There are many things to keep in mind when buying a used car. Foremost among them is the need to distinguish whether the car you are buying is a flooded car or not? We will guide you on how to filter flooded cars directly related to safety and how to check them. And I’ve prepared some tips for buying a used car, so I’m sure you’ll find it helpful if you read it slowly.
Photo of the inside of a flooded truck
Inside photo of submerged truck (Source: KN News)
According to the Loss Insurance Association and the loss insurance company (non-life insurance company), flooded car damage due to typhoons and monsoons in 2020 was the worst ever, recording KRW 115.7 billion. The number of damages reached 21,194, the third highest ever. 중고차 침수차 확인
It is difficult to count vehicles with hidden accident history or without insurance. 좋은뉴스
The problem is that these cars pour into the used car market every September. When selling used cars, it is difficult for buyers to remove traces of submersion after repair or to distinguish used cars that are illegally distributed by unscrupulous dealers.
In the case of a flooded car, if it is perfectly repaired, it is difficult for experts to distinguish whether it is a flooded car, so I hope there is no damage through the confirmation method below.
How to search flooded vehicles
The basis for checking a flooded vehicle is a method of querying the vehicle accident history.
1. Car history
This is “Carhistory (carhistory.com)” of the Insurance Development Institute. Car History is a service provided based on your car accident insurance history. You can search flooded vehicles free of charge by entering “Vehicle Identification Number” or “Vehicle Number” after accessing the homepage.
The downside of car history is that it is not searched for submerged cars that are not insured because it is searched based on insurance company data.
As an inquiry service to compensate for these disadvantages, you can use “Car 365” and “Car Civil Complaint Public Portal” provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Transportation Safety Authority.
2. Cars 365
After accessing the “Car 365 (car365.go.kr)” homepage, click “Search vehicle history” and then “Search other vehicle information” to check the details of the vehicle. In the search item, you can check not only the details of accidents repaired at service centers, but also history checks such as maintenance and inspection.
For the same service, there is the “People’s Portal for Car Civil Complaints (ecar.go.kr)”. After accessing the homepage, you can also check it by clicking “Search other vehicle” in “Total history inquiry”.
These two services incur a certain fee depending on the number of items selected.
※ Unit: KRW, including VAT (payment method: credit card, smartphone)
Category 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Consent of the person or others Car for sale Credit card 136 182 228 273 319 364 409 455
Mobile phone 136 182 227 273 318 363 409 454
Vehicle credit card without consent of another person – – 113 136 160 182 205 228
Mobile phone – – 113 136 158 182 205 227
5 ways to distinguish and check the submerged difference
1. Check mold by smell and naked eyes
submerged car fungus photo
Photos of flooded car mold (Source: YouTube channel, Used Car Destroyers)
No matter how clean a flooded car looks, mold forms inside the car. This can lead to a damp, musty smell in the basement.
A car that has been submerged once cannot completely get rid of the smell even after 3 years, and mold may continue to develop. If mold is visible on the seats and inside the vehicle, it is suspicious.
2. Check your seat belt
submerged car seat belt photo
Photo of a seat belt in a submerged car (Source: YouTube channel, Used Car Destroyer)
You can pull the seat belt all the way to check for muddy stains or signs of mold. However, fraudulent methods are increasing day by day, and there are cases where contractors replace entire seat belts.
However, it is relatively easy to replace seat belts in the front seat, but it is very difficult to replace seat belts in the back seat, so be sure to check both the front and rear seat belts.
You can check the manufacturing date of the seat belt replacement method. The manufacturing date can be checked in the order of year, month, and day.
Example) Date of manufacture: 100404 ☞ Manufactured on April 4, 2010.
Compare the date of manufacture of the vehicle and the date of manufacture of the seat belt, and if they do not match, you may suspect whether the vehicle is flooded.
3. Check the inside of the trunk
photo of flooded car trunk
Photo of the trunk of a flooded car (Source: YouTube channel, Used Car Destroyer)
When you open the trunk, you should visually check for traces of muddy water. The covers can be washed or replaced, so pay attention to what’s under the covers.
Another puddle should be checked. Water once introduced will flow continuously, so if there is a trace of water, you should be suspicious. Under the cover, if there is muddy water or rust in the spare tire space, you should also be suspicious.
Also, you need to remove the side cover of the inside of the trunk and check for signs of submersion.
On the other hand, if the trunk is too clean for its age, you should be suspicious. If it’s ridiculously clean, it’s possible that it was professionally cleaned on purpose.
4. Check the fuse box bolts
Flooded car fuse box photo
Flooded car fuse box photo (Source: YouTube channel, used car destroyer)
You can check the engine room by opening the bonnet (bonnet). It may be dirty, but in the case of flooded cars, it is likely to be washed very clean.
The part to note here is the fuse box. It is highly likely that the fuses involved in the operation of the electronic and electrical control units were completely replaced after being flooded. Therefore, you should be suspicious if the bolts securing the fuse box are loosened, worn out, or rusted.
For reference, when a fuse blows out, it is rare to replace it as a whole, only replacing individual small fuses one by one.
5. Take off the weather strip and check it
Photos of submerged vehicle lower chassis
A picture of a crack in the chassis of a submerged car (Source: YouTube channel, Used Car Destroyer)
A weatherstrip is a rubber padding that prevents rain, water, and dust from entering the interior. This rubber packing comes off easily if you hold it with your hand and pull it. After removing the weather strip, you need to check for muddy water and black marks of rust under the rising water.
In addition, it is difficult to clean the seat rails, so please push the driver’s and front passenger’s seats all the way to the end to check for dirt or rust marks.
※ For more information, check the flood car confirmation process in the video below, and be careful not to be damaged.
How to distinguish a flooded car (Source: YouTube channel, used car destroyer)
Tips when buying a used car
Due to the nature of submerged cars, they begin to be distributed in the used car market about 2 to 3 months after being repaired, that is, from September to November. Therefore, in the case of a car whose name has been changed since July, please make purchases with reasonable suspicion.
There are a lot of used car personal transactions at carrot markets and lightning markets these days, right? If you buy the wrong car, an accident car, or a flooded car, you can suffer great damage with repair costs that are bigger than your stomach.
Accident cars and used cars are difficult for the general public to judge with the naked eye. It is true that it is unsafe to buy only by trusting the words of used car companies. Because there can be moral hazard.
As you know, when buying a used car, it’s a good idea to have a car expert accompany you. You can reduce the damage if you accompany an expert to purchase through applications such as Hidden, My Mabu, and Cavajo, or through a used car purchase agency. If you can buy a good car with only a certain fee, it will be of great help in reducing your risk.
Vehicle safety is directly related to my life. And because cars are made up of metal, electronics, and electrical devices, they are vulnerable to water. Flooded cars can cause problems, such as corrosion of car bodies and malfunctioning electronics, when, where, and how.
If you unknowingly bought a flooded car, it’s like riding a time bomb.
The most important thing above all is safety, isn’t it life?
There is a saying that “cheap is expensive”. Cars that are too cheap below market value or that have been on the market for a long time but have not been sold can also be targeted. I hope you don’t get hurt while looking for cheap used cars.
I’ll end with the words of an honest used car dealer, “There are no cheap and good used cars.” thank you