American car-restoration blogger Rich Benoit attempted to revive a seawater-damaged Audi e tron after a hurricane, using an unconventional drying method that drew wide attention in the auto scene. The project began after Benoit acquired a salvage Audi e tron with a stated range of 2.6k miles at a Copart auction, a marketplace known for selling damaged and non-operational vehicles. The car did not respond to power, so the plan centered on removing residual moisture that could short the electronics and hamper starting attempts. The approach involved placing the vehicle inside a custom enclosure filled with a large quantity of rice that had surpassed its shelf life. The box was crafted to be hermetically sealed with a waterproof covering to prevent moisture from entering or escaping during the drying process. The goal was to draw out humidity from critical components while minimizing further damage to sensitive systems.
After several days, the rice sediment was removed and the Audi began to respond enough to be started, allowing it to move again under its own power. Nevertheless, the vehicle continued to display a multitude of error codes, signaling ongoing malfunctions across various control modules and electrical subsystems. This outcome underscored the inherent risk of attempting to resurrect water-submerged modern EVs with improvised drying techniques, as lingering corrosion and degraded seals can produce intermittent or persistent faults that a simple drying method cannot fully resolve. (Source: Drive)
In a separate regional incident, news emerged about a resident in Irkutsk who died in a fire while trying to save a car from a burning garage, highlighting the dangers associated with automotive emergencies and the importance of safety-first responses in crisis situations.