Buying a used car is often a challenging process because it’s a process that requires careful inspection. Sometimes, buyers end up with faulty cars simply because they didn’t conduct a thorough inspection on a car. In the Nigerian Tokunbo car market, it’s easy to fall into the trap of faulty cars or cars that have been flooded out. Why? Experienced car sellers always know how to package their cars and make them look presentable.
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Buying a Tokunbo car is a gamble. You could become lucky and go home with a good vehicle or, unfortunately, return with a problematic one. One major car issue many don’t notice on time is flooded cars. And buying such cars comes with huge risks.
What Is A Flood-Damaged Car?
A flooded vehicle is a car that has been completely or partially submerged in water to the extent that its body, engine, transmission, or other mechanical components have been severely damaged. Many times, flooded cars are so damaged that they become inoperable.
However, some car dealers buy cars like this at a huge discount and resell them to unlooking buyers. They buy them, dry and clean them, and avoid fixing many of the hidden flood damages. They must transport these vehicles across states without flood issues and sell them as used cars to unsuspecting buyers.
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Still, as a buyer, you can dictate if the car sold to you has been flooded out before being remarketed to buyers. Here are ways to dictate that.
8 Effective Ways To Dictate Flooded-Out Tokunbo Cars In Nigeria
With flooded-out cars, they look as good as new because their only damage has been flooding. So, the faults are not easily dictated from the exterior. Here are ways to fish those hidden flaws out.
- Inspect The Car Carpets
Inspect the car carpets to know if there’s any sign that the carpet has been waterlogged or has a mouldy odour. Sometimes, sellers change the carpet. A new carpet for an otherwise used car is another sign that it might have been flood-damaged. Consider this carefully before buying.
- Inspect The Screws Mounted On The Seats
Check the seats to know if there are any signs of the previous removal. For the carpet to have been removed to dry, it means the seating rows have to be removed first.
- Check The Lights
Considering how expensive the car taillights and headlights are, most sellers don’t change them. So, check them carefully. You might spot some water lines left on the reflector or lens.
- Search For Debris & Mud
If the flood happened in a muddy place, the panels, brackets, or the bottom edges of the car would be soiled with mud.
- Check The Difficult Places To Clean In A Car
Sometimes sellers do a neat job of cleaning a flooded car, but some areas need to be cleaned. Such areas are the gap between panels in the trunk and under the hood. You might still find mud and debris in this area.
- Check The Engine Room
The engine room of a car, particularly the behind space, is also a hard-to-clean place. So, also inspect this area to see if you can spot mud or dirt.
- Look For Unpainted/Exposed Screws
Look for any signal that notifies of corrosion or any exposed or unpainted screw under the panel. Unpainted metals in a flooded car will always show signs of corrosion.
- Inspect The Rubber Drain Plugs
Check the rubber drain plugs under the vehicle and at the door’s bottom to see whether they have been removed or replaced lately. This is often done to drain out the flooded car.
Why Do Car Sellers Sell Flood-Damaged Cars?
The reason is simple; car sellers sell flood-damaged cars to make more profit. They buy them at a relatively low price and then sell them at their original market price. For owners of flooded cars, they sell them off immediately to avoid bearing the cost of regular maintenance. Always inspect Tokunbo cars before purchase to avoid bearing the brunt of things like this.
Conclusion
It’s easy to fall prey to a flooded car, especially with tokunbo used cars. If you are worried you can’t figure it out yourself, let an experienced auto mechanic oversee the inspection. It’s more important to be informed than to purchase an expensive car that suddenly develops issues in a few months.
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