INTRODUCTION

After I had penned down a piece some weeks ago, about halting any purchase of vehicles from the USA, some few days later, potential and existing car owners, inquired, as follows:

1. "Can I still order for a car from the USA, despite the flood?"
This was asked by a potential car owner.

2. "During this flood issue, cars in the USA would be dammed cheap. What needs to be replaced, if I go ahead and import such cars in Nigeria"?
This was asked by a car dealer.

Before I proceed, below is the link to the article that generated these questions:

https://www.nairaland.com/4055252/beware-vehicles-coming-usa-time


It is a true fact that vehicles that have being flooded, are extremely cheap, and.....

The reasons such vehicles are totaled by insurers, is because of their likely potential cost of repairs, if they're to be made serviceable.

In my view, the reliability of such vehicles, calls for greater concern, ranging from safety, and maintenance overruns.

Doing justice to the questions above,

1. Vehicles could still be ordered from flood invested continents, etc.

The reliability and durability of such orders, in my opinion, is directly proportional, to the (a) duration in which the vehicle had being submerged in a flood; (b) depth of flooded waters on such vehicles. This goes along way to determine which components/parts if the vehicle has being flooded, and that determines also the cost of repairs of such vehicles.

If you have information (a) and (b) at your finger tips, and are ready to spend in fixing such cars, why not!? you could go ahead and import them.

Note: The longer the duration a vehicle had being in a flood, the more the cost of repairs on such vehicles.

In essence, time is money.


WHEN YOU'VE IMPORTED THE VEHICLE INTO THE COUNTRY, WHAT ARE YOU LIKELY TO REPLACE OR DO?

This depends on the extend of flood on the vehicle.
1. All interior and engine wiring harnesses. Steel, and copper have good thermal conductivities, and at the same time, when they are left unattended to after a flooded incident, the electrical wirings/connectors, gradually degrades, and corrodes.

Not replacing these harnesses, would gradually, and in some instances, cause all sorts of electrical/electronic circuitry problems, such as short circuits (where a current follows a path of least resistance, either to a positive, or to ground.); open circuits (a components, suddenly stops working); and battery drain problems.

2. All headlight and rear lights should be removed and cleaned of moisture, and sun dried.

3. Vehicle modules. Modern cars these days, have got different types of modules, ranging from those that control the ABS braking systems (skid control module); ECU module (controls power management systems, such as injection pulse widths, ignition drives, and a host of others).

Normally such critical components could be replaced at the same time with the wiring harnesses, or repaired, if they are not severely damaged.

4. Brake discs/drums could be sand papered, using emery cloths. This is only applicable, if the vehicle hasn't being left in the junkyard, or with the insurers in the USA, for months, or years. Remember, corrosion thrives aggressively in the presence of oxygen and water.

Brake lines, and pipes should be inspected for any signs of corrosion.

5. Entire car body should be inspected, and treated for corrosion.

Underneath the car should be sprayed with anti rust. This prevents further corrosion beneath the car.

6. Any signs of swollen spots on the body paints, should be taken seriously. Those are signs of water bubbles engrained in the body paint.

The car may require a complete body paint overhaul.

7. A complete engine overhaul, or replacement might be required. This would depend on if the engine/transmission system has being over flooded, leading to an hydro locked situation.

But if the mechanical systems, engine and transmission systems are OK, there won't be need for any major overhauls in such a system.

In our working experiences, engine and transmission damages had always being rare.

CONCLUSION
In a disaster of this magnitude anywhere in the world, this is the time a dealer would make some quick fortunes, while a potential buyer, would purchase a car for a "meagre" price. All these benefits would accrues to both parties, only and only if the time of occurrence of the flood, and time in which the flooded vehicle, has being left unattended to.

Cars that have being flooded, can definitely be out back into service, but in some cases, the cost of repairs tends to outweigh the cost or purchase of such vehicles. So, I'd suggest if you can't be certain about the duration the vehicle had stayed unattended to after a flood, it would be of immense benefits for you to save gradually to get a much more better one.


PS: Just in case you'd want to go ahead with such an order, we'd be happy to bring back that car to service.


Regards,
Joseph
DW Nig Ltd
08066643532(calls/WhatsApp)
info@dxta.net.ng; oigonojoseph@yahoo.com