When out on the hunt for a new car, one has to be on the lookout for sellers who are dishonest and unscrupulous. Living in an area well known for floods is a good example of a situation where you need to keep your wits about you, because there will likely be cars on the used car market that will be flood damaged.
The dishonest sales person will make great efforts to keep this fact from you. And while most sellers are on the up-and-up, some aren’t, and there is always the risk that you will run into one of them one day. So here are some helpful tips on things to look out for in cars that will give their flood damaged history away, making it look like it is worth buying. So without further ado, here is how to spot a flood damaged car. Each one of these individually might not mean that the automobile is flood damaged. But if you tick a whole bunch of these off, then you might have a flood damaged car on your hands.
Is It Priced Well Below Market Value?
If a vehicle has been damaged extensively in a flood, and it is now on sale. The seller is a scoundrel who isn’t telling you so. You may be able to tell by looking at the market value. If they want to get the vehicle sold on ebay as quickly as possible they will price it at much less of a cost.
Has the Carpet Board Warped?
Make sure to check the carpet board. If you can see that there has been warping, ask yourself: What causes wood to warp that way? Water damage! This is another one of the signs that this car might have been in a flood.
Are There Stains That Appear In Straight Lines?
These stains occur the same way that the rings appear around a bath tub in straight lines after having a bath. These don’t occur in any other circumstances except for flood damage.
Is There An Inordinate Amount Of Rust?
Minor rust is to be expected in your average used car. You will probably be used to finding this, and as long as it is the normal amount of rust for a machine of its age and mileage. You shouldn’t be worried. But if it’s of an excessive amount this could be a sign of problems related to flood damage. This is a problem that needs to be repaired at great cost.
Is there a damp smell in the vehicle?
Have a smell of the interior. If it is musty this is a warning sign that it is damp. If you put the car’s heating system on. You can check even further as to whether the automobile has moisture in it by seeing if there is condensation on the windows.
Is the Electrics Working Properly?
When a car is a victim of a flood, the likelihood is that the electrics will have suffered. The seller might have tried to fix these issues, but it is still a good idea to just check the lights and electric windows. Make sure that they are working properly.
Cars that have been flood damaged are at a higher risk of huge issues further down the road. One day you might find that the machine won’t start. It will be your loss if you end up buying it. Don’t forget to check the engine to make sure that there isn’t any rust or corrosion on it.
The bottom line is that you don’t want to be stuck with a vehicle that belongs in a salvage yard. Sure, it’s against the laws of the land for people to be dishonest when selling cars. But that doesn’t stop them. And if you buy one of these cars anywhere. Such as at an auction or from the auto wreckers in Perth, it will be harder to perform restoration on it, it will be harder to register and you won’t be able to get any insurance claim if it turns out that it was flood damaged.
