How to Spot a Flood Vehicle Quickly

Published on November 11, 2016

Hurricane Mathew’s Flood Damage Vehicles Begin to Hit the Used Vehicle Market

1000’s of vehicles were subject to the major flood surges caused by the

1000’s of vehicles are being sold over the next 2 months on dealer-only auctions out of public view that have known flood damage. Consumer Reports and the BBB both estimate about 50% of these flood damaged vehicles will enter the used car market in the next 6 months.

2016 Atlantic Coast Hurricane Mathew in October. Many of these flood damaged vehicles are already hitting the auto auction markets and in return coming back to the U.S. Used Car Market. The BBB is warning all consumers of automobiles, recreational vehicles and commercial trucks to be on the lookout for prior flood damage when purchasing a pre-own vehicle. Many of the times vehicle history reports do not report on flood damaged vehicles right away due to the backlog and the lack of reporting of insurance companies and the state department of motor vehicles being behind as well. If you are headed out to purchase or browse a pre-own vehicle, please keep these few pointers in mind on areas and items to lookout for.

Inside the vehicle look for these signs of flood damage

• Any strange smell of mildew or mold
• Any over-powering deodorizer or fragrances
• Any signs of replaced upholstery
• Any rust on the seat mounting bolts
• Any non-operative electronics or flickering dash boards
• Pull up the carpet in the trunk and look for dirt, mud and sand

Outside the vehicle and under the hood look for these signs of flood damage

• Open the air filter housing and look for sand or dirt
• Look inside the door jams at the hinges for rust
• Look under the car for surface rust, flood damage does not leave major rust behind just surface rust
• Use a flashlight and look inside the bumpers from underneath the vehicle for mud, sand or leaves
• This list of items can help you spot a flood damaged vehicle very quickly.

If you are ever skeptical about a vehicle having flood damage call a certified independent vehicle inspector and ask for a pre-purchase inspection.