Auto Flood Damage and Totaling

[b61mack]

i don't want to beat you up, but did you buy from the little cricket on line? now did that cricket sell you gap insurance, a real live agent would have sold you gap insurance on a new car, and since the car is 6 months old i would want a new car period. now where was i reading about a certain car having electric gas pedal problems, let me see, how does that abs breaking system work again? if you were my client, you would be getting a new car, if the insurance company baulked, i would remind them what if the brakes failed and he was driving through a school zone. next time please, buy from an agent.
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if the water touched the dash, it should be totalled. since you are not sure, i would assume it did. so unless the dash is taken apart, and all electrical componets inspected. even then? if this was a 10yr old car, i would say different.

 

[FullAuto]

if the water touched the dash, it should be totalled. since you are not sure, i would assume it did. so unless the dash is taken apart, and all electrical componets inspected. even then? if this was a 10yr old car, i would say different.

There are no assumptions of water lines. If you've seen a real flood car in person, it's extremely obvious where the water did and did not go. There is no need to take the dash apart. Flood water will ALWAYS have dirt, trash and debris in it. It's not like sticking a water hose in the window and filling a car with clean water. There will be a debris line on the carpet. If the insured attempts to clean it themselves (which isn't uncommon), there will still be a dirt line behind the carpet. You can also look at the a/c condensor or radiator. There will always be a distinct line on both of those. They show up great in photos too. Hold a tape measure from the ground up to the condensor and get your total depth. Yes, you can splash some of it off while driving through water, but if it sat for any amount of time in water, the line will still be noticeable and distinct.

 

[Tiger8]

You can also look at the a/c condensor or radiator. There will always be a distinct line on both of those. They show up great in photos too. Hold a tape measure from the ground up to the condensor and get your total depth. Yes, you can splash some of it off while driving through water, but if it sat for any amount of time in water, the line will still be noticeable and distinct.

Does the insurance company $500 clean job take care of those two as well? Or are we talking about permanent water marks?

I am leaning toward what you are saying, FullAuto. What you are saying makes sense. For me now, I just want to know how this will be reported to the history of the car, that's all, and I will ask them first thing Tuesday.

b61mack: Thanks, but I don't have gap insurance. I put a downpayment and been sending additional capital to pay for the car. I am not upside down on the car

 

[FullAuto]

You can just pressure wash off the radiator, a/c condensor, firewall, etc. None of it is permanent. We compare those things to lines on the interior to see if the car was sitting at an angle when it flooded. It doesn't necessarily mean anything in particular but just gives you a better mental picture of what happened.

It's not uncommon for someone to try to clean their car themselvs and do a pretty good job on the interior too. They will remove almost all the signs of debris. Sometimes you can just pull carpet from the kick panel by hand, but sometimes you need to remove trim. A quick glance at the condensor will tell you a lot. That's something normal people won't notice but it's a great indicator.

We also have the cars where people are upside down on them, there's a real flood but their car wasn't in it and they'll stick a waterhose in the window and flood it. There won't be any exterior signs, no debris line and if they let it sit in the sun for a couple of days with the windows up, the smell will be different. The smell of a real flood car is very distinct too and once you've smelled one, you won't forget it.

Your biggest concern should be mold in the interior and the smell.

 

[b61mack]

i was in the auto transport business most of my life. i have seen all kinds of flood car, ground and rain water flooding is different than river water, i have also seen the problem flood cars cause to owners. their is a reason, why the titles are stamped flood. dealer auto auctions, won't even let a flood car sold without anouncing it. if they will even let them be sold all more. cars with all the electronics, will give you nothing but problems, how long was it sitting in the water?. if it was river water, and since the car is 6 months old, i would want it replaced. when i was younger my father was in the auto transport business, and i would pick up cars at wholesale car dealers.and drive them back to the yard to ship to the auction. i have seen wholesaler , take the dashs off, and pull interiors out power wash the inside. these cars were never right, this is why they have new laws. about flood cars... we were talking 1960;s now with all the electronics, brakes, gas pedal. do you remember the toyota electronic fuel pedal problem, killed a few people. yes i am talking the extreme, but that is why you protect yourself with insurance.

 

[Tiger8]

if it was river water, and since the car is 6 months old, i would want it replaced.

The water was definitely rain water, the parking garage got flooded, it sounds like it was for a few hours, and water got to the middle of the tires from the dirt marks outside, so really we are talking 2 inches of water into the car.

yes i am talking the extreme, but that is why you protect yourself with insurance.

So what to do if indeed they will tag it as 'flooded'? How can I fight it? I am giving them a call tomorrow to ask how it will appear in the car history.

 

[djs]

99% chance it won't appear in the car history.
No insurance companies that I am aware of report to Carfax. Some body shops do, most don't.

If there isn't a title change (i.e., salvaged due to flood), there probably won't be a report.

Dan

 

[Tiger8]

99% chance it won't appear in the car history.
No insurance companies that I am aware of report to Carfax. Some body shops do, most don't.

If there isn't a title change (i.e., salvaged due to flood), there probably won't be a report.

Dan

Thanks Dan. According to carfax.com sources, you are right, insurance companies only report to carfax in case of a total loss and/or theft. It looks like the state is the one who reports flood damage. So the question is, how do states know?

Thanks all for your advice and expertise on this matter! Really appreciated. I will keep you posted!

 

[djs]

The state only knows when there is a title change, i.e., salvaged.

I doubt they 'report' to carfax either, carfax pulls those records, along with other title change records.

Dan

 

[b61mack]

H E L L O their is a federal law against selling a car, flooded, without announcing it. if you sell that car and in the future, let say, two years after the sale, the new owner finds out it was flooded. you will have to give him back all his money and be fined thousands of dollars and possibly jail time. another possibility. you sell the car, don't announce it.. new owner get in a wreck a couple of people die. when the lawyer searches the car, finds out it was a flood car, and you did not announce it. you will be blamed and sued. i am trying to wake you up!! it is not a small matter. you will have to announce it.