Discussion
Given what's happened over the past month, there is a real risk of buying a soggy car, especially at auction. I know of one dealer group that have picked up stock at auction recently, only to find a lot of it is water logged and rotten underneath.
Other than a tide mark, wet carpets or rusty disks, is there any other sure fire way of spotting a car that's been soaked and dried out, for those of us without the benefit of ramps? And, long term, how serious is a 2ft bath in river water for a couple of days, if the engine hasn't taken in water and everything works afterwards?
Other than a tide mark, wet carpets or rusty disks, is there any other sure fire way of spotting a car that's been soaked and dried out, for those of us without the benefit of ramps? And, long term, how serious is a 2ft bath in river water for a couple of days, if the engine hasn't taken in water and everything works afterwards?
in the 1990s we bought an E34 535i looked lovely full m kit etc however after a year we started getting multiple odd electrical faults, stuff like windows , mirrors , seats it went in to an Auto electrician I knew and the wiring and switches and connectors were all falling apart he even found a tide mark in side the doors it had been flooded to halfway up the doors needless to say it was patched up and sold on rather smartly.
Im wondering looking at the TV this morning in Chertsey with lots of cars flooded what will be the effect on insurance premiums obviously some families may be claiming for 3 or more cars, I can imagine it might cost Admiral multicar a fortune and that will be passed on to the rest of us who dont live in an area liable to flood ?
Im wondering looking at the TV this morning in Chertsey with lots of cars flooded what will be the effect on insurance premiums obviously some families may be claiming for 3 or more cars, I can imagine it might cost Admiral multicar a fortune and that will be passed on to the rest of us who dont live in an area liable to flood ?
Edited by mad4amanda on Thursday 13th February 09:29
A valid thread, there will with out a doubt be Catagory X cars or Cat D cars being snapped up for a song, left to dry, quick valet and as long as it starts and drive can be a nice little earner with some high end motors.
Not a lot you can do as the buyer really, just a gamble. Suppose if a tidy motor looks too cheap, then there is usually a reason.
Not a lot you can do as the buyer really, just a gamble. Suppose if a tidy motor looks too cheap, then there is usually a reason.
mad4amanda said:
Im wondering looking at the TV this morning in Chertsey with lots of cars flooded what will be the effect on insurance premiums obviously some families may be claiming for 3 or more cars, I can imagine it might cost Admiral multicar a fortune and that will be passed on to the rest of us who dont live in an area liable to flood ?
Cars are more mobile than houses, so don't live becomes, don't live, work, or ever visit an area liable to flood. Difficult to claim on your application. Anyway, the idea of insurance is to even out the risk, otherwise you wouldn't bother and just pay for repairs as they arise. On average it would be cheaper in the long run.Suprised me looking at the news how many people seemingly didn't think to move their cars to higher ground, seemed streets full of not inexpensive cars flooded out. Evan if you have a "don't care it's only a car" attitude, with all the hassle of not having a car, insurance making low offers then bumping premiums I'd have thought any smart person would move it ten mins up the road rather than risk it?
hairyben said:
Suprised me looking at the news how many people seemingly didn't think to move their cars to higher ground, seemed streets full of not inexpensive cars flooded out. Evan if you have a "don't care it's only a car" attitude, with all the hassle of not having a car, insurance making low offers then bumping premiums I'd have thought any smart person would move it ten mins up the road rather than risk it?
Yeah I saw this too...People expencting a nice new replacement??
The AA's tips to spot a flood-damaged car
– If a used car has the windows left open it may be to let out the smell of damp. Feel the carpets – and if the interior smells of air-freshener, it may be hiding something worse. Check for water in the spare tyre well.
– If the inside of the windows are seriously running with condensation, there is moisture inside the car – misted windows are usually OK
– Take the oil filler cap off and check underneath the cap. If there is a whitish, mayonnaise-like deposit (emulsified oil) under the cap, there is water in the engine.
– Start the engine and turn the heater blower on to the windscreen. If the glass immediately steams up and takes a long time to clear, there is moisture in the system. The air may also have an unpleasant odour. Modest misting could be the pollen filter being damp or filter drain blocked, get that checked.
– Check to see if air bag warning light works. The system does a self-check when you switch on the ignition. The light should go off after a few seconds. If the light doesn't come on or doesn't go off, there is a fault. If the air bag electronics have been submerged they may fail when needed or go off unexpectedly while driving.
– See if there is water trapped in the car light housings (rock the car and if water is present, you'll see water moving within the red rear filter)
– If the car is simply a category C insurance write-off (rather than a category A or B, which means the car is too dangerous to be allowed back on the road) this should be recorded on the V5C registration document.
– If a used car has the windows left open it may be to let out the smell of damp. Feel the carpets – and if the interior smells of air-freshener, it may be hiding something worse. Check for water in the spare tyre well.
– If the inside of the windows are seriously running with condensation, there is moisture inside the car – misted windows are usually OK
– Take the oil filler cap off and check underneath the cap. If there is a whitish, mayonnaise-like deposit (emulsified oil) under the cap, there is water in the engine.
– Start the engine and turn the heater blower on to the windscreen. If the glass immediately steams up and takes a long time to clear, there is moisture in the system. The air may also have an unpleasant odour. Modest misting could be the pollen filter being damp or filter drain blocked, get that checked.
– Check to see if air bag warning light works. The system does a self-check when you switch on the ignition. The light should go off after a few seconds. If the light doesn't come on or doesn't go off, there is a fault. If the air bag electronics have been submerged they may fail when needed or go off unexpectedly while driving.
– See if there is water trapped in the car light housings (rock the car and if water is present, you'll see water moving within the red rear filter)
– If the car is simply a category C insurance write-off (rather than a category A or B, which means the car is too dangerous to be allowed back on the road) this should be recorded on the V5C registration document.
Northernchimp said:
It's going to be essential to check now for years to come.
A lot of it will go unrecorded too, I can't see insurance companies rushing to write all these cars off when they can dry them out and replace the carpets.
Dehumidifier and a good valet would be enough to hide a few sins.A lot of it will go unrecorded too, I can't see insurance companies rushing to write all these cars off when they can dry them out and replace the carpets.
As others have said you need to pay extra attention, i've seen cars in the past that have had tide marks in the engine bay, spare wheels wells full, fog lights and headlights full of water , water marks on door cards etc.
We had a fairly gentle tsunami in Rabaul PNG while I was there.
Due to the volcanic nature of the area, cars rarely lasted more than about 6 years or so, the sulfur in the soil turned to mild sulfuric acid in the rain.
The tsunami was a gentle one, with the water slowly rising. Many new cars were caught in it, & flooded to the doors, & this was sea water, not fresh.
The insurance companies set up a sort of production line, where the cars were cleaned, & dried out, treated with an inhibitor, & then rustproofed, with some proprietary system.
Those cars lasted longer than later cars which were not so treated. It can be done, but you would need to know what with, & perhaps the latest computer systems would be a problem.
One thing people had to check was differentials, some of which were overlooked, but had water in through the breathers.
Due to the volcanic nature of the area, cars rarely lasted more than about 6 years or so, the sulfur in the soil turned to mild sulfuric acid in the rain.
The tsunami was a gentle one, with the water slowly rising. Many new cars were caught in it, & flooded to the doors, & this was sea water, not fresh.
The insurance companies set up a sort of production line, where the cars were cleaned, & dried out, treated with an inhibitor, & then rustproofed, with some proprietary system.
Those cars lasted longer than later cars which were not so treated. It can be done, but you would need to know what with, & perhaps the latest computer systems would be a problem.
One thing people had to check was differentials, some of which were overlooked, but had water in through the breathers.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff