Aaron Widmar
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6 Easy Ways to Spot a Flood-Damaged Car

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car trapped on flooded road
Photo: Chris Waits via Flickr / CC 2.0

Across the southern and eastern coasts of the U.S., there has been major flooding this year that’s permanently ruined numerous vehicles. While the majority of those water-damaged cars will wind up in junkyards or scrapped for parts, some unscrupulous vehicle owners will try to make some cash off their misfortune by passing off their flood-damaged cars as “totally fine,” sometimes in states far away from where the flooding occurred.


What Should You Do If Your Car Floods? Here’s some advice from car experts


So how can you tell that the car you’re interested in isn’t one of the many vehicles damaged by recent flooding, or even flooding from several years ago? To help you out, we recommend looking for these six signs to spot a flood-damaged car. If you notice even one of these signs, you’re better off passing — just in case.

Pop-up retractable headlights on Saturn car
Photo: The News Wheel

Check the lights

If a car has been partially or fully submerged underwater, chances are that moisture will show in most — if not all — of the vehicle’s lighting elements. Inspect the headlight and taillight covers for fogginess. You’ll also want to check the interior lights for moisture: overhead lights, mirrors lights, even lights on the dashboard.

Fogginess is due to condensation — a sign that water is present which has not yet evaporated. A noticeable haze is usually a giveaway of flooding, since crooks trying to pass off a damaged car as undamaged may overlook or neglect this.


Air conditioning climate control system buttons
Photo: The News Wheel

Test regular vehicle functions

By now, you should have already checked out the dashboard lights to see if they are operable. While you have your car turned on and idling, test out other features of the vehicle to ensure they work: the air conditioning, heater, turn signals, radio, touch screen, and windshield wipers.

If there are issues with any of these electrical components, you’ll want to do some more digging into what could be causing the malfunction — flood damage or something else.


Open car trunk with storage box and dirty carpet
Photo: The News Wheel

Inspect the car for excessive mud, dirt, or silt

If the car is ostensibly damp — even in the cabin and trunk — then you are looking at a flood-damaged vehicle. Unfortunately, it’s not always that obvious.

There are other, subtler visual clues that you can pick up on. If there is a significant amount of mud, dirt, or silt on the floors, on the seats, in the glove compartment, on the seat tracks, or in the trunk, it’s quite possible that the car was exposed to dirty water that carried these contaminants.

A surefire way to figure this out is to look where the spare tire is stashed. You’ll have to lift up the floor of the trunk usually to access this location, but this is often a place that scammers forget to check and clean after salvaging a flooded car. If there is any mud, dirt, moisture, rust, or anything else suspicious, passing on that car is the only smart option.


Classic 1978 Chevy Nova Coupe interior
Photo: The News Wheel

Give it the ol’ “sniff test”

Don’t be embarrassed if you have to take a few strong whiffs inside the car. If you detect a musty odor — especially in the carpets or seat fabrics — the vehicle was likely a victim of water damage. This is a very good way to catch sketchy car sellers in the act, as they cannot usually get rid of that smell, no matter how hard they try.


visible rust on the exterior of a vehicle
Photo: The News Wheel

Keep an eye out for rust

Check for rust everywhere. Flooding can accelerate the development of rust, especially in places where rust might not normally form, like on the inside. Look in the trunk, at the seat tracks, and under the hood.

Get on your back and slide under the car to inspect the undercarriage. Use a flashlight to peer into all the nooks. While most old cars will have some rust damage, excessive rust is usually a warning sign for a car that has been severely damaged by flooding.


rubber weather-stripping on car door frame
Photo: The News Wheel

Look for things that don’t match

Water damage could lead to stains on the seats or on the carpet, so you’ll definitely want to be looking for that. But what if the current owner just replaced the stained materials? Chances are good that he or she could not find an identical carpet or seat fabric replacement. If you notice that part of the floor or upholstery looks updated but not all of it, then something shady has definitely happened.

Before you take advantage of a deal that seems too good to be true, make sure you’re inspecting the car carefully to ensure it’s never flooded. Because if it has, chances are that its electrical components and operating computer could go kaput.