Vehicles that have been submerged due to natural disasters are usually for sale on the used car market. In a season with record heavy rains or typhoons like this year, there are thousands of flooded vehicles, and many vehicles that are not scrapped are washed and traded as if they were not flooded vehicles in the used car market. If you are not purchasing a flooded vehicle knowing that it is a flooded vehicle, it is good to know how to distinguish a flooded vehicle.
Reasons to beware of flooded vehicles
Cars are made up of metal and electrical and electronic devices, which often break down when they come in contact with water. In the case of a submerged car, it is a case where the engine is in contact with water or is submerged, so there is a big problem in performance or quality, and a sudden breakdown can cause a dangerous situation. 중고차 침수차 확인
How to check flooded vehicles 좋은뉴스
It is never easy to judge a flooded vehicle with the naked eye because it usually comes out cleanly managed after several months of washing. It is so clean that you cannot believe that it is a submerged car, so there are cases where you are tricked into buying it. In order to prepare for these situations, a flooded vehicle checklist is essential. You can determine whether there is a flooded car by checking the traces left in hard-to-clean areas and checking the replaced parts. In addition to visually checking, it is also important how to check the car’s history. We have compiled a variety of checklists below.
Flooded car fungus check
Because flooded vehicles have been submerged in water for a long time, mold on the seats may not be 100% washed. Even after drying and ventilating for a long time, there is a peculiar smell of mold coming from areas where mold has not been completely removed. It is good to check whether the smell has been removed through a diffuser or temporary ventilation.
Check whether seat belts in submerged vehicles have been replaced
In the case of a submerged vehicle, it is essential to wash seat belts. Since the end where the seat belt is wound cannot be completely cleaned by washing, you can pull the seat belt all the way to check for mold or muddy water. If your seat belt has been replaced because it has not been cleaned, you can check whether it has been replaced by the seat belt label. Since the date of manufacture is written on the seat belt, it is checked whether it is a flooded vehicle by checking whether it was manufactured at the same time as the year of the vehicle. It is important to check the seat belt by pulling it on all seats, and the manufacturing date of the seat belt is marked on the label at the end of the seat belt in the back seat.
Check the bottom of the trunk mat of a flooded car
When cleaning a submerged truck, there are cases where the bottom of the trunk is not cleaned and muddy water marks remain. It is a case where it is not cleaned because it is invisible and not used well. It’s a little ironic, even if it’s very clean, because it’s practically an underutilized area in the car.
Check whether the submerged car fuse box has been replaced
Replacing the fuse box is very rare. Since the fuse box is a part that is fixed by a combination of bolts and nuts, you can check if the fuse box has been replaced if there are traces of the bolts being replaced.
Check the rubber packing of the vehicle frame of the flooded vehicle
You can check if there are dirt marks on the inside by pulling the rubber packing on the door of the submerged car, that is, the part called the weather strip. Since all the doors of the vehicle are finished with rubber packing, you can check whether there are dirt marks of the flooded vehicle buried inside the rubber packing.
Check car accident history inquiry service
In many cases, it is difficult to determine whether a car is flooded because rogue second-hand dealers cleverly change the owner’s record or change the number plate to manipulate previous records. For ordinary consumers who are not experts, the most important thing to do besides a simple internal checklist is to search accident history. A site that can be utilized at this time is the “Car History” site of the Insurance Development Institute. The car history site provides a car accident history inquiry service. It is important to note that this record searches for vehicles covered by insurance due to car flood damage. If it is a flooded vehicle that has been handled separately by the individual, it cannot be said to be 100% perfect because it does not remain on the record, but at least it is possible to check whether it is a flooded vehicle that has been processed by insurance.
Owner replaced for a short period of time at a specific time, license plate history check
There is a site that checks the history of frequent license plate and owner replacements mentioned above. This is the “People’s Portal for Automobile Complaints” provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. You can check the car registration book on the car civil complaint portal site, where you can grasp the vehicle number and owner’s history at a glance. You can infer that there is a problem if it has been replaced several times over a period of time.
Check car maintenance history
On the Automobile 365 site, you can check whether the car has been submerged, the car inspection history, as well as the maintenance and accident history.
A tip when buying a used car is to add a special agreement to the transaction agreement. As a special contract, it is recommended to include the phrase “If the history of an accident (including flooding, etc.) not notified by the seller is later revealed, compensation must be made.”