How to Identify Water Damage in a Car
The number of flood- or water-damaged vehicles on the market more than doubled from 2002 to 2006, according to automotive dismantler Elite Rebuildables. Years after the major hurricanes of 2005, water-damaged vehicles are still being bought and sold in the marketplace, sometimes without the consumer knowing. Learn to identify a water-damaged car and protect yourself from a purchasing mistake.
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Instructions
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Inspect the seats and upholstery carefully. Look for water marks and mildew. Smell the upholstery to determine whether a mold or mildew odor is apparant. Be wary of "too new" or mismatched seats and upholstery; this is a sign that they may have been replaced.
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Peel back the carpet panel below the driver's side floorboard. Closely inspect the carpet pad for suspicious stains and odors. Water stains in carpet can be easily covered or dyed, but stains from the carpet padding cannot.
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Examine the metal floorboard beneath the carpet panel, while you have the carpet peeled back. Look for signs of rust.
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Remove the trunk liner and spare tire from the trunk. Resellers of water-damaged vehicles often forget to remove the water from the spare tire well. Standing water, wet leaves and rust in the spare tire well are all telltale signs of water damage.
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Open the hood and carefully inspect the engine bay. Look for rust and signs of water damage in the corners of the engine bay. Use a flashlight to examine the area; it will improve your visibility.
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Check all of the electronics to make sure they work properly. It's not uncommon for vehicles to have a single problem, such as a bad power window motor, but if most of the electronics (radio, odometer warning lights, power equipment) don't work, you'll need to investigate further.
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Look under the vehicle along the frame and undercarriage for signs of rust. Vehicles from cold climates will likely have some rust because of the salt applied to the roads during winter; however, most flooded vehicles originate in the South. Southern vehicles should have little to no rust.
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Tips & Warnings
Always run a vehicle history report before a purchase. While they are not 100 percent accurate, they will uncover some cases of water damage and let you know whether the vehicle was registered near a major flood.
Water-damaged or flood-damaged vehicles may be very inexpensive versus their "book value"; however, they often have long-term electrical and engine problems.
