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from the random-and-intermittent-failures dept.
https://qz.com/1066966/how-many-cars-were-destroyed-by-hurricane-harvey/ and also at other news outlets.
For Harvey victims, it's going to be rough if they lost their car, Houston is a very car-dependent city. Like many states, Texas only requires liability insurance — only those that bought comprehensive coverage will be able to claim the loss on insurance.
Ideally most of these flooded cars will be scrapped, as it's very likely water damage to electrical systems and other parts are not cost effective to repair professionally. However, there will be "new" and used cars on the market that have been underwater (to a greater or lesser extent). Many will be sold "as is" and some of them will be cleaned up and sold fraudulently as if they were not damaged. Buyer beware, these cars will be shipped all over in search of buyers (marks?)
After Katrina, friends of mine with time on their hands bought several new-flooded Honda Civics (which they were familiar with from building "street stock" race cars). They pulled out the interior and then the full wiring harness. Bought new harness from Honda and replaced everything, and had perfectly good near-new cars for pennies on the dollar (and a few days of hard labor).
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bziman on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:21PM (16 children)
During the flooding in Colorado a few years back, my car was caught in about three feet of water... all of the mechanical stuff and most of the electronics were completely submerged. After the water receded, I had the car towed to the dealer, who declared it a total loss, and my insurance concurred. But I loved that car, and there was no physical damage to an otherwise mint condition car, so I bought it back from the insurance company, and had it towed again to a shop that specializes in American sports cars, and after replacing one sensor and the battery under the hood, they had the car running again. Also got a new stereo, but all the speakers, wiring, and the rest of the electronics were fine. Needed to replace the carpet and lining, but the seats dried out fine. So for about three grand, I didn't have to scrap a gorgeous sports car, and three years later, it runs and looks just as good as it did before the flood.
Americans are way too interested in throwing things away rather than repairing them. Even if I'd needed new everything, it still would have cost less than a new car, because the body wasn't damaged. I'm sure a car completely submerged for days would be much rougher, but insurance companies and dealers want to scrap a car if someone sneezed on it. Resist!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:41PM (1 child)
From an objective viewpoint, when the cost to fix is greater than the market value, then obviously a non-sentimental party will declare a total loss. The US is a high cost of living, high cost of operation country with cheap material goods. Unless you do the work yourself, it really is too expensive to fix something comparatively cheap.
Is the title branded now? Other people may not be so enamored to buy a pretty car when they knew that "the seats dried out fine" after the car was submerged.
(Score: 2) by bziman on Sunday September 03 2017, @06:08PM
As it turns out, in Colorado, a car as old as mine does not get a "salvage" title, so I don't have to worry about that - though a CarFax report would show it. But I don't have to worry about it at all, since I never intend to sell this car. If there was another car out there that I wanted (in a reasonable price range), I probably would have just taken the money and run, but they don't make 'em like they used to.
The fact is, even before the flood, my car, that I bought used in 2003, probably wouldn't have sold for much more than $10,000. There aren't many cars made in the last twenty (or even forty) years that really interest me, and none of them can be had for anywhere close to $10,000. I'll just keep mine, thank you.
(Score: 3, Informative) by LoRdTAW on Sunday September 03 2017, @06:13PM (7 children)
Salt or fresh water damage? If it's salt damage, it's trash.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:10PM (6 children)
Yeah, right. Flood in a landlocked state (Colorado) with salt water.
Even if they'd want to, they wouldn't have the money for all that salt and logistic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:30PM (2 children)
No shit. The point is to illustrate that there are two kinds of water flooding and one is way worse than the other.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @12:54AM
Why did you limit yourself at water damage?
(Score: 2) by bziman on Monday September 04 2017, @03:30AM
Hmm, I actually hadn't thought of that. Thanks for pointing it out. (Not a lot of salt water in Colorado, after all.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:40PM (1 child)
Utah, with its Great Salt Lake, is immediately west of Colorado. If Utah floods badly enough, there will be salt water in Colorado.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 03 2017, @10:35PM
Those Mormons, they can multiply the water of Salt Lake like bread and fishes, everybody gets their piece of flood.
Have you looked over the terrain [google.com] to see what it means for Salt Lake to flood into Colorado?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:58PM
Ahem... Salt Lake in Utah (it's not just a name).
(Score: 2) by cnst on Sunday September 03 2017, @08:03PM (3 children)
So, how much did you end up benefitting from the ordeal? What did the insurance pay you out? How much did you have to pay the insurance to buy the car back?
Did you insure it afterwards with the same company?
(Score: 2) by bziman on Monday September 04 2017, @03:33AM
I basically got an old SUV out of the deal. And yes, I'm still insured with the same company - they are, of course, happy to continue taking my money, I just can't make a claim for that flood again. Seemed reasonable to me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @05:03AM
My parents had a write-off on the road for a while (hail damage). Essentially, you get third-party liability, and that is about it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by TheRaven on Monday September 04 2017, @09:00AM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 03 2017, @08:18PM (1 child)
If all your speakers are good you know that the warer never was that deep inside, nor was it submerged for all that long.
Looks and runs good for three years is an easy test to pass. Your car is still rusting away, and chances are you will be able to Fred Flintstone that thing down the street if a few years.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by bziman on Monday September 04 2017, @03:38AM
Well, you are factually incorrect, except about the time. The speakers in that car are at the bottoms of the doors and they were in fact, completely underwater, which was up above the cup holders, but not quite to the bottom of the windows. I know, because I was IN THE CAR at the time, and had to Dukes of Hazzard out the window when the fire department showed up to "rescue" me. Fortunately, the car was only under water for an hour or so, and it got pretty well dried out in the Colorado sun. As far as anyone can tell, there's no extra rust damage. I mean, unless you have some magic way of inspecting a car from your mother's basement, frojack, that's better than my mechanics who take care of the car in person.