What can I do with a water damaged car?
The 2017 hurricane season broke a number of historical records. Even if you don’t live in one of the areas that were hit particularly hard by one of that year’s hurricanes, there’s a good chance that you were still subjected to some intense, stormy weather. A large number of areas experienced flooding, too, including parts of the country that aren’t anywhere near the coast.
If you live in a city, town, or rural area where flooding has occurred, your car may have suffered from significant flood damage.
If you’ve got a car that has experienced water damage, you’re probably wondering what your options are. While no one wants to go through the stress of dealing with a water damaged vehicle, you do have several options available to you. We’ll outline what they are, and what you can do moving forward.
Assess the damage
First and foremost, you’ll need to assess how extensive the damage to your vehicle actually is. If you’ve experienced a small flood event, your car may be completely salvageable. Look inside the vehicle, and see if you can find a water mark. If water made it up all the way to engine level, your vehicle may not be salvageable. However, if water barely entered the vehicle, you could attempt to dry it out and get it back into running order. Keep in mind that salt water is significantly worse for the life of your vehicle than fresh water, as it can lead to corrosion of any parts that it came into contact with.
Consider an insurance claim
If your vehicle’s relatively new, it may be worth attempting to file an insurance claim and seeking reimbursement from your insurance company. However, the possibility of obtaining insurance reimbursement is dependent upon what type of coverage you have. Generally speaking, “comprehensive coverage” refers to the type of car insurance coverage that allows you to file a claim for damage that’s associated with flood damage. You’ll need to contact your insurance company immediately in order to file a claim. Keep in mind that any reimbursement you receive will only come after your deductible has been accounted for.
Junk your car
Let’s say this is your situation: first, you have an older vehicle that’s worth less than the cost of your insurance deductible. Or, you don’t have comprehensive insurance coverage to begin with. In addition to this, you’ve assessed the damage to your vehicle, and it’s clear that fixing it up isn’t an option. In this case, your best bet might be to sell your vehicle as a junk car to a specialized junk car buyer. While it may be the case that your car isn’t salvageable, there could still be functioning parts inside that have retained their value. And, even if all of the parts are completely ruined, the car itself is still worth a significant amount in the form of scrap metal.
If you’re looking to sell your flood damaged junk car, your best bet is to contact Junk Car Traders. As a nationwide company, we specialize in buying junk cars, and we can pay you top dollar for you water damaged vehicle. If you have a water damaged vehicle in Pennsylvania we can make selling your junk car easy. To learn more, check out our website: JunkCarTraders.com.
References
https://www.thebalance.com/does-car-insurance-cover-flood-damage-527091
