Most flood-damaged cars from New Zealand's February's storms will be (and should be) written off. But it's inevitable that some uninsured vehicles will be dried out and resold, so it's going to be important for Kiwi used car buyers to be vigilant when inspecting potential purchases this year.
That's the advice from James Jewell, technical service manager at Toyota NZ, who recommends getting a potential vehicle purchase thoroughly checked out by an expert you can trust.
“Insurers will quickly write off a car if water has been inside the cabin as the NZ Transport Agency Vehicle Certification Guide is specific on a large number of components that need to be replaced,” he says.
Flood damage can be identified with careful inspection. Jewell says flood water will leave very fine silt, staining or early signs of rusting on untreated steel components inside the car.
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“Safety components such as airbag inflators and seat belt pre-tensioners are highly vulnerable to moisture. The seat belt devices that pull a seat belt tight in a collision are under a seat and easily damaged by water. They may dry out but could then malfunction and not operate as intended – causing early deployment, no deployment or more force than intended.”
For vehicles that drove through flood water but did not have water enter the cabin, there are other potential problems. James says many owners of 4WD SUVs and utes think they can drive through deep water unscathed. However, he says, all vehicles should not go through water deeper than recommended. For example, the maximum wading depth for a Hilux is 700mm.
“Any higher than maximum wading depth is going to result in water entering breather pipes for transmissions and differentials. A tell-tale sign of water getting into drive line fluids is milkiness. If the fluid looks like strawberry milkshake or mushroom soup, you’ve got water in the oil and it needs to be flushed and replaced.”
Even SUVs or utes fitted with a snorkel are not immune. Jewell says snorkels are designed to provide clean dust-free air to the engine, not turn utes into submarines.
“If you have driven your vehicle through high flood waters, I would get it serviced immediately and replace transmission and drive train fluids,” he says.