This was the case after the floods of 1997 and 2010, as well as after the 2021 floods in Germany, from where not only private cars submerged on the roads, but also new ones trapped by water in flooded showrooms, were sent to Poland. – After each flood, cars repaired after floods sooner or later end up on the secondary market. In the past, they tried to sell us cars that were not even registered, but which were already flooded in factories in Western Europe before leaving the factory, the head of the used car dealership network in Poland told “Rzeczpospolita”. In cars prepared for sale, traces of flooding can be well masked. Only a thorough inspection of hard-to-reach places, for example, under the door trim, behind the seals, under the trunk carpet or under the dashboard, or, for example, corrosion that occurs in newer cars on the seat guides, suspension or steering system components, allows us to discover the past of the flood.
Meanwhile, buying a car after a flood is probably a sure loss. Modern cars are packed with electronics: all sorts of microprocessors, controllers, safety systems and sensors. Most newer cars cannot be repaired due to the cost. Immediately after the flood, the entire electrical system would have to be replaced, which would involve very high costs. And even if the car seems to work for a short time, after a long time it will start to fail more and more. – ABS, ESP and pre-collision assistance systems can fail at any time. Frequent failures of infotainment systems, which are very sensitive to water, as well as corrosion in unusual and hidden places, are other negative long-term effects, explains Petr Vaněček, co-managing director of AURES Holdings, operator of the AAA Auto and Mototechna network of automotive centers.
Be careful with cars after the flood
What should you do to minimize losses to your own car, if possible? First of all, when a flood is approaching, it should be parked in a safe place. If the water only reaches the sills of the body, that is, only the wheel hubs and brakes are immersed in it, it is necessary to remove the wheels, clean the mud from the brakes and, of course, change the brake fluid. A bigger problem will be water entering the exhaust system, where the catalytic converters, lambda sensors and particle filters are located. – Then it would be better not to start the car, but to take it to a garage, remove the exhaust and dry it. If water gets into the radiator, it also needs to be cleaned or replaced, says Vaněček. Even slightly flooded electric cars pose a financial risk. It is true that their battery is theoretically waterproof, but mainly against splashing rainwater. If the battery, which in new cars is usually part of the floor, is underwater, there is no guarantee that it will remain waterproof.
