By
www.insure.com
When a car gets caught
in a flood, you might expect that once it dries out,
it simply sputters to the salvage yard. Think again.
Sometimes flooded cars
are totaled by an insurance company, sold through
auto-salvage auctions, shipped hundreds of miles away,
and cleaned up by dealers for resale. Fortunately, you
can avoid flood cars and the myriad problems lurking
beneath their hoods — if you know what to look for.
It doesn't take a
trained nose to recognize a flood-damaged car. If the
car doors have been closed and the car has been
sitting out in the sun, the interior will have a
strong musty odor. Bad odors are mainly due to
moisture-laden carpet padding. Unless the carpet is
removed and shampooed, the musty smell will never
fully disappear.
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Tips
for spotting a flood-damaged car
Check all gauges on the dashboard to look for
signs of moisture. Test all the dashboard
switches, including the lights, wipers, turn
signals, radio, heater, and cigarette lighter.
Flex wires under the dashboard. If the wires
crack, it likely has water damage.
Check for signs of rust in the interior of the
vehicle. Front-seat bolts tend to corrode quickly
and they're very visible. Look for signs of rust
in the trunk too, especially closely at the lower
part of the compartment, near the taillights.
Check for water lines in the carpeting. Look
closely at the kick panels in the front seat.
Water and silt have a tendency to collect in those
areas.
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However, not all flood
cars reveal their true nature by aroma. Unscrupulous
dealers will mask
water-damage smells with deodorants and the scent of
"fresh mountain air." If that's the case, warning
bells should sound in your head and you should look
for other signs of water damage.
Problems imminent
with flood cars
A flood-damaged car
doesn't always reveal its shortcomings right away.
Engine, transmission, and wheel and brake damage can
develop just weeks after you purchase your "new" car.
If the car was totally
submerged, it is wise to walk away from it. The
vehicle could have been in sewer water, sandy water,
or relatively debris-free water. Regardless, if water
seeped into the engine or transmission, long-term
problems are bound to crop up. For example, if the
water carried sand into the engine, misfiring and
blown gaskets could be just around the corner.
Additionally, submerged vehicles will often develop
electrical problems.
There is also a chance
you could get sick if you're driving a car that was
submerged in sewer water. Unless your dealer removed
the vehicle's carpet and padding and disinfected the
interior, high bacteria levels are possible.
Can they all
be bad?
Not all flood-damaged
cars are pariahs. You can still get a quality car if
it has been cleaned and restored properly. That
includes: removing the vehicle's interior, including
seats; removing the carpet padding and replacing it;
disinfecting the car; changing the seat foam and
shampooing the carpet; greasing all electrical
connections; and replacing any corroded wires or
components.
However, you want to
make sure that the vehicle has been repaired properly.
Take your car for a prepurchase inspection to a
reputable mechanic before buying a car that might
drown you in problems. Keep in mind that the car's
title will only show that it's been in a flood if it
was officially totaled by an insurance company.
Avoiding
Flood-Damaged Automobiles
The
Scam After the Storm? Consumers Can Be Taken for
a Ride in Resold 'Flood Cars'
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