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How to Check and Avoid Buying Flood Damaged Cars

By Paul Coles

Have you ever noticed just how erratic weather conditions can be nowadays? Storms happen when there should be dry weather while rainy seasons usually end up in floods and mass destruction. Due to this changing weather patterns, a lot of people are caught unaware ending up with them having to deal with damaged properties and loss of lives.

One such property that tends to get affected a lot by storms and the consequent floods is your car. Because of the rise in the number of flood damaged cars, a number of unscrupulous individuals have taken it upon themselves to prey on unsuspecting consumers on the look out for second-hand cars and sell these flood damaged cars. Most flood damaged cars are refurbished through a process called title washing. That means, their titles are changed and the cars sold to unsuspecting buyers in distant states.

Electrical and mechanical problems can surface later, long after the seller is gone and leaving you, the new owner with no recourse.

How Do I Tell if a Car Is Damaged by Flood Water?

One of the ways which you can tell and avoid getting flood damaged car is to check your car’s history report. Since, oftentimes, sellers would move this car around a lot in an effort to hide the car’s history, you can start your check with VINCheck, Carfax or Autocheck. They can provide you with details such as whether a car has bee damaged by flood, was stolen, or has been given a salvaged title including the states it has been registered in.

It is also recommended that you have your car checked by your auto repair service center. A musty odor as well as discolored carpet and seat coverings are tell-tale signs of water damage. A used car with brand-new upholstery is also a warning sign, as a seller may have tried to remove the flood damaged upholstery altogether.

Check also if the undercarriage has flaking metals or if there is suspicious dirt build-up in unusual places.

A number of centers providing auto repair would also tell you that dysfunctional wipers, cigarette lighters, radio, and air conditioner can be indicative of a water-logged system. This can also be the case if you are having a hard time making the warning light as well as the gauges work.

However, all is not lost. Many auto repair centers have mechanics that specialize in the repair and maintenance of flood damaged cars but you might want to check first if repairs and maintenance would cost you more than purchasing a new car. My best car buying tip to avoid a flood damaged car is, if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

how to check and avoid buying a flood damaged car

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