Flooding is a natural phenomenon which is said to occur when dry land is submerged by water, this tends to affect and submerge anything else along that path including parked cars, trucks and other vehicles.
Over the years humans have faced the harsh consequences of flooding. Flood list reports that “heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides in Abriagui municipality on 07 April 2022, destroying part of the EL Porvenir mine and workers campsite, killing 11 people and injuring 10. More people are also feared missing and the number could rise”
From 20th February 2022, a storm named Franklin caused many rivers to overflow their banks in England and thus resulting in a flood.
Surely flooding can also have a devastating effect on properties such as cars, flood waters can really damage any vehicle in its path.
How often do flood damage cars?
Most major cities in the United States are prone to flood, Arizona, California, Manhattan, Florida, New Orleans to mention but a few.
Cars are often damaged once flood occurs frequently driving through a flooded street or road can also result in damage.
Any geographical location in the world that experiences flooding is bound to have flood damage cars
How flood damage cars
Flooding gives the car the following bad traits:
- Funky Smell
- Corroded/rusty mechanical parts
- Short circuited battery
- Oil reservoir filled with water
- Damaged electrical parts
- Damaged electrical parts
- Discolored Upholstery
- Malfunctioning safety parts
Rest be assured that once a car has been affected by flood, it can never be the same again, if water got into the dashboard of the car, the car will continually deteriorate.
It gets worse if the flood is salt water; this is because salt water is highly corrosive.
What can I do if I get into flood?
Well, prevention they say is better than cure, listen to warnings as they are being issued by the authorities, and ensure your stay clear of areas that are likely going to be flooded.
Nonetheless if you are already caught up, here are some things you can do about it.
What can I do to my flood damaged car?
It’s a heartbreaking experience to have one’s car damaged by flood, there are certain dos and don’ts which I will like to share with you right now.
Firstly, wait for the waters to dry off, then tow your vehicle to a higher ground
Detailed Vehicle History encourages you to resist the temptation of turning on the ignition; this could do a great deal of damage to the car especially when water is in the engine. So what should you do?
Clean your car, use drying agents and dry your car, clean the upholstery.
File an insurance claim with your auto-insurance company
Get a good auto-mechanic to assess the extent of the damage, repair your vehicle so you can use it once again, however your car may likely never remain the same.
How to tell if a car is flood damaged while buying a used car
There are two major ways of determining if a vehicle was damaged by flood, the first method is physical/mechanical inspection while the second and most reliable is by running a VIN check.
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Physical/mechanical examination
During a physical examination we can check for the following:
Run a VIN check!
This is one of the cheapest and surest ways of confirming flood damage; a VIN check with Detailed Vehicle History arms a used car buyer with a vehicle history report.
This report will provide much information about the used car, including the timeline of usage and geographical location where it was used, as noted earlier, some places experience flooding more than other places.
Apart from helping you to know if your prospective car was damaged by flood, a vehicle history report arms you with the following information:
The title information
Fire and hail damage information
Depreciation analysis
Theft records
Insurance records
Maintenance information
Detailed vehicle history information
Airbag deployment and accident records
Previous owners
True mileage
Lien and loans records
Market value
