Warning about flood damaged cars for sale

[Murph]

Copied from another forum:

GROUP USED CARS: FLOOD DAMAGE WARNING

URGENT INFORMATION REGARDING FLOOD DAMAGED VEHICLES

We have already had many flood damaged cars offered to us in part-exchange and countless more will follow. Damage varies from partial submersion through to complete engine destruction caused by hydraulic locks breathing in water.

Insurance companies are usually categorising claims as CAT B on HPI's VCAR register, i.e. for scrap and dismantling only. There is a real concern over health and safety due to contaminated water and lasting, and potentially dangerous, damage to the complex electronic microprocessors controlling all the safety systems on the car, so they cannot be safely put back on the road.

BEWARE! Many third-party insured vehicles will NEVER appear on the HPI register and so flood damage can only be spotted through thorough appraisals - very risky with internet valuations?

Look out for:-

obvious damp, especially condensation in the instrument cluster
silt and/or sand remaining in rubber trims and finishers
silt and/or sand remaining in areas which can contain water such as door pockets, glove box, ashtray, spare wheel well etc.
water damaged service book or handbook pack
warning lights illuminating at random; or those that do not go out with the engine running
engine oil contamination, or engine oil level suspiciously high
silt in the engine bay
engine rough running indicating internal damage
gritty sounding brakes on road test
My advice is to appraise carefully, test drive every time, and NEVER rely on HPI. In the past flood damaged cars have circulated the marketplace for months and unwary dealerships have been caught with unsaleable stock. In the event you do purchase one of these vehicles it should be offered at auction with full declaration on the vehicle details form as "SERIOUS FLOOD DAMAGE - VEHICLE SOLD FOR PARTS ONLY"