Owners can't salvage flooded vehicles

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One day after widespread flooding in the Charlotte area, owners of vehicles that were underwater are learning what, if anything, they can do.

“This is my 2008 Forenza,” Teresa Watkins tells us, with the emphasis on the 2008.

Thirty hours after Wednesday’s flood, there’s still water in the floorboards of her flooded car. There is water in the headlights too, and it drips from the car.

“We watched it turn,” she says, describing how the water lifted the car from its parking spot and turned it about 300 degrees.

Likely most of the hundreds of vehicles flooded in Charlotte and the surrounding area will have to be called “totaled” by the insurance companies and hauled away.

A tow truck driver pointed us to a lot at the “Insurance Auto Auction” where he pulled a flooded car. He said it was filled with vehicles like it. The corporation says those cars will be sold with an upfront notice that they are flood damaged. 

We visited R&B Body Shop to ask if those flooded cars could be safely salvaged.

“It's like this car right here,” Ryan Wilson says of a flooded car they had in their lot. “You could fix it, but you are always going to be chasing problems.”

Wilson’s rule of thumb is if the water hit the dash, the car is likely a loss. That would mean there’s water in the wiring, the fuses, and possibly the motor and transmissions.

History tells some of the flooded cars will end up on the block for resale. To avoid buying one, Carfax recommends that you check for silt or mud or rust in the truck or glove compartment or under the seats. If you suspect the upholstery has been replaced, that's a red flag.

When you turn the car on, make sure all the gauges come on and test the lights, the wipers, and the A/C more than once. A smell test might be in order too and of course, a Carfax can't hurt. Knowing the car's history is your first line of defense.