Posted on 10/01/2022 11:51:58 AM PDT by moovova
Thousands of cars are damaged or destroyed by floods every year, but don’t assume all those vehicles end up in a junkyard.
Some are repaired and resold in other parts of the country without the buyer being aware of the car’s waterlogged history. In fact, Carfax says were 378,000 flooded cars were back on the roads in 2021, and Hurricane Ian is certain to see many more damaged cars added to the high-demand used-car market. (snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at consumerreports.org ...
Water will wick up inside the wires a long, long ways. The water ends up inside of the sealed connectors at sensors and electronic controllers. Get ready for a lifetime of repair costs. It is NOT worth it.
“He said final bill was 25k”
Holy cow. I guess $90 for a new harness for my ‘79 XS 650 wasn’t bad.
Bear in mind that the damage isn’t limited to the electronics. Corrosion of the body/chassis, dirt and silt and crud get into the mechanicals and mold and mildew grow in the upholstery.
My friends daughter graduated from a state university and moved to Florida for her first job.
Her car was totalled this week due to flood waters.
chassis harnesses have sealed connectors. Body, IP, door not so much.
Got caught in bumper to bumper traffic during a hurricane in Houston around 1975. Had a ‘69 Ford Custom. The water kept rising until it was up to the bottom of my steering wheel. My buddy and I floated the car onto the where we thought the shoulder of the road was and waded home in waist deep water. After the waters receded, I went back and to my amazement the car started. I drove it a few miles home and disconnected the battery, opened all doors and let it dry out for a week or so. It had a jerky sort of drive thereafter and I took it to a service station, had the transmission fluid drained and replaced. Worked fine afterwards. Kept car for about 3 more years and another 100k miles with no problems. I guess I lucked out.
Salvage Titles don’t mean a thing in Arkan-saw. It was an old scam to rebuild totaled autos in Missouri, run them down into Arkansas and sell them through the auto auctions as “Abandoned autos”.
The buyers would then get a replacement Arkansas title showing the auto had never been wrecked.
Forty years ago almost every gas station and auto parts store had a large number of “Good Clean Used Cars For Sale!” all former wrecks.
Back in 1970, I had a wreck. Totaled the car and sold it to a junk yard dealer. A few weeks later that car was back on the road.
IN 1985, I was sideswiped and totaled the truck I was in. Again in a few weeks I saw that same truck back on the road.
Our company bought a brand new car off the dealer’s showroom for the boss to drive.
One day while walking by it I noticed the paint on the trunk and quarter panels was a very slightly different color from the rest of the car.
An inspection by the maintenance crew showed the car had at one time suffered significant rear end damage, repaired and sold as a new auto.
A few years ago my son was driving down a dirt road. He drove over a large patch of ice that turned out to be a four foot deep sinkhole.
Since he sucked water into the air intake he blew the engine.
Insurance was going to repair it until they found out he also got water into the HVAC system.
They totaled it.
Never buy a flood car.
“It’s hard to grasp what would happen to a Hybrid or an EV let alone all these electronic laden late model vehicles.”
The Simpsons already addressed that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_kioopGJtY
Saw video clips of vehicles trawling through high water this morning. Crazy.
Shout out to potential used car shoppers out there...beware!
After the waters receded, I went back and to my amazement the car started.
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https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/fascinating-engine-restoration-engine-under-the-sea-for-several-years.354495/
Well, I guess the engine wasn’t this bad....
Well there is a local place that sells repaired wrecks as I was going to buy a Honda Accord 2 door standard there till I found out that tidbit of info and they would issue a title stating it was salvaged which brings down the price a lot.
Rd later.
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