With the weather spinning out of control in the past decades, there will be thousands of vehicles that are and will be damaged by floods every year, but don’t assume that all of them will end up in a junkyard. Some of them are fixed up and sold again in other parts of the country where no flood occur and the buyer is completely unaware of the car’s flood history, some people don’t even consider it when they ask for the car history or car-fax.

Sneaky insurance companies, owners and car dealers often transport the flooded vehicles well beyond the region where floods, hurricanes or heavy storms happen, so that potential buyers may be less knowledgeable about what to look for on signs that cars was previously flooded.

What does flood car mean ?

We all know that water and oil don’t mix, the thing is that water doesn’t just damage the engine, lubricants and the mechanical system. You could have a car for months before even noticing any corrosion on the electronic system of your vehicle. Some vital electronics like airbag controllers, computers, fuel injectors and others could be damaged and it will be very bad to find out months after buying the car that no-one can repair it.

Flooded vehicle start showing up just months after a hurricane disaster happens in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Luisiana, Texas or any other coastal state where floods by salt water occur, this are the worst type of car floods because the salt water will damage any electronics it touches, most of these vehicles end up in a junkyard or scrap yard or used for parts.

Can flood damaged vehicles be repaired ?

The damage to the powertrain, the computer and the electrical system is what makes these vehicles irreparable. When attempting to return a flooded vehicle to service, chronic problems with the electrical system often occur.

These problems can range from annoying problems, such as power windows that do not work, to life-threatening problems, such as airbags that do not deploy in an accident or deploy without warning, all sort of problems with the electrical system due to water damage, some are considered a total loss.

Vehicles that were stopped after being driven into deep water could have suffered damage to the engine.

Saltwater floods, even minor floods, cause the most damage to cars. In fact, experts testify that a modern car flooded with salt water can not be fixed at any level. Unless you are willing to completely rebuild the car, and that you should cancel the repair of a car with saltwater or flooded in salt water for a long time.

Your repair options can vary depending on the flood your car was into, the type of water, the depth and duration of the dive. Fresh water is not as corrosive as salt water, so you may be able to fix a car that was in a river flood. If I drove down a flooded road and the engine shut down, I could repair the damage, but if the car stays submerged under water passed the window line, then you shouldn’t even try.