Tom and Ray answer flood questions

Tom: Since the two big hurricanes, we've had a flood (ha ha) of questions about flooded cars. Here is one of the most common:

Question: How do you know if a car you're buying has flood damage?

Tom: Assuming there are no obvious signs like fish in the back seat, you might see mineral deposits or discoloration on the seats, seat belts or door panels. There might be droplets of moisture on the inside of the instrument cluster, warped or misshapen door panels (if they're made of fiberboard).

Ray: In the trunk or engine compartment, you might find mud. And inside, a heavy aroma of air freshener is a telltale sign that someone's trying to cover up a festering mold or odor problem.

Tom: But most likely, if a "professional" is trying to pass off a flooded car on the used-car market, he will have cleaned up all those things. It will be very difficult for the average buyer -- or mechanic -- to be able to tell that the car was flooded.

Ray: Our best advice is to simply avoid used cars that have come from flooded areas. But how? Well, the current title of the car provides no guarantee that the car is clean. Unfortunately, the titles to flooded and salvaged cars can be re-registered in other states with clean titles, and then sold without disclosing the damage. That's called title washing.

Tom: So, your best bet is to use a service called Car Fax, www. carfax.com. It's offering a free service that will check the ZIP code in which a car was last registered, and will let you know if it was registered in one of the flooded areas. You need the Vehicle Identification Number to get a report.

Ray: While it's not absolutely perfect (someone with a car registered elsewhere could have driven to New Orleans and been there for the flood), that's about the best chance you have to spot a potentially flooded car before you buy it.

Question: Is a flooded car necessarily junk?

Tom: Pretty much, yes. There are some obvious problems, as you can imagine. If water gains access to one of the cylinders, it's ruined.

Ray: Those cylinder walls and rings are probably rusting. So the engine's going to burn oil like crazy and run unevenly.

Tom: Water can get into the transmission through the transmission-fluid dipstick hole. If that happens, you'll be lubricating the transmission with one part transmission fluid and two parts water, or something like that. So kiss the transmission goodbye, too.

Ray: Inside the car, electronic components -- like computers -- under the seats can be damaged by water. Higher water will ruin the dash-level and other electronics. And then there's the issue of mold. Mold is nearly impossible to eradicate from a car.

Tom: So, we'd say if water got any farther than the floor of the car, it's junk.