flood fleet vehicles

[pt756]

Good evening, was going thru Equipment Facts, noticed a fleet flood sale recently from North Carolina, read thru some of it looked like new 2024 white ford trucks a lot of them all about 15 to 16 k, with a flood title and fresh water damage, question is what do they do with these trucks, 15k for new super duty would be nice if it worked, 

[Chester5732]

I would t touch a flood vehicle for any price.  It will be an electrical nightmare.  

[stronger800]

Coworker bought a flood Volvo 4-5 years ago.  Super super clean suv. ($60k sticker maybe?.  I know she got it cheap, maybe in the 20’s)  Looked new. Idk the  mileage but it was low. No sign of ever being wet. Interior was as new.  It would just Die sometimes. Usually it would start right up. After about the third time of not starting back up though (died in the middle of a Big busy intersection) …..she sold it 

[acem]

It depends.  It could have no problems or be a basket case.  I don't know how to tell.

I've never purchased a flooded vehicle but have had several friends who flooded their vehicles without full coverage insurance.  Most of these flooded vehicles were fine with no problems after flushing out the fluids.

[vtfireman85]

My dad’s friend had an 87’ Scottsdale K20, it went for a swim before it was a month old, he ran it for 15 years trouble free.. those were different times however.. 

[vtfireman85]

1 hour ago, pt756 said:

Good evening, was going thru Equipment Facts, noticed a fleet flood sale recently from North Carolina, read thru some of it looked like new 2024 white ford trucks a lot of them all about 15 to 16 k, with a flood title and fresh water damage, question is what do they do with these trucks, 15k for new super duty would be nice if it worked, 

Worst case you turn it over at a profit or at least break even…what could go wrong? 

[brewcrew]

Those flood vehicles would be great for a body man. Buy a crashed up junker, swap the wire harness into the flood vehicle, and you’re good to go!

[885]

I've worked on some flood vehicles and in my experience they will have corrosion issues in harnesses, computer modules, grounds. The outside of vehicle connectors usually are fine since they have weather pack in the connectors. Anything inside the car has no weather pack and they get corrosion easily. They always come back in the shop. We had one that was flooded up to the console and I believe it took 1 main harness, a couple of sub harnesses, 2 seat belts for the pretensioners, and finally the air bag module. The bad thing is you will think you have it fixed and then a few months later something else acts up from corrosion 

[lotsaIHCs]

Electrical nightmares. When we get one that has water under the carpet, the insurance company is called and they generally total it. By the time you gut it to dry it all out, replace umpteen control modules that may have had water in them and replace wiring harnesses it just isn't worth it. That's why insurance companies total them. They want nothing to do with them.

[New Englander]

There are some flood damaged planes out there which would make excellent projects except the insurance company removes the data plate rendering them nothing but spare parts.

I wouldn't touch a salt water flood anything. As for a plane it means ALL the avionics and instruments are junk depending on how deep the water was but the new stuff is worth installing anyway. There are no modules hidden away like in a car to get damaged. Take it apart and replace everything that needs it and it would be like new or better. Insurance companies afraid of someone just washing them up, I suppose.

As for a truck it would depend on how deep. Figure on all the wiring harnesses that got wet and all the modules too plus the interior.

My sister's Camry's sunroof drains clogged and flooded the rear floor while she was away for months helping her daughter out with new baby and kids. Water wasn't deep but interior got moldy, so it was totaled. That would be a good driver with a salvage title with an interior out of a donor crash car.

 

[Doc Egor]

Years ago we bought a nearly new IH pickup from an insurance salesmen - in short order we figured out it had been in the Rapid City flood. 

The control cables and linkages all were stiff, there was also silt in the recesses in the body went you went probing around....so this thing was a ticking time bomb.

Somehow, it had escaped being tagged as a flood vehicle on the title....which we found out was a lot more common then you would think.

Regardless - at that point in time (the 70's) a flood vehicle had a salvage title and could never be licensed again.

I wouldn't touch a flood vehicle personally.....there is just no way they can be 100% cleaned up and not rust, especially in this age of the electronic wonders that have more than enough problems to start with.

[885]

Another thing to consider, there will be fine silt in the engine, trans, and differential. So assume that they have been sitting for quite a while with water in the oil pan, rusting them on the inside. If those are former city of asheville vehicles, I was told during the storm by a city employee a lot of them ended up being pretty deep in water. 

[bitty]

9 hours ago, vtfireman85 said:

My dad’s friend had an 87’ Scottsdale K20, it went for a swim before it was a month old, he ran it for 15 years trouble free.. those were different times however.. 

I had my 87 Silverado with 35" mud terrains in pretty deep ...... Had to replace the fan and radiator once as it flexed into the radiator in deep water 😬

[sandhiller]

My story is about a 1990 F350 crew cab with 7.3 and E4OD, not a fancy pickup, specc'd like a work pickup of the day

They replaced all carpet, seats and not sure about panels or any electrical

We ran it to the the mid 100's when the tranny went hauling a load of bale beds up out of Kansas, I bought a parts pickup and converted to 5 sp

Ran it another 100 or so when the wife put a window in the block

Other than rust on the metal up under the dash, you couldn't tell it had been in the water

It was a good trailer pullin' family haulin' pickup for us. 

No weird problems throughout it's life that I can remember

We got our money out of it easily and it is sitting in my old pickup row waiting for it's next assignment. 

 

[cobfly]

What are these floods you speak of?😁