Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) Storm Center | By Leslie Hudson
Cars that are damaged from flooding during natural disasters are being sold nationwide at an alarming rate. Carfax, the vehicle history reporting website estimates more than 450,000 cars were damaged in tropical flood waters last hurricane season, that’s about 50,000 more flooded cars from the 2022 hurricane season.
So far the 2024 hurricane season has brought widespread flooding across the southeastern part of the country. And thousands of cars have been irreparably damaged from flood waters.
In Florida, CarFax estimates up to 20,000 flood-damaged cars are currently on the road and unbeknownst to thousands of drivers. That number will only rise this year..long before Debby, Beryl and Alberto came calling to the United States.
How to Spot a Flood-Damaged Car:
Water damage can be hard to detect, but Consumer Reports says you should look for these telltale signs.
- Inspect the carpets to see whether they show signs of having been waterlogged, they will smell musty or could have caked-on mud. Brand-new carpets in an older vehicle may be another red flag.
- Check the seat-mounting screws to see whether there’s any evidence that they were removed. To effectively dry the carpets, the seats must be removed or possibly replaced.
- Inspect the lights. A visible waterline may still show on the lens or reflector.
- Inspect the difficult-to-clean places, such as gaps between panels in the trunk and under the hood (such as behind the engine), for mud and debris. A waterline around the engine compartment is a clear indicator of flooding.
- Look on the bottom edges of brackets or panels where grime wouldn’t normally settle.
- Look at the heads of any unpainted, exposed screws under the dashboard. Bare metal will show signs of rust in flooded cars.
- Check to see whether the rubber drain plugs under the car and on the bottom of doors look as if they have been removed recently. That may have been done to drain floodwater.
- Check engine oil. The water mixed into the oil can create an odd, milkshake appearance.
- Check the air filter. Water would cause the cardboard frame for the filter to look textured and soggy.
CarFax offers a free flood damage check in addition to the vehicle history reports it sells. These checks show the “possibility of flood damage” based on area history and the registered address for the car at the time, and whether the vehicle’s title shows a reported flood history. Click the link below.
Click here to find out if your car has flood damage
