I'm going to a salvage auction and I was thinking about purchasing a flood damaged car. I'm talking about your average midsized sedan, mid price range and everything. It was flooded in water between 12 and 18 inches for as much as a week. Besides obviously upholstery what the worst case in damage i should expect? Will iit be driveable, i know i will have to have work done on it. also it is definately going to be a flood damaged vehicle. Also I know things are varieable thats why im asking for the AVERAGE.

any responses are greatly appreciated

18 inches luckily isn't enough to get into the air intake and fill the engine full of grit and crap. Changing and flushing all fluids, including the fuel line, is a must do though. Don't attempt to start it until you do this.

However, if the ECU is mounted low down, it might be damaged by the water ingress, and the alternator may need replacing if the water was particularly full of bits of shit. Also expect damage to the catalytic converter.

You might need to clean up a lot of the multiplug connectors too if grit/water has got into them. Most are designed to be water resistant, but the low-down ones (ABS sensor loom for example) may not survive the long soaking without letting a bit of water in.

Water may have got into the CVs through the boot if it was worn or split, so take them off and check for water inside.

what would all of that cost in us dollars

Unless you are the car wiz, it would probably just be better to buy one that doesn't have an R title.

is that like a salvage title?

Expect that every single part of the drivetrain and suspension that is lubricated with grease or that contains oil will need to be flushed, cleaned and refilled/re-greased.

If the water was full of sand then you are going to have to be really anal about getting it all out.

if the car was left closed up after the floodwaters went back down then expect to fully strip out the interior as the evaporating water would have been trapped and mold will probably be growing inside behind every trim panel and all inside the HVAC ductwork.

My friends brother bought a flooded 90's eclipse and when he got it it was dry and ran but smelled like the inside of a septic tank and most of the electronics were all screwed up. We had to re-lube every suspension part with a grease fitting and the turbo was trashed as it had gotten all sorts of sludge inside it and the previous owner started it without cleaning everything out.

All in all it turned a very nice car into a stinking pile of shit that needed tons of work to make it a reliable daily driver. Keep in mind that this was less than 24" of water that did this (we could see a line of dirt around the outside and inside of the car indicating the high water mark)

If you can get the car dirt cheap and look it over first including switching on the igniton if the car is dry (DO NOT START THE ENGINE!!!) and DO NOT TURN THE KEY ON IF THE CAR IS STILL WET!!! just turn the key to run to see what kind of condition the electronics are in. Make sure the power locks/windows/seats still work if the car has them and make sure that the lights on the dash at least come on so you can know that the ECU is at least doing something and is not totally fried.

Just be prepared to spend a good amount of time removing interior panels and all the carpeting so you can clean everything up good and hopefully eliminate any swamp smell in there.

Through this Insurance company I use to work for, anything flooded was a ride off.
If it was submersed in salt water, or a fresh water/salt water mix, don't touch it we use to scrap em.
Even fresh water damage was disposed of because we knew they would come back and bite us in the ass. Some nice cars too. :(

I have dealt with water cars before and there is alot of work you have to do to them besides hoping everything doesnt end up rusting heavily anyway. Best thing I can tell you is dont even hook a battery up until you have taken everything electric and dried it out. Find the ecm, take it out, open it up and dry it! Everything on your suspension, motor, drivetrain will have to be inspected, and protected. You might even consider taking to a body shop and having it cooked. I have done and been successful, but I choose very carefully.

are there any specific signs that i should be looking for to know the car isnt worth my time? how about a larger vehicle like a suv or truck that is labeled a flood salvage would it be less fucked up simply because its that much higher im really hoping this works out all answers so far have helped so thanks

What is the make and model of the car?

no particular car its just a salvage auto auction