Flood-damaged cars: Don't get soaked
#1
11-11-2012, 04:55 AM
Flood-damaged cars: Don't get soaked
'Hi Member's,
Where do all the flooded cars/vehicles `go ?
Be careful out there on the auto market `if you're think about getting another ride...FYI below
Be Aware of "Title Washing" (Read below article) Good infor to know 4-Sure.
Flood-damaged cars: Don't get soaked
Here's how to protect yourself and avoid buying a flood-damaged car or truck.
<CITE>By Charles Plueddeman of MSN Autos</CITE>
Click to enlarge picture
Whether it's post-Sandy news reporting from New Jersey or an update on spring flooding in the Red River Valley, the images are similar: inundated neighborhoods, cows in boats — and submerged cars. We hope the neighborhoods are cleaned up quickly and the cows returned to pasture, but what happens to all those cars? According to the vehicle-history reporting service Carfax, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 claimed more than 600,000 vehicles. In 2008, Hurricane Ike left more than 100,000 vehicles under water in Texas and Louisiana. Just this summer, Hurricane Isaac, a much smaller storm, left behind 3,000 flooded vehicles in Louisiana, according to State Farm Insurance. Carfax estimates that more than half of these flood-damaged cars end up back on the road, often in the hands of an unsuspecting owner many states away.
Read: How to Survive a Real Auto Emergency
Flood cars not easily identifiable
"It is often not easy to identify a flood-damaged car," says Bailey Wood, spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association. "People who try to resell these cars purchased from insurance auctions may have done a very good job of cleaning the vehicle and know how to remove a flood 'brand' from the title. No reputable dealer wants to sell a flood-damaged vehicle, because it's likely to have problems in the future."
It's possible to clean up and dry out a car that's been filled to its windows with nasty floodwater, but underlying problems are likely to linger. Mold grows under seats, water-soaked electrical connections corrode, a silt-contaminated transmission fails — often months after the flooding occurred.
If a car is declared by an insurance company to be "totaled" because of flood damage, the owner is compensated and the insurance company assumes control of the vehicle title. The title should then be "branded" as flood damaged, an imprint that is supposed to stay on the title after the vehicle is sold, usually at an insurance auction. The car can then legitimately be parted out or recycled, but it should not return to the road. But standards for vehicle titles are controlled by each state, and can be different across the country.
"For example, most states in the South have a title brand specifically for hail-damaged vehicles," Wood says. "But a state in the North, where hail damage is less frequent, may not even have a provision to brand a title with hail damage. So you take a hail-damaged car from the South and simply retitle it in another state, and the record of hail damage disappears. The same thing happens to titles with a flood brand."
Click to enlarge picture
Click to enlarge picture
Bing: Hurricane Sandy Updates
Title washing — Watch for transfers, retitles
To "wash" a title, a vehicle may be moved around the country and retitled in several states before it is finally resold, usually at a wholesale auction attended by dealers. According to the Justice Department, Experian Automotive recently reported that in just the first six months of 2008, more than 185,000 titles were branded in one state, and then transferred and retitled in a second state specifically to create a clean title.
To stop title washing, the department is creating a national "total loss disclosure" database that will be a permanent record of vehicles reported stolen or branded as junked, salvage or flooded. This database, called the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, is based on the vehicle identification number (VIN) rather than the title, so it can't be washed. All states, insurance carriers and junk and salvage yards are required to report to the database. When fully implemented, it will have data from every state and will be queried before any state issues a new title, making it extremely difficult to wash a flood designation from a vehicle.
Since August 2012, the database has been available to consumers through 10 data provider companies, which are incorporating the information into the reports they sell to dealers and the public. Those companies are Auto Data Direct Inc., Carco Group Inc., Carfax, CVR, Experian Automotive, Mobiletrac, Motor Vehicle Software Corp., RigDig, VINAudit.com and VINSmart. The information will include title information, the most recent odometer reading, brand history and, in some cases, historical theft data. Consumers can also get a free check for a theft or salvage brand at VinCheck, a service of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Continued: Title branding
Where do all the flooded cars/vehicles `go ?
Be careful out there on the auto market `if you're think about getting another ride...FYI below
Be Aware of "Title Washing" (Read below article) Good infor to know 4-Sure.Flood-damaged cars: Don't get soaked
Here's how to protect yourself and avoid buying a flood-damaged car or truck.
<CITE>By Charles Plueddeman of MSN Autos</CITE>
Click to enlarge pictureWhether it's post-Sandy news reporting from New Jersey or an update on spring flooding in the Red River Valley, the images are similar: inundated neighborhoods, cows in boats — and submerged cars. We hope the neighborhoods are cleaned up quickly and the cows returned to pasture, but what happens to all those cars? According to the vehicle-history reporting service Carfax, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 claimed more than 600,000 vehicles. In 2008, Hurricane Ike left more than 100,000 vehicles under water in Texas and Louisiana. Just this summer, Hurricane Isaac, a much smaller storm, left behind 3,000 flooded vehicles in Louisiana, according to State Farm Insurance. Carfax estimates that more than half of these flood-damaged cars end up back on the road, often in the hands of an unsuspecting owner many states away.
Read: How to Survive a Real Auto Emergency
Flood cars not easily identifiable
"It is often not easy to identify a flood-damaged car," says Bailey Wood, spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association. "People who try to resell these cars purchased from insurance auctions may have done a very good job of cleaning the vehicle and know how to remove a flood 'brand' from the title. No reputable dealer wants to sell a flood-damaged vehicle, because it's likely to have problems in the future."
It's possible to clean up and dry out a car that's been filled to its windows with nasty floodwater, but underlying problems are likely to linger. Mold grows under seats, water-soaked electrical connections corrode, a silt-contaminated transmission fails — often months after the flooding occurred.
If a car is declared by an insurance company to be "totaled" because of flood damage, the owner is compensated and the insurance company assumes control of the vehicle title. The title should then be "branded" as flood damaged, an imprint that is supposed to stay on the title after the vehicle is sold, usually at an insurance auction. The car can then legitimately be parted out or recycled, but it should not return to the road. But standards for vehicle titles are controlled by each state, and can be different across the country.
"For example, most states in the South have a title brand specifically for hail-damaged vehicles," Wood says. "But a state in the North, where hail damage is less frequent, may not even have a provision to brand a title with hail damage. So you take a hail-damaged car from the South and simply retitle it in another state, and the record of hail damage disappears. The same thing happens to titles with a flood brand."
Click to enlarge picture
Click to enlarge picture
Bing: Hurricane Sandy Updates
Title washing — Watch for transfers, retitles
To "wash" a title, a vehicle may be moved around the country and retitled in several states before it is finally resold, usually at a wholesale auction attended by dealers. According to the Justice Department, Experian Automotive recently reported that in just the first six months of 2008, more than 185,000 titles were branded in one state, and then transferred and retitled in a second state specifically to create a clean title.
To stop title washing, the department is creating a national "total loss disclosure" database that will be a permanent record of vehicles reported stolen or branded as junked, salvage or flooded. This database, called the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, is based on the vehicle identification number (VIN) rather than the title, so it can't be washed. All states, insurance carriers and junk and salvage yards are required to report to the database. When fully implemented, it will have data from every state and will be queried before any state issues a new title, making it extremely difficult to wash a flood designation from a vehicle.
Since August 2012, the database has been available to consumers through 10 data provider companies, which are incorporating the information into the reports they sell to dealers and the public. Those companies are Auto Data Direct Inc., Carco Group Inc., Carfax, CVR, Experian Automotive, Mobiletrac, Motor Vehicle Software Corp., RigDig, VINAudit.com and VINSmart. The information will include title information, the most recent odometer reading, brand history and, in some cases, historical theft data. Consumers can also get a free check for a theft or salvage brand at VinCheck, a service of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Continued: Title branding
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Last edited by Space; 11-11-2012 at 04:59 AM.
#2
11-11-2012, 05:42 AM
Hi Member's, below are some links `if you want to explore more information about Flood Damaged Vehicles 
"Knowledge is `Power & that knowledge can save you Big $'s `if you are in the know" ~> 4-$ure
===================================
"Knowledge is `Power & that knowledge can save you Big $'s `if you are in the know" ~> 4-$ure
===================================
- HowStuffWorks "10 Ways to Spot a Flood-damaged Car"
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">auto.howstuffworks.com/.../10-ways-to-spot-flood-damaged-car.htm</CITE>
Floods have drenched much of the United States in recent years, with high water levels that ruined homes and businesses and dealt devastating losses to their ...
How to spot flood-damaged cars | Insure.com
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">Term Life Insurance Quotes | Car Insurance Quotes | Health Insurance Quotes | Insure.com › Car Insurance</CITE>
Nov 1, 2012 – Learn how to spot flood-damaged cars and avoid the problems that come with them.
Tips on How to Spot a Flood-Damaged Vehicle
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">National Automobile Dealers Association › ... › Commerce Issues › Total-Loss Disclosure</CITE>
In their wake: a large number of flood-damaged vehicles. NADA offers 10 ... A prospective buyer can spot a flooded vehicle by following these simple steps: 1.
- News for How to spot flood damaged cars ?
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-OVERFLOW: ellipsis; DISPLAY: block; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 11px; OVERFLOW: hidden"></CITE>
How to avoid buying a flood-damaged car
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">New York Daily News</CITE> - 3 days ago
AAA offers the following tips on how to spot and avoid flood-damaged vehicles. Follow your nose. Any damp, musty or wet odor inside the ...
Flood-damaged vehicles from Hurricane Sandy could end up rusting on a used car lot near you
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">Lake Stevens Journal</CITE> - 2 days ago
AAA Warning Consumers About Flood-Damaged Vehicles From Sandy Hitting Market
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">WGMD Radio</CITE> - 1 day ago
How can I spot a flood-damaged car for sale? | The Courier-Journal ...
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,153,51)">www.courier-journal.com/.../How-can-spot-flood-damaged-car-sale-...</CITE>
2 days ago – Q: How can I spot a flood-damaged car for sale? A: Run the car'svehicle identification number through CARFAX® - Official Site - Vehicle History Reports on Used Cars for Sale, AutoCheck at ...
#3
11-11-2012, 09:42 AM
Great info Space. Looks like the NY taxi companies are gonna have to do something about their flooded cars. And it's salt water too.
Check out the oil slick floating around the center of that parking lot.
Check out the oil slick floating around the center of that parking lot.
#4
11-11-2012, 09:53 AM
Thanks `Lou, I never seen that picture, but I've seen many pictures of flood cars from Sandy & several from Katrina.
Many came to Florida after their titles were washed...One of my employee's bought one & has had many problems & has been fighting it it court...It's been a real battle for him...
He bought it from a private owner, but that seller has disappeared
One really has to be careful when buying a used car in todays world & really do their homework & really inspect b-4 they committ...It's sad, but it's what's happening out there in our World....Some people/dealers are not as good as their word 4-Sure
Many came to Florida after their titles were washed...One of my employee's bought one & has had many problems & has been fighting it it court...It's been a real battle for him...
He bought it from a private owner, but that seller has disappeared
One really has to be careful when buying a used car in todays world & really do their homework & really inspect b-4 they committ...It's sad, but it's what's happening out there in our World....Some people/dealers are not as good as their word 4-Sure
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