{"id":286,"date":"2024-11-07T12:45:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T11:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/?p=286"},"modified":"2024-11-08T12:44:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T11:44:15","slug":"how-to-recognize-a-flood-damaged-car-verify-it-checking-its-vin-number-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/how-to-recognize-a-flood-damaged-car-verify-it-checking-its-vin-number-for-free\/","title":{"rendered":"How to recognize a flood-damaged car? Verify it checking its VIN number for free"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Want to avoid buying a flood-damaged car? Verify the vehicle checking its VIN number for free at Crashstatus.com. It&#8217;s an effective way to identify a car that has been flooded \u2014 or damaged in another way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After every flood in Europe and the USA, thousands of cars hit the used car market with varying levels of flood damage. A flood-damaged car is a disaster on wheels. Such a car is prone to frequent electrical and electronic component failures. It is damaged by corrosion, and its airbags and impact sensors may be faulty after flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When an electric car (or a hybrid with a lithium-ion battery) is flooded, it should be scrapped straight away. By using a flood-damaged electric or PHEV hybrid car you are putting your own safety at risk. Water ingress into the battery may cause shorting and battery fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dishonest car dealers know how to temporarily mask flood damage. But you can use effective tools, like Crashstatus, to spot the signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check a car for flood damage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interested in a particular used car? Note down its VIN number from the advertisement. If the seller has not provided a VIN number, ask for it in a private message. If the seller won\u2019t share the VIN, give up on this car and look for another one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got the VIN? Enter it in the designated box on the Crashstatus.com homepage. After a few seconds, you\u2019ll find out whether your car has any recorded damage \u2014 all for free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What does it mean that a car has recorded damages?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The car was involved in an accident or collision reported to an insurer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The car was flooded or affected by a flood, which was reported to an insurer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The car was severely damaged in a flood or accident, with the insurer declaring it a total loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The car was stolen, which was recorded in police databases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The car sustained other types of damage or destruction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Crash Status uses a vast and reliable database.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget_hsp_vin_search\"><div class=\"bg-darkBlue rounded-[35px]  p-6 py-10  my-4 md:py-8 md:px-8 relative md:my-4 overflow-hidden\">\n\t<span class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 -z-1\">\n\t\t<svg width=\"217\" height=\"215\" viewBox=\"0 0 217 215\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t<path\n\t\t\t\td=\"M144.726 -54.6222L130.359 -29.7422L129.06 -27.5132L115.097 -3.31126L100.723 21.5759C113.02 28.7017 122.194 40.18 126.434 53.7417H18.4845C22.7228 40.1693 31.9067 28.6839 44.2162 21.5615L29.8494 -3.31126C18.9615 2.95445 9.59533 11.5512 2.42274 21.8623C-4.74986 32.1735 -9.55118 43.9437 -11.6369 56.3287C-13.7226 68.7137 -13.041 81.4066 -9.64102 93.4972C-6.24102 105.588 -0.206856 116.777 8.02872 126.261L-7.84615 153.788C-26.4642 135.86 -38.5436 112.218 -42.1594 86.6292C-45.7752 61.0406 -40.7192 34.9784 -27.7972 12.5962C-14.8752 -9.78602 5.16913 -27.2001 29.1413 -36.8709C53.1134 -46.5416 79.6338 -47.9123 104.476 -40.7647L119.189 -66.265C85.2176 -77.8477 48.1507 -76.3797 15.2025 -62.1467C-17.7457 -47.9137 -44.2177 -21.9341 -59.0613 10.7357C-73.9048 43.4054 -76.0578 80.4277 -65.1012 114.597C-54.1447 148.766 -30.8624 177.637 0.213959 195.591L14.5735 170.697L29.835 144.244L44.144 119.48L44.2018 119.379C31.7389 112.169 22.4875 100.489 18.3257 86.7082H126.563C122.399 100.489 113.145 112.17 100.68 119.379L115.04 144.244C125.922 137.981 135.284 129.389 142.455 119.083C149.625 108.778 154.427 97.0142 156.516 84.6356C158.605 72.257 157.929 59.5698 154.537 47.483C151.145 35.3961 145.121 24.2089 136.897 14.7229L152.771 -12.8189C171.385 5.11055 183.46 28.7518 187.074 54.3381C190.688 79.9245 185.633 105.984 172.713 128.365C159.793 150.745 139.752 168.16 115.784 177.833C91.8155 187.506 65.2981 188.882 40.4567 181.741L25.7508 207.242C59.7265 218.845 96.8061 217.391 129.768 203.162C162.73 188.933 189.214 162.948 204.062 130.269C218.91 97.5889 221.059 60.5541 210.09 26.3773C199.122 -7.79951 175.821 -36.6713 144.726 -54.6149V-54.6222Z\"\n\t\t\t\tfill=\"#2E3264\" fill-opacity=\"0.31\" \/>\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\n\t<\/span>\n\t<div class=\"relative flex flex-col items-center xl:flex-row \">\n\t\t<div class=\"w-full xl:w-50\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"font sans text-[28px] text-white xl:text-left text-center leading-none font-bold\">\n\t\t\t\tCheck the vehicle history\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs text-center text-white xl:text-left l\">\n\t\t\t\tCheck for free whether the car you want to buy - has had any damage\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<form class=\"md:max-w-[60%]  lg:max-w-none flex-1 w-full xl:pl-8 xl:w-50 hsp-find-vin-widget\">\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"relative z-10 w-full justify-between max-w-[100%] flex flex-row rounded-[100px] border bg-white p-[8px] pl-[15px] shadow-input  border-transparent\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Type in a VIN number consisting of 17 characters\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"js-vin min-w-[180px] xs:min-w-[250px] border font-sans text-base font-semibold tracking-tighter  text-black placeholder-[#909FAD] outline-none mb-0 mr-6 w-[50%] rounded-none border-none p-[0px] text-left border-transparent\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"flex w-[60px] h-[60px] items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-blue hover:bg-orange p-4  text-white\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"25\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 25 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<path\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\td=\"M2.30439 22.8682L6.88205 18.6348C8.76887 20.002 11.0984 20.7422 13.4955 20.7359C15.631 20.7359 17.7186 20.1503 19.4942 19.053C21.2698 17.9558 22.6538 16.3962 23.471 14.5716C24.2882 12.747 24.5021 10.7392 24.0854 8.80218C23.6688 6.86516 22.6405 5.08589 21.1304 3.68937C19.6204 2.29286 17.6964 1.34182 15.6019 0.956524C13.5075 0.571226 11.3365 0.768975 9.36348 1.52476C7.39051 2.28055 5.70418 3.56043 4.51775 5.20256C3.33131 6.84469 2.69805 8.77531 2.69805 10.7503C2.69128 12.9671 3.49157 15.1215 4.97001 16.8665L0.392348 21.1C0.140956 21.3355 9.20242e-07 21.6531 9.04602e-07 21.9841C8.88962e-07 22.3151 0.140956 22.6327 0.392348 22.8682C0.517739 22.9846 0.666734 23.0769 0.830789 23.1399C0.994845 23.2029 1.17073 23.2354 1.34837 23.2354C1.52601 23.2354 1.7019 23.2029 1.86595 23.1399C2.03001 23.0769 2.179 22.9846 2.30439 22.8682ZM13.4955 3.26106C15.0971 3.26106 16.6628 3.70029 17.9945 4.52322C19.3262 5.34614 20.3642 6.5158 20.9771 7.88428C21.59 9.25275 21.7504 10.7586 21.4379 12.2114C21.1255 13.6641 20.3542 14.9986 19.2217 16.046C18.0891 17.0933 16.6462 17.8066 15.0753 18.0956C13.5045 18.3846 11.8762 18.2363 10.3965 17.6694C8.91675 17.1026 7.652 16.1427 6.76218 14.9111C5.87235 13.6795 5.39741 12.2315 5.39741 10.7503C5.40038 8.76486 6.25453 6.86154 7.77256 5.45764C9.2906 4.05373 11.3486 3.26381 13.4955 3.26106Z\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfill=\"white\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hidden font-sans font-light lg:pl-[18px] text-red js-vin-error\">\n\t\t\t\tType in a correct VIN number<\/div>\n\t\t<\/form>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The car looks great, but Crash Status says it&#8217;s flood-damaged\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looks can be deceiving. Dishonest sellers can hide signs of accident or flood damage and even mask mechanical damage in various ways. Most of them are only effective temporarily, but that may be enough for an unscrupulous seller to find a buyer. And because flood-damaged cars often come with very attractive prices, they may look like a bargain when compared to other cars of the same age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dishonest sellers can use various free and purchased software to enhance photos in their advertisements. In theory, sellers are responsible for their ad content, but in practice, many unscrupulous sellers disregard this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An experienced specialist (vehicle appraiser) can quickly detect flood damage. Inexperienced buyers may not notice these signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is the value of flood damage? What was the cause of damage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re still interested in the car, you can purchase a report from Crashstatus.com. This report will tell you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When the damage was reported<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where the damage was reported<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About the type of damage \u2013 accident, flood, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The value of damage estimated by the insurer, helping you to assess whether repairing the car is worthwhile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This informationwill also allow you to negotiate the price with the seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember!<\/strong> When you\u2019re buying a used car, use every available tool to check it beforehand. Crash Status is one of the most important tools \u2014 and it\u2019s free. Always check the car using its VIN number for free to minimize the risk of buying a damaged vehicle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to avoid buying a flood-damaged car? Verify the vehicle checking its VIN number for free at Crashstatus.com. It&#8217;s an effective way to identify a car that has been flooded \u2014 or damaged in another way. After every flood in Europe and the USA, thousands of cars hit the used car market with varying levels<a href=\"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/how-to-recognize-a-flood-damaged-car-verify-it-checking-its-vin-number-for-free\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;How to recognize a flood-damaged car? Verify it checking its VIN number for free&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bez-kategorii-pl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286\/revisions\/367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashstatus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}