Once you know what to look for, it's easy to spot a flood damaged car in Florida.
Posted on 09/19/2017 9:50:29 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
"After major hurricanes like Irma and Harvey, consumers looking to buy a used car need to beware of flood-damaged vehicles.
It's estimated more than a half-million will hit the market in coming months.( emphasis mine)
"There is a racket out there where people will buy these cars cheap from the auction, re-do them, and then try to pass them off as a reliable clean car,"
Toyota of Tampa Bay Service Director Gregg Willard said.
"As a dealer, I'm very worried, so as a consumer, you should definitely be worried."
Signs of Trouble Inside
"Trust your nose," Willard said. "If you smell mold or mildew in the car, it needs an extra look to see what's causing it."
If you smell mold or mildew, it's time to look for places unscrupulous resellers won't spend the money to fix.
"Things I like to do, I'll pull up the floor mats and rub my hand, cause there's padding underneath the carpeting. Is it wet? Is it damp?" Willard said demonstrating.
"If I feel moisture here, I'll start pulling up the plastic panels down the side and look for water marks or stains there."
It's also important to look under the seats for any brown stains or water stains on the foam padding.
Willard suggested holding a small mirror up under the seats to help you see better.
"That's very important, because it's one of the last places they think to clean," he said.
New carpeting in an older car is another telltale sign of flood damage.
It costs about $1,500 to replace carpeting in a car, so it's unlikely someone will do that, unless there is water damage."
(Excerpt) Read more at baynews9.com ...
IF these are being sold by owners or insurance companies after being declared “totaled”, that fact should be on the car’s bill of sale in the hands of the person trying to sell it to you. Require a Carfax on every used car you buy. That’s how I avoid cars from the north (salt damage) and coastal areas (salt in the breeze that sneaks in everywhere).
My imagination tells me that has to be pretty terrifying. I always felt that if the car stayed upright and floated, you might have a decent chance, but once it upends, your chances of survival probably plummet.
Makes me shudder to imagine it.
Once you know what to look for, it's easy to spot a flood damaged car in Florida.
There are diamonds in the rough. I bought a once salvage titled car with no defects. It’s always buyer beware and get it mechanically inspected and research the title.Every state and most insurance companies are different in handling flood vehicles and crashed vehicles.
Flood damaged cars are considered “totaled” by insurance companies if water gets in the inside. They will issue a “Salvage or Scrap” title and send it to the scrap yards in Missouri, the scrap yards will officially “destroy” the auto, but in reality they will clean it real well.
Several wrecked cars will be cannibalized to make one good looking car, then they will be run down into ARKANSAS where for $50 they will issue a brand new clean title showing the car has never been damaged.
I have been hit twice in Arkansas, once in a car, once in a truck, and the vehicles “totaled”. Sold the remains to a local junk yard, and a few days later noticed the damaged parts out behind the junk yard in the scrap pile. Then a few weeks later, I saw my vehicles being driven around town looking almost like new.
***They will be shipped out-of-state.***
Probably to Arkansas where for $50 dollars they can get a new title showing the car has never been damaged or flooded.
Was it a 2001 Honda Accord? Thieves with flatbeds and tow trucks just started rolling in and stealing cars after Sandy. We were lucky enough to catch an insurance agent on the street one day and he processed our claim. He said they would call in a week or so to set up pick up of the vehicle. They paid the claim and then called a week later to get the car. Problem was the car was gone. We didn’t have it and they didn’t have it. Caveat Emptor.
In 1981 I left the Air Force for two years to finish college so my then-fiance needed a car. Instead of waiting for me to visit her during Spring break she went home to Texas and her overbearing jerk of a father bullied her to get a car there and he pushed her into a used 1970s Datsun 210. The car was messed up and had aftermarket pinstripes.
When she got stationed near me I went ahead and opened up a rear inside panel to run some speaker wires and found about six inches of dried mud and a dealership stick-on from Florida. I then found the pinstripes covered where the sheet metal had been creased and the car repainted (badly).
The POS car had been a hurricane car from Florida. No Car Fax back then, heck, no computers either.
Generally good advice but he lost me on “It costs about $1,500 to replace carpeting in a car, so it’s unlikely someone will do that, unless there is water damage.” ,,, I can get carpet cut and molded to fit any car for under $150..
It may look 'like new', but I bet there might have been some structural damage.
The only protection for the consumer is to compare VIN # on parts, and/ or get a CARFAX.
Pull the heads. Pistons aren’t supposed to be rusty.
Carfax is no guarantee. Read their own disclaimer. I only buy new, so I should never have to worry about a flood damaged vehicle.
And since they are made of aluminum they won’t be.
And since they are made of aluminum they won’t be.
If you go to the dealer to get carpet yeah I can see $1500. And there are people stupid enough to do it.
News you can use!
The rings and rods aren’t.
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