Floods have drenched much of the United States recently. Unfortunately, flood-damaged vehicles can be hard to spot. Knowing the signs can help.
Here are a few ways to determine if a used car is a clean machine or a juicy lemon.
The quickest way to sniff out whether or not a car has flood damage is to literally sniff it. It's difficult to completely rid a flood-damaged car of its moldy aroma, and mildew formation is a sure sign that the car was exposed to significant amounts of water. This unpleasant smell is a helpful clue for prospective buyers. If you smell the mold right away, you're probably looking at a flood-damaged car. If you aren't quite sure, however, close the windows and doors, sit inside, and give it a good long sniff.
Along with your sense of smell, your sense of touch is important to sensing moisture in a used car. Water from flooding tends to collect in locations even the dealer may miss.
Run your hands along the carpet and pat it in different spots to try to locate moisture. If you're able, peel back the carpet to see if you can feel moisture between the carpet and the car body. You may also see other signs of water damage, such as rust, by looking under the carpet.
Be sure to open the trunk and feel around the carpet there. Take out the spare tire and feel the material underneath. This is a location where water tends to collect, and it can be missed during even the most thorough of preparations for the lot.
Corrosion is a common affliction in flood-damaged cars. The damage you see today isn't the only ramification of rust: Corrosion continues to eat away at materials long after the car is dry.
Rust and corrosion are often visible. Look for signs of corrosion on metals both inside and out. If you see rust on screws, door hinges, hood springs, trunk latches or brackets under the dashboard, for example, you know those metals had significant contact with water.
Open the doors and look at where the door meets the body. Corrosion often occurs in that corner. In fact, check all four doors, including the bottoms, inside and out.
Another clue is the quality of the carpet. If the vehicle is 10 years old but the carpet looks new, be suspicious. If the upholstery doesn't appear to match, with sections that are a different color, faded, newer or with patterns that don't line up, then someone may have removed water-stained patches. Loose carpet also requires further scrutiny.
While a car is sitting (or floating) in a flood, the water carries in all manner of debris, such as grass, dirt, sand and silt. When the water level recedes, the water itself may be gone, but much of the debris remains. It's difficult for someone cleaning a car to remove all of it.
When examining a used car, you'll want to look in the places where mud and grass may remain after a flood. These include the following areas:
- inside and under the glove compartment
- engine crevices
- the trunk
- under the spare tire
- under the dashboard
- below seats and in seating tracks
- in wheel wells
Even a used car is an investment, and you don't want to buy a damaged car that will cost you tons of money in the long run. If after your own inspection you still aren't sure the car is completely dry, hire an expert.
Posts
