The recent years have shown a propensity for Hurricanes and other major wind and rain events. In the past month we have seen Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole devastate Florida as well as create flooding along the US east coast. Many locals have evacuated the area taking with them the essentials and most valuable possessions. Watching the rain and flood waters over taking the homes and garages I am reminded that far too many in the hobby may not realize what to do in the case of flood damage to classic cars.
While some owners of classic cars and trucks might be driving their prized possessions away from the hurricane, many are not able to do so which means the cars are left behind to weather the storm. Unfortunately, we saw with Hurricane Ian quite a few classic cars succumb to the flood waters from the storm.
Water can be one of the most damaging elements to most vehicles and in some cases can become catastrophic if a car is completely flooded. Salt water is especially damaging.
That is why we are writing this blog post. Our hopes is that we can help you avoid buying a classic car or truck that has endured water damage in the past. If a vehicle becomes a complete loss due to water damage, the owner is supposed to report the total loss vehicle to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). In fact, All insurers, salvage pools, junkyards, recyclers and self-insured entities such as rental car companies in all 50 states are required by law to report total loss vehicles to NMVTIS within 30 days.
New Meaning To 'Buyer Beware' With Flood Damage
The flood damage to some of the cars was clearly visible with sand and seaweed occupying spaces normally reserved for the driver and passengers. With others it was less obvious, particularly if the owner had made an attempt to clean up the damage immediately after the storm.
Many of these cars were declared total losses by the insurance companies. And for good reason. They were junk. They may not have been junk as soon as the water receded, or even a day or two later had heroic and expensive attempts been made to mitigate the damage. But after a week or two the saltwater had done so much hidden damage that the cost of disassembling the car for repair, or even for parts, usually exceeded the value of the car or the parts.
One of two things happened with these cars. Either they were sent off to be auctioned as “salvage vehicles with flood damage,” or the insurance companies, which owned the car after paying the claim, allowed the owner to buy the car back, usually for a small sum of money. And this is where the problems began.
These cars can start appearing on the market now. Never has the phrase “Buyer Beware” been more applicable. By now we have learned most of the clues to look for such as musty smells, water stains, new carpet, new seats or door panels, new starters, corrosion at electrical connections, sand castles on the trunk floor, seaweed hanging from the antenna, and other obvious signs that the car had been partially or completely submerged.
Classic Car Research
The sad truth is that there are still unscrupulous people out there that will try to pass a water damaged vehicle off as though it was never flooded or damaged. Here are some ways that you can check to see if the vehicle has ever been flooded or otherwise damaged by water.
- Enter the VIN at the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) at VehicleHistory.gov. You might get lucky and find information that would reveal any previous water damage.
- Check the physical title itself. Look for any cutting and pasting, white-out or other alterations. Unfortunately, title washing can happen if the car has switched states which makes the title look complete and accurate even though it may have been altered in the past state.
- Do not buy a classic car or truck without seeing it in person. You need to personally inspect the vehicle for any traces of water damage, to make sure the VIN is intact and original and again you need to see the title in person. A digital image of a title can easily be altered.
- Carfax might be able to lend some helpful information as well. It isn’t a perfect system, but it might help put together some missing pieces of the car’s history should there be any questions or missing information.
- If you are buying a classic car from a dealer, ask if there is any type of warranty. Make sure you get a printed copy of the warranty. This way if you discover any damage down the road you’ll be covered.
- You can also use Google as a research tool. Put the VIN into the search bar and see what comes up. You never know what you might uncover.
Classic Car Inspection
Research will only get you so far in uncovering the mystery of water damage. The only real way to uncover water damage is through a physical inspection of the vehicle. Here are some tips and things to look for…
- Inspect the car for odors. Mold and mildew have a very distinct smell that can be hard to cover up. If you can actually see any mold, you can pretty much bet it’s from water damage.
- Check the upholstery for discoloring or any bleeding of fabric dyes. If the upholstery appears to be re-dyed you should ask the current owner why.
- Water or condensation in the headlights or dash gauges. While most items on a classic car aren’t hermetically sealed, there should not be any water in interior gauges.
- Stains and salt residue in the interior and under the carpet. Water damage usually leaves a residue or silt. Check the steering column, rear seats, spare tire well, gauges and other hard to reach places.
- If there are power windows or seats check to see how they operate. Water damage will often leave them with grit and grime in the mechanics causing them to sound weird or operate slowly.
- Look for warped door panels or dashboard. Door panels often have a paper cardboard backing that will have been ruined if the vehicle was ever flooded.
- Inspect metal fasteners and screws on the inside of the car for rust. There shouldn’t be any rust on any metal that normally is not exposed to water. Take a close look at the seat tracks. If there is rust on them, you know that the car was submerged in water. The only other reasonable reason for water on the interior would be excess snow that got it and melted. Regardless, that means the car wasn’t treated well.
- Check for grit in alternator crevices, behind wiring harnesses and around the small recesses of starter motors, power steering pumps and relays. Also look for any damage to wiring connections, fuses and blocks, including rust, water residue or suspicious corrosion.
Ask The Seller Questions
But what we haven’t heard are some commonsense things to investigate that only come with real world experience.
- Ask the seller straight out “Was this car in any way affected by a Hurricane?” Even a crook will have trouble looking you right in the eye and lying knowing that if they do so, particularly if they put it in writing, you might have legal recourse.
- Ask the seller how long they have owned the car. Six months or less should pique your curiosity. Where did the car come from, and can they prove that?
Finally
Water damage on classic cars and trucks can be devastating. We hope that the tips we have given you will help you to avoid falling victim to buying one with flood damage. More importantly, we hope that everyone in the path of the Hurricane is safe and experience minimal property damage and disruption in their lives.
Truly,
Hate to see those classixs & memories of my youth go this way.
But, It could had been prevented by removing the vehicles from danger from start point before hurricaines.
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