9:46 am, February 19, 2014
WITH no end to the devastation caused by the recent flooding in sight, award-winning car dealer Umesh Samani has taken to his customer newsletter to warn potential car buyers of the dangers of buying a flood-damaged car.
The Stoke-on-Trent based proprietor of Specialist Cars has given the issue top-billing on his email news update and backs up concerns tabled by the AA and others, that owners of flood damaged cars, who do not have the appropriate insurance cover, may seek to minimise their losses by passing the car onto an unsuspecting private buyer or dealer.
‘These cars are going to be a long term nightmare,’ says Samani, pictured. ‘They may well be cleaned up and all working correctly, but as we all know, water and electrics simply do not mix so in time things will start to fail.’
He goes on to warn that it is likely to be private owners covered only by third-party insurance and ‘unscrupulous dealers’ who have obtained the stock cheaply, that are most likely to offload a previously waterlogged car, and that buyers should read-up on what to look out for to ensure they don’t end up with a lemon.
‘If you’re not an expert then I say leave it to the professionals and buy from a reputable dealer,’ Samani concludes.
Car Dealer Magazine recently caught up with David Bruce, director of AA Cars, who echoed Specialist Cars’ warning: ‘While a car can be dried out with no obvious visual damage, immersion in floods can store up a range of potentially costly or dangerous problems that could emerge at a later date.
‘For instance, catalytic converter and exhaust system life can be seriously compromised and there can be a host of potentially serious electrical problems – including airbags spontaneously going off with a risk of injury.’
