How a VIN can help avoid purchasing flood-damaged cars

How a VIN can help avoid purchasing flood-damaged cars

With the growing number and the intensity of storms happening in the US in recent years, many vehicles endup flood-damaged. They are affected in multiple ways: the transmission, engine, interior, brakes, and other systems can be severely damaged during storms. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to indicate flood damage after a quick inspection once the vehicle has been cleaned. Here you’ll learn how to avoid flood-damaged cars.

Run a VIN check

Flood-damaged cars aren’t reliable. While it’s possible to hide cosmetic damage, it’s impossible to completely fix systems that have been flooded.

The vehicle can look almost new from the outside, but be nearly broken from the inside – putting its driver and passengers in danger, and requiring costly repairs.

Flood-damaged cars are considered a total loss, and will carry a salvage title. Even though a salvage title simply means that the vehicle has had serious damage and sometimes it is not a bad idea to buy this car, buying a flood-damaged car is a bad idea.

However, the VIN can easily tell you where the vehicle has been and whether it is flood-damaged. [Company name] offers you a quick and easy way to get a comprehensive Vehicle History Report with data collected from reliable databases, insurance agencies, and other sources. The report tells you more than just natural disasters that the vehicle has been subjected to;it also shows you major accidents and damages, which may make you reconsider buying the vehicle.

How to find signs of a flood-damaged car

In addition to running a VIN check, you should also go through the list of the following activities:

• Ask a mechanic to inspect this vehicle to check for dirt from water and other flood damage

• Floor carpeting shouldn’t be muddy or wet. Look for silt or sand under carpets and mats

• Check under the hood and trunk to see if debris and mud are present

• Look for signs of rust on metal parts or screws

• Check if the speakers work, as they are usually damaged

If you suspect you’ve met a dishonest seller who’s trying to sell you a flood-damaged vehicle, your best bet is to avoid buying this car or have it thoroughly checked by an expert to make sure it’s safe to drive. Moreover, you should report fraudulent sellers so that others won’t fall for their offers. Note: if the deal sounds too good to be true, there should be a good reason for it. Even when you’re armed with a report and a mechanic tells you the car should be okay, you still can miss some damage. The safest thing you can do is to avoid buying vehicles from recently flooded areas.

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