Tip of the week: How to spot a flood-damaged car
Don’t trust the title; Seek visual clues; Drive it
Don’t trust the title. “A flood of water-damaged cars is spreading across the U.S.” in the wake of October’s East Coast superstorm, and buyers should avoid them. “Unscrupulous sellers might produce counterfeit titles” to hide that the vehicle was salvaged. The true history of many vehicles is available, for a small fee, at VehicleHistory.gov.
Seek visual clues. Since that check isn’t foolproof, inspect any used car by looking for water lines inside the lenses of head lamps and tail lamps, silt in the spare-tire well, or rust in “odd places” like on interior screws. If the engine oil is “milky-colored,” that may be a sign water got in the engine.
Drive it. “Hesitation and rough operation might point to a malfunctioning engine-control system.” Such hiccups now could foretell bigger troubles down the road.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Consumer Reports
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science