What do you call a car that has been flooded?
Too often, when an insurance company declares a flood-damaged car a total loss, that information isn’t communicated to potential buyers. Once a flood car is totaled, it’s supposed to get a new title, called a salvage title. Those titles are usually plainly marked (known as being “branded”) with the word “salvage” or “flood.”
Is it legal to resell a flooded car?
Totaled cars are typically sold at a salvage auction to junkyards and vehicle rebuilders. Reselling them to consumers may be legal if the flood damage is disclosed on the title. Those “salvage title” cars can’t be registered until necessary repairs are made and the vehicle is reinspected by officials.
What to do with a flooded car title?
Once a flood car is totaled, it’s supposed to get a new title, called a salvage title. Those titles are usually plainly marked (known as being “branded”) with the word “salvage” or “flood.” In some states, this warning is shown on the title as an obscure letter or number code.
Are there any flooded cars in the northeast?
The recent flooding in the Northeast, which damaged an as-yet unknown number of cars, serves as a reminder that consumers need to be vigilant when buying a used car after a big storm, even if they don’t live near the storm area.
Totaled cars are typically sold at a salvage auction to junkyards and vehicle rebuilders. Reselling them to consumers may be legal if the flood damage is disclosed on the title. Those “salvage title” cars can’t be registered until necessary repairs are made and the vehicle is reinspected by officials.
Too often, when an insurance company declares a flood-damaged car a total loss, that information isn’t communicated to potential buyers. Once a flood car is totaled, it’s supposed to get a new title, called a salvage title. Those titles are usually plainly marked (known as being “branded”) with the word “salvage” or “flood.”
How can you tell if your car has been flooded?
Chasing the gremlins caused by water damage can be an extensive and expensive process. Water damage can be hard to detect, but Consumer Reports says you should look for some telltale signs: Inspect the carpets to see whether they show signs of having been waterlogged, such as smelling musty or having caked-on mud.
The recent flooding in the Northeast, which damaged an as-yet unknown number of cars, serves as a reminder that consumers need to be vigilant when buying a used car after a big storm, even if they don’t live near the storm area.