In the wake of flooding in Louisiana, AAA is warning motorists looking to purchase a used car to beware of flood-damaged vehicles for sale.
“We’ve seen this happen before,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “Water-damaged vehicles are moved quickly out of the flood zone, cleaned up and put into the used car market stream through private dealers, on resale sites like Craigslist and via auction houses.”
AAA has some advice for would-be used car buyers:
· Deal with reputable dealers.
· Give the vehicle the sniff test: check for any musty or damp odors inside the vehicle.
· New carpeting in a used car is a dead giveaway. Pull back carpeting and look for signs of mud, dirt and water stains.
· Crawl down and look up under the dashboard to see if you can find any dirt or mud.
· Have a qualified auto technician put the vehicle up on a lift to check for corrosion or other tell-tale signs of water damage under the car.
· Make sure all electronic components, windows and lights work properly.
· Open the hood, trunk and doors and look for signs of corrosion, dirt or discoloration on the door frames, hinges and under the weather stripping. It’s difficult to clean all these surfaces and crevices thoroughly.