occam:

My goal is to better inform folks. Do you have any problem with that?

Besides If you google "flooded cars from sandy" you can get more information from reliable sites and experts

stagger:

And you think those of us who are asking some pertinent questions have no access to these copy and paste websites of yours?

occam:

What important questions? The thread is on dangers of buying flooded cars. Stay on topic and stay off my comments if you don't like the info I provided

dapsonlou: Buy a floor car is ok I just bought a 2008 S550 for an insurance auction in NJ for $9,800 max I budget 5k to fix it that is the worst case senerio, car is about 40k dollars . When ever u buy floor car, always think the worst that u will buy a engine, chevy colbot engine 06 will run u about 400, u might not even need 1. Change the battery, remove the plugs, start crank the car, but don't start it, u don't want it to run. Everytime u crank it all the water from the head will busrt out. Next change all the fluids, oil, transmission, brake and powersteering fluid. U r good to go

iykemyke:

flooded car is not good. My friends car was submerged in flood water at ejigbo, before he could get technician to fix the car it took him eight months after so many tries by different technicians until he was directed to tyre carriage at marshall kilo, yes they did try, fixed the car but after two months the car is not same again and as i type this he has abandoned the car. The car is nissan primera.

Sisi_Kill:

Could it be that it's because those technicians have no clue how to fix cars in the first place??!!

We all know how many Naija mechanics do kolokalo. . .hit or miss with people's cars. You take your car for fixing and it comes back with more issues than it had in the beginning.

occam:

Hope you enjoy your car but here is the risk:

Flood-damaged vehicles can be extremely unsafe to drive because water — especially corrosive seawater — can compromise the electronic and computer systems that control every major system in a modern car, from the engine to steering, brakes and airbags.

Also, the cars could be contaminated by bacteria and unknown toxins from the mix of storm water and sewage from overloaded drainage systems. This very worrisome

stagger: I wonder o! People's cars get flooded in places like Lagos every year. Do they throw the cars away? And we are talking about water with high salt and iron content too.

global07: The only major damages flood can cause to a car is
1,Water in the Engine. If the water is drained out and a new engine oil in poured in you are go to go unless the engine had fault before the flood.
2.Electrical, the brain box is the major component if its damaged and it replaced, you are good to go.

Every other part of the car will get dried and the car would be like nothing happened.

Siena:

Come on, bro! A car that's already owned getting flooded is one thing, buying one that's been submerged is quite a different case scenario. Besides, we're talking mostly salt water and silt. Very destructive.

Lagos floods that get up to just above the bumpers is nowhere near as bad as an automobile that's sat in salt water above the dash, sometimes for days.

Siena:

Come on, bro! A car that's already owned getting flooded is one thing, buying one that's been submerged is quite a different case scenario. Besides, we're talking mostly salt water and silt. Very destructive.

Lagos floods that get up to just above the bumpers is nowhere near as bad as an automobile that's sat in salt water above the dash, sometimes for days.

stagger: You are obviously out of touch with the degree of flooding that we have been witnessing in Nigeria for the last 4 years. No one is talking about bumper level immersion. We are talking about FULL SUBMERSION. Or did you not hear of the flooding that swept across 26 states to the extent that hippos were living in people's houses? Is that bumper level immersion?

viperman:

Its one thing to say what you know and another to say what you've not experienced. Recently, lagos floods have been crazy....sometimes, even above car level. My brother's 2005 accord was covered some few inches to roof level in the last rain flood last year or last two years.(Those who live in deep parts of adeniran ogunsanya, surulere can attest to this flood). He still drives the car happily to work after engine, gear and other car parts wee drained of water intrusion.
This same flood affected many peoples cars i know about....including BMWs; they are all still use their cars as you read this without major repairs.

I also know of three people who live in lekki/victoria island axis who had their cars flooded above dashboard level. The rain water mixed with the sea water was salty those cars still drive well 12 months after. I don't think the water from Nature in America is different from the one in Nigeria...the problem is we the Nigerians and our mentality. Whatever the whiteman says/feels is bad....we say its bad without checking.

Last year, in my home town in delta state, we all say how crazy flood ravaged parts of the towns covering upto rooftops of houses(cars inclusive). My uncles 2005 C-class was submerged in that flood(River niger water). After towing it out, he left it for a month to dry up, and had a mechanic drain the car of all oils, steam flushed the car, flushed the engine with new oils, de-coupled the whole doormats and allowed the car to to dry for a couple of days again incase of any water left; I believed he also changed the brainbox and car battery afterwhich the car was back alive again.

Its not a case of what we read on the internet, but what we experience first-hand ourselves just like in the case of Miles-per-gallon reviews which turn out slightly different when we measure it first-hand of live-drives. Yes, you might say flooded cars are bad because some electricals would have been damaged...are they ir-repairable? No! They are repairable. That is why car manufacturers make spare-parts incase of accidents, man-made or natural disasters where the car is involved...you buy the new part and replace it with the damaged part, and continue enjoying your car.

The guys in the USA and canada can afford to junk their cars immediately it swims in even bumper-level flood(something we do here regularly) because they have Insurance that cry after them on everything even to their cooking gas. So at any slightest discomfort in the car, they'd probably ask for replacement of the entire car from the insurance so they enjoy their lease period. here, we mostly buy our cars with our cash upfront..and most people hardly run comprehensive insurance. Hence, when an issue of such comes up, they fix it and continue enjoying their cars for years after.

Bottom-line, when your car is flooded....get an experienced auto-center or auto-mechanic to help diagnose, flush the system and replace faulty electrical parts.
From experience, Toyotas and Hondas seem to survive floods best with little or no repairs to be made most times...worst-cases have just been replacement of brain-boxes which are readily available in the market.

This is my opinion based on first-hand experience.

Siena:

Salt or fresh water?

viperman: Its one thing to say what you know and another to say what you've not experienced. Recently, lagos floods have been crazy....sometimes, even above car level. My brother's 2005 accord was covered some few inches to roof level in the last rain flood last year or last two years.(Those who live in deep parts of adeniran ogunsanya, surulere can attest to this flood). He still drives the car happily to work after engine, gear and other car parts wee drained of water intrusion.
This same flood affected many peoples cars i know about....including BMWs; they are all still use their cars as you read this without major repairs.

Siena:

Viper, I don't want to appear rude here. But you're not making much sense.

I don't have to experience a flooded car to make my observation. The fact is, a can that's been submerged in salt water will never be the same. We probably have different opinions on what a car that still drives after being under water entails. You keep harping on about "Lagos floods". Were the recent floods salt water?

I know how conductive saline is, if a current is passed through it! And I know what happens to any semiconductor material that's subjected to saline with power connected to it. You fry the circuits, simple. I'm sure folk have dropped their cellphones into water, and seen the results. Now take a modern automobile that's 10 times more complex, and has more than 100 times the circuitry your phone has, and tell me that after a saline bath, you'll get 10/10 circuits ALL survive?

If you've had to pay out for an ECU and instrument cluster for a 2011 BMW 535D you'd be singing a different tune. Then found someone to code the lot to allow the car to run. I'm sure you know all this, yet you just casually say all you need to buy is an ECU,and all will be well, like ECU's cost pennies.

By all means, buy flooded automobile, but don't misinform potential buyers of the risks associated with these purchases, and give them the impression that all a flooded car needs is fluid changes, drying out and a replacement ECU to function at 100%, because that's far from the truth.

Bottom line is, there's no way to gauge the damage flooding will do to an automobile. I'm not referring to an automobile you already own that got flooded. I'm talking about going out there to buy a vehicle that's been submerged in salt water. No mechanic can tell how much it'll cost to put right, all that can be done is replace an array of control modules till the car can function. And with each replacement, the owner's bill gets higher, till he / she's past the point of no return. And may well end up paying more for a vehicle, than if they'd bought a straight one to start with.

There are two guys here commenting, who have had the misfortune to get into this trap, I've sent a total of 9 control units between the pair of them, and their cars still aren't right. One's a 2009 Range Rover Sport, the other a 2011 Jaguar XF Supercharged. I've had notification last Thursday the Jaguar needs a replacement supercharger, and as I'm typing, I've received a quote - £1,875 + VAT (£2,250 / 567,000 Naira) and core charge, core charge is £350 + VAT (£420 / 106,000 Naira. Shipping cost yet to be determined, as I have no idea the weight. The owner has searched high and low for a used one locally, and so have I. No dice. I feel as bad as if these were my own cars. Perhaps one of these guys will tell you how much they've spent so far, since November 2012.

And before you say "all my surmissions are based upon internet trawling", think again. I run a garage, and work on all manner of automobile on a daily basis, and that includes flooded ones.

Siena:

Viper, I don't want to appear rude here. But you're not making much sense................

viperman: true, no mechanic can, but a dealer who has spent money to put some for family and friends back in tip-top 100% shape in time and recent past can tell

There are isolated cases, which will not apply to all cases. Bro, let's say your dad sent you money to buy him an automobile, would you honestly, hand-on-heart buy him a flood-damaged vehicle?

Answers on a postcard!

igbsam: Hey guys, i came across the auctionexport website and most cars there are flooded cars. Some wont start and some do start. Is it advisable to go for the ones that starts ? I am considering getting some cars from there. Not cos they are cheap but because i needed them both for commercial and personal use. Would like to know if buying the ones that starts would pose any risk or danger. Thanks for your response in advance.

igbsam: Hey guys, i came across the auctionexport website and most cars there are flooded cars. Some wont start and some do start. Is it advisable to go for the ones that starts ? I am considering getting some cars from there. Not cos they are cheap but because i needed them both for commercial and personal use. Would like to know if buying the ones that starts would pose any risk or danger. Thanks for your response in advance.

igbsam: Hey guys, i came across the auctionexport website and most cars there are flooded cars. Some wont start and some do start. Is it advisable to go for the ones that starts ? I am considering getting some cars from there. Not cos they are cheap but because i needed them both for commercial and personal use. Would like to know if buying the ones that starts would pose any risk or danger. Thanks for your response in advance.