and higher too, saving the engine from nasty damage. Lack of air filter won't hurt for a few yards. When through the flood, stop again and reverse the process. Like this, you could ford something as high as the top of the bonnet using Bow Wave technique, but doors will probably leak. Badly!

I think you need to consider some other factors than just the location of the engine's air intake. For example, the spark plug connections are lower down than that, and they wont take kindly to being submerged.

More importantly, there's a breather on top of the gearbox, and if that gets below the water level you run the risk of getting water in there, which won't do it any favours.

Its because of things like this that Landrover declare the wading depth of the Defender model as 'just' 500mm -- even though the air filter is way higher than that. You will often see them with 'snorkels' to let them go much deeper, but as well as the snorkel, the owners (should) have also added waterproof plugs to the diff housing breathers, the gearbox case and so on to allow them to wade up to the height of the bonnet.

Realistically, I would say for the Panda, you don't really want to have water higher than the door cills unless it really cannot be avoided. But hey, that's still pretty deep...

Oh, look what I found here: http://www.um.co.za/specifications/fiat_panda_1_2_climbing_4x4_(2007).aspx

Says there 235mm (about 9 inches)... but it also says boot capacity is zero, so not sure how accurate the info is!

I agree with you Pete, I guess I was more thinking about what to do in a situation where you can't turn back but are faced with deep water and need a guage, in every sense!

I had a Discovery for years that had snorkel and all the breathers raised to above roofline and that was certainly a good wader. I even went to the effort of fitting special door seals to prevent ingress of wet stuff when going in properly deep. Whilst on holiday in Exmoor we came across Tar Steps, an ancient river crossing with ford and as it had been raining very hard for days, we stopped before proceeding, as it looked prettty daunting. A group of folks were there looking at a steaming Series3 sat the other side and said that they had just been across in that (they'd walked back to our side over the old Tar Steps). Faced with that seemingly "successful'' crossing, I thought I'd give it a go. The water was actually very deep and the upstream side came up to the bottom of the drivers window and the car started to become partly bouyant at the front, so deep was the poxy water. We made it though, much to my relief and a huge cheer from the owners of the Series3. Seems they'd not actually made it at all and had been pulled out by a Tractor, having suffered full hydraulic lock and trashed the engine.

Sure wouldn't try that in the Panda, but a decent headlight-level bow wave crossing (with airbox unclipped) if it was life and death. I'd consider.

You absolutely do not want to generate a bow wave with an intake at the front. Exceedingly slowly is the only way here.

I think i read something in an AA leaflet about deep water... I seem to remember them recommending disconnecting the engine fan, then fording at a slow speed, whilst keeping the engine RPM high by slipping the clutch, to try and prevent backflow down the exhaust.

I would not go higher than the front bumper in water, unlike one of my work friends who drove his Lotus into some water (one of the roads from Oxford) & had some coming into the car as it went over the bonnet. At the moment just the internal fan is not working.

I wouldn't go above the sills myself tbh! Water tightness isn't fiats strong point.

I took the 100hp Wading recently by accident not relising how deep the puddle in the road was that must have been upto the foglights on the 100hp and the only problem was the engine was trying to die soo slipping the clutch and keeping revs high for the win!!

Trying to get home last night in deepest North Yorkshire I was confronted by a flood under a railway bridge not far from home. The top of a standard 500mm traffic cone was just (and I mean just!) visible. There was a broken down car on the far side so decided not to 'risk it for a biscuit'. Took a considerable detour including 4 miles of Forestry Commission tracks to get home.

On arrival my wife's Panda 4x4 was already there having got home earlier. She had come via the aforementioned railway bridge. "How much of the traffic cone was visible" I enquired, "Oh only the very top" she replied!

So there's your answer 500mm same as a Defender!:shakehead:

Agree that caution is the wisest option.

I have in the past bought cars that have seen minor flood damage - engine not immersed and everything running fine.
Over the following few months, a whole stack of electrical gremlins showed up. We fixed each one as it occurred, but the experience taught us to avoid cars that had been through floods.
You might easily get through a foot or so of floodwater, but the wash under and around the car can hit the electrics which then corrode at a fast rate.

Not worth the candle. Take the detour instead.

Have a standard Multijet diesel 2005 Panda .Absolutely EATS floods ! Sometimes the limiting factor becomes the windscreen wipers coping with 'bow wave' .Phenomenal little cars .