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What To Do If Your Car Has Been Flooded

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East Coast residents are reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. As they begin the difficult task of cleaning up from the storm surge, they may be wondering what to do with their flooded cars. Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi have advice for them: If a car is flooded and it’s your only transportation, you may be able to use it, but it’s bound to cause you problems.

The best bet is to have your insurance company declare it totaled and pay you for it, the brothers say. If you’re uninsured and not in a position to replace it, you can try to continue driving it, but not before performing some crucial tasks:

  • First, you have to get the water out of your car. You have to remove and either clean or replace the seats, carpet, interior panels and possibly even the headliner. Bleach must be used to attempt to kill the mold spores — and the sooner, the better.
  • You need to remove all the spark plugs and then turn the engine over to purge any water that may have gotten into the cylinders. If water comes out, that cylinder is a candidate for corrosion and failure. You also need to drain the motor oil and transmission fluid in case water has gotten in and diluted those crucial lubricants.
  • Then you can start the car and begin looking for electronic problems.

If you have to keep a car that’s been flooded, consider it a short-term solution. And if you’re shopping for a car, make sure you follow the proper steps to make sure it isn’t a flood car that has been cleaned up.

Related
How Hurricane Sandy Could Affect Auto Sales
Storm Safety: What You Should Do if You Get Caught in Water
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Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Newman

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Newman is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years as an automotive journalist at Cars.com. Jennifer leads the Editorial team in its mission of helping car shoppers find the vehicle that best fits their life. A mom of two, she’s graduated from kids in car seats to teens behind the steering wheel. She’s also a certified car-seat technician with more than 12 years of experience, as well as member of the World Car Jury, Automotive Press Association and Midwest Automotive Media Association. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennilnewman/ Instagram: @jennilnewman

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