Avoid Investing In A Water Damaged Vehicle

By: Aydan Corkern

When you purchase a vehicle, one of the last things you are going to think about is whether the vehicle has ever been flooded. You might not think of this as being common, but the fact is that it is a lot more common than most people would consider. If you want to protect yourself from purchasing a flooded car, there are a few things that you need to look for.

What you need to do immediately is get a vehicle history report on the vehicle you are considering purchasing. Vehicle history reports unfortunately, however, will not list all damage that has been done to a vehicle; only what has been reported to the insurance company will show up. If the previous owner allowed the vehicle to be flooded or ran it into a lake or creek and did not report it because they did not want their insurance to go up, then it won't show up. A vehicle history report is important, but you should understand that not everything will be included on it.

Open the car up and at least sit in it first to make sure you like the feel. While you're doing this, take a deep breath through your nose and make sure you don't smell anything funny. If it smells musty, the carpet or padding inside the upholstery may have mold in it. If the vehicle smells more like flowers or air freshener, the seller may be trying to cover up something.

Crank up the car and be certain that all electronic items are working in the car, including the radio, any digital displays, and etcetera. Many components in newer vehicles are electronic and if the vehicle is flooded, this could short out the circuitry and cause it to malfunction. Make sure you test everything including windshield wipers, turn signals, and the lights.

The wires in the panel under the dashboard should not be cracked or brittle in any way. If they are, then they might have been exposed to humidity.

Open the trunk and look around. It should be clean and there should be no musty smell inside of it. Look for signs of rust around the tail lights and any sign of sand or sediment. This could mean that it has been exposed to rain. Seeing rust could mean that the car is from an area of high humidity, but take this into account before making a judgment on whether you think it was flooded or not. You should also look under the car seats and other areas where sand or sediment may find their way into.

Article Source: http://www.articlepro.co.uk/international

Aydan Corkern is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like water damage information and water damage earlville.

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