Vehicles float within the water on Sept. 29 in Bonita Springs, Florida, after Hurricane Ian.
Sean Rayford | Getty Images
If you are planning to buy a used automotive within the subsequent few months, remember to examine for flood injury earlier than signing on the dotted line.
In the wake of widespread flooding throughout Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina final month because of Hurricane Ian, automobile historical past report web site Carfax now estimates that as much as 358,000 autos have been broken by flood waters. Some of those autos will find yourself being resold — already, 400,000 automobiles on the highway are water-damaged from previous flooding occasions.
“Flood waters cause all sorts of hidden damage, which can surface months later,” stated Teresa Murray, shopper watchdog with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.
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“You don’t want anything to do with a flooded vehicle, no matter whether the damage is disclosed and no matter what assurances you get from a seller,” Murray stated.
Flooded automobiles are ‘rotting from the within out’
Floodwaters can destroy — generally slowly — electronics, lubricants and mechanical techniques in autos. Corrosion can ultimately discover its solution to the automotive’s very important electronics, together with airbag controllers.
“The bottom line on these flood-damaged vehicles is they are literally rotting from the inside out,” stated Emilie Voss, spokesperson for Carfax.
“They might look fine cosmetically, but there can be mechanical, electrical, safety, and health issues that will show up down the road,” Voss stated.
Buyers ought to all the time examine a used automotive’s automobile historical past report to ensure they know what they’re shopping for, no matter when or the place they make the acquisition. Flooded automobiles usually find yourself on the market in locations removed from the place they initially have been broken.
Through companies like Carfax or the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck, you possibly can enter a automotive’s automobile identification quantity, or VIN, to see if there’s something in its historical past that is a pink flag. However, it’s possible you’ll not be capable to discover out the whole lot.
Not all titles will mirror flood injury
That’s as a result of not all flooded automobiles are recorded as such except an insurance coverage firm is concerned. When an insurer receives a declare and the automobile is totaled — that means the repairs would value greater than the automotive’s price — the automotive’s title usually is modified to mirror its standing.
Those ruined automobiles are usually offered at salvage auctions to junkyards and automobile rebuilders. Reselling them to shoppers could also be authorized if the title discloses the flood injury.
But not all automotive house owners file an insurance coverage declare. If they do not have complete protection — the a part of automotive insurance coverage that flooding would fall underneath — they’re usually out of luck on the subject of protection. This implies that with no insurance coverage firm involvement, the flood injury could not find yourself formally recorded anyplace.
“If you suspect a vehicle may have sustained flood damage, move on,” Murray stated.
There are issues you possibly can search for in a used automobile for that might counsel flood injury, in keeping with Carfax:
- A musty odor within the inside, which sellers generally attempt to cowl with a robust air-freshener
- Upholstery or carpeting that could be unfastened, new, stained or that does not match the remainder of the inside
- Damp carpets
- Rust round doorways, underneath the dashboard, on the pedals or contained in the hood and trunk latches
- Mud or silt within the glove compartment or underneath the seats
- Brittle wires underneath the dashboard
- Fog or moisture beads within the inside lights, exterior lights or instrument panel
Source: www.cnbc.com”