The weather hitting so many of our fellow Americans is absolutely heartbreaking. It is also extremely infuriating that there's always dirty scoundrels that will take advantage of tragic situations like this.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office is warning consumers that vehicles damaged by flood waters from Hurricane Harvey could end up on used car lots in Illinois. The department will be paying extra attention to title applications from from flood impacted areas, but you need to proceed with caution.

AAA Chicago spokeswoman Beth Mosher recently told CBS Chicago that:

Insurance companies declare flood-damaged vehicles as ‘total losses,’ and then they’re sold to salvage companies for parts, and then rather than dismantling those cars for parts, some of the vehicles are purchased by individuals who restore them back to some sort of working order, but they’re actually flood-damaged vehicles.

If you are in the market for a used vehicle in the coming months, here's the things you need to do and be on the look out for to determine if a car has suffered flood damage:

  • Damp odor inside vehicle
  • New carpet or upholstery that has obviously been newly shampooed or replaced.
  • Pull back carpet and look for dirt, mud or water stains
  • Look for rust under the vehicle
  • Demand a Carfax vehicle report

Obviously, it's a little soon for these cars to be showing up on car lots, but sadly, you know they will be in the months ahead.


 

Catch Lil Zim on ‘Q98.5 Mornings with Lil Zim & JB’ on Q98.5 from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook


 

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