Buyers warned about flood cars

RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding says the club has just completed fact sheets that it will post on its website in the next few days.  One will help motorists identify vehicles affected by floodwaters and the other will help them clean the vehicle and make it roadworthy.

The move comes as thousands of damaged vehicles are expected to be offered for sale and auction through dealers and privately.  Spalding said dealers and auction houses were obliged to register flood-affected dealers, but uninsured cars could be cleaned up and offered for sale without the customer knowing of the damage.

Spalding says the fact sheet provides advice such as to check inside the glove box for mud.  “I have seen a car with a tide mark in the glove box,” he said. 

Other points for buyers to look for when checking a car for possible flood exposure include:

• Mud debris under seats and behind the dash that remain even after cleaning, check inside the glove box, ashtray or any other compartment as these areas sometimes get overlooked in cleaning;
• Water damaged log books or service records;
• Check inside the air cleaner housing and intake ducting as this will show if any water has reached the engine;
• After a short while corrosion will start to form on exposed metal such as underbody seam joints and inside the engine bay;
• If it is salt water exposure, check for corrosion forming on alloy components (a white powder in appearance);
•  Corrosion on electrical joints (a green powder appearance), it may be necessary to carefully separate a joint to check the terminals;
•  Mud caked on underbody components such as suspension parts;
•  Mud inside the chassis rails on utes and 4WDs, carefully look inside the rails for any signs of a build-up;
• Corrosion around the spare wheel well and inside the tool pouch – again, easily overlooked in cleaning; and
• If the car has recently been exposed to flood water, or been heavily cleaned, it will take some time for seats, mats and floor insulation to dry out – check for a damp smell and any underlying dampness to fabrics.