ST. LOUIS – The lives lost and shattered this hurricane season has grabbed the county’s attention. When storm cleanup starts, St. Louis automotive expert Jay Grosman says problems can start for car buyers.
“We’re really in a situation where nobody is safe here,” Jay Grosman, owner of iAutoAgent in Chesterfield, said.
Grosman says flood-damaged vehicles will soon flood the market.
“The vehicles, they get flooded. They clean them up really, really well. They end up at the auction,” he said. “Some dealer is going to buy them, and they’re going to end up in your driveway.”
In 2019, mechanic Tommy Rogers showed us some of the hidden issues on flooded cars.
“We actually pull the carpet up and the whole underside of the car is just full of water. Everything is rusted. Seat brackets are all rusted. Unfortunately, there was a report run on this car, it didn’t show any flood damage,” Rogers said at the time.
“Some of these vehicles are going to be sold before they even hit Carfax. And Carfax is not always accurate as well. We all think Carfax is the best thing. It’s the best thing that we have available to us, but it is not 100%,” Grosman said.
So how can you protect yourself from buying a flood car?
“The best thing you could possibly do when you buy a vehicle is to get an independent mechanical inspection done on that vehicle,” Grosman said. “It’s the way that you can save your butt and make sure you’re buying from a reputable company.”
Grosman also urges caution when car shopping on sites like Facebook Marketplace.
“They look like private owners, but they’re really not. They’re really these small-time dealers and sometimes they’re just flipping vehicles,” Grosman said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s legal to resell flood-damaged cars if the defect is noted on the title, the vehicle has been rebuilt, and the vehicle has received a “rebuilt” title.
