Flood Damaged Vehicles

Flood Damaged Cars Are In The News

There have been a lot of floods lately. 

In reality there are always annual floods and these floods result in a lot of vehicles that have been damaged by partial or full immersion.

Flood Titles and Salvage Titles

Depending on the State, a post flood vehicle may end up with a Salvage Title or a Flood Title.  Each State has their own laws and regulations associated with flood damaged vehicles and quantification of associated damage.

The Simple Answer

If you are considering purchase of a flood damage vehicle then research your State’s laws and regulations associated with water damage.  You must know precisely what the title information means.

Not So Simple Answer

Water Damaged Corvette on Craigslist

If the car you are considering has been water damaged then Please Exercise Extreme Care before you decide to buy the car.  Be sure and pull a CARFAX report.  Carfax is not the single answer but it may provide a history that will help you to get a better understanding of what happened to the vehicle.

Where Are The Problems

Flood damage vehicle restoration requires attention to detail.  Here is a link to a firm and their report concerning service of a Ford Focus in the UK that serviced the car.  This is very detailed and addresses their concerns and how they approached the problem.

Here are some key elements to consider:

• total submersion to just the floor pan
• fresh water or salt water
• contaminates in water
• was the car “dried out”

• were the connectors corrosion protected

 The Real Problem

Water Damaged Corvette on Craigslist

Electronics and connectors are the real problem.  Submersion of the chassis, engine, transmission, and drive train have historic repair procedures that absolutely work.

Electrical and electronic components, connectors, and wires are the real probmem.  Corrosion is defined as deterioration in metals by oxidation or chemical action.  Corrosion occurs because water gets into the wiring.  In a flood damaged car water will get into contact with the components and the wires.

If it is possible to disassemble the connectors, wires, and components and dry them out and then use a corrosion proofing product such as CorrosionX then corrosion will be reduced and possibly eliminated.

Water can migrate inside the wiring harness of a car.  If water gets into the wiring harness then the wiring harness may have to be replaced.  This is very expensive because some vehicle body wiring harnesses can approach $1,ooo and engine wiring harnesses in the range of $500.  If a vehicle requires harness replacement do not be surprised if you find that supplemental harnesses are required to connect to other parts and areas of the car.

Reality Check and Harsh Words

MSN Article has a very good assessment about flood damaged cars.  It is definitely worth review.

Personal Reality Check

Any vehicle that you are considering purchase should be considered suspect!  Flood damaged cars are not always identified as being flood and water damaged.  A very thorough inspection is essential.  A very thorough inspection by a vehicle technical inspection service or individual is essential.

Lots and Lots of Cars at Copart

Automotive Tribune has previously discussed Copart and the fact that they have a very significant presence in the automotive industry.  On a recent visit to Copart I picked up the flier that indicated 1200+ flood damaged vehicles were available in Atlanta.  Flood damaged cars included a Ford GT, 2008 Corvette, a new Audi, and a 2007 550S Mercedes just to name a few.

Flood Damaged Motor Coaches

I have inspected flood damaged motor coaches.  These can be particularlly difficult, if not impossible, to fix. 

Craigslist Flood Damaged Corvette

CORVETTE 1998 TRIPLE BLACK CONVERTABLE – $12000  I bought this car for my wife in 2000, we are the 2nd owners, it was a prior GM Lease, in 2001 my wife drove it in a flooded intersection and sucked water in the air intake, the insurance company replaced the motor and transmission, it has only had 10k miles since then, call me for additional details.  This triple black Corvette showed 9,661 miles on the odometer.

Bottom Line

Flood damaged cars are very suspect.  These cars are not recommended for the consumer that expects dependability of a normal vehicle.  Any new or used vehicle purchase needs to be made carefully!  Owning a flood damaged car can cost you thousands of dollars to repair and it is unlikely that the car can or will every be fully repaired if the car was totally submerged!