ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When you’re searching for a used car, you’re considering buying a car with a history. You don’t want a flood to be a part of your vehicle history.

“That’s the biggest single concern to a car that’s had flood damage is the long-term impact to the electrical system that you may not notice at first. But beyond that too like rust to the metal components that can happen. And even the tires and stuff like that. You don’t want them submerged underwater for a long period of time, the braking components, all of these things that you don’t want submerged for an extended period,” said Karl Brauer, an executive analyst at Iseecars.com.

Today’s cars are computers on wheels. And there are two things that definitely don’t mix: electronics and water.

Flood-damaged cars are nearly always a total loss. But the way that loss is reported is through an insurance claim. Unscrupulous sellers may try to clean up the car and sell it without reporting it to insurance, especially if they have only liability coverage. But those who know what to look for can nearly always spot the tell-tale signs of flood damage, like silt in places it shouldn’t be.

If you’ve got a car and you’re thinking it might have flood damage, you want to look at these lower parts of the interior of the car where it will typically settle, the spare tire wheel well or underneath the carpet. Or the underside of the car and looking at the suspension components.

Years ago, a News10NBC viewer came to Deanna Dewberry who had bought a used car she suspected had been in a flood. So Deanna brought in a mechanic with years of experience. The first thing he did was open the trunk and pull out the carpet and spare tire. And there all around the bolts was a collection of silt that even the best detailing couldn’t remove.

Having your used car inspected by a mechanic is always recommended before you sign on the dotted line.

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