How to Identify Flood-Damaged and Accident-Damaged Cars?
2 Answers
Check for signs of being pried open, damaged, or filled with adhesive. Then use the key to open each car door to see if every door lock can be turned easily. Inspect whether the mounting brackets for the lighting and signal lamp groups in the engine compartment are broken or loose. If there is a large amount of sediment or rust spots attached inside, it may indicate a flood-damaged car. Check the wires and vacuum pipes above the engine body, as well as the gaps between the high-voltage ignition coils and spark plugs for traces of mud attachment.
With over a decade of car inspection experience, the most obvious sign of a flood-damaged vehicle is that musty smell—especially under the carpets and seats—which lingers even on sunny days. Lift the floor mats to check if the carpet feels damp; waterlogged carpets become stiff and crumbly. Remove the seat rails to inspect—sand and rust stains can't hide there. For accident-damaged cars, examine door gaps: factory gaps are uniform, while repaired ones appear crooked, as if twisted. Open the hood to check for tool marks on bolts. Factory-applied sealant on radiator frames has machine-precise zigzag patterns, whereas manual repairs look like squeezed toothpaste. Lift the chassis—frame weld points must be smooth; wrinkles or deformations are ironclad proof of collision. Pull seatbelts all the way out to check for mildew or discoloration at the base—this is the first area affected in flood-damaged cars.
