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Old 31st August 2012, 01:11   #31
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Just a thought. Since electronics are the most affected, why doesn't one change the whole wiring harness to OE ones? Rest, any sensor failure/error throws an OBD error code.
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Old 31st August 2012, 01:31   #32
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

^^ Doesn't that sound like too much work, a waste of money, and still a long way from driving the car with absolute peace of mind?

What you'd spend on replacing the electrical components and wiring would rather be spent on an example that's healthy and well maintained over and above that tasty price-tag.

So in other words. You'd end up spending just as much, or probably even more if you aren't so lucky. Add to that the mental torture of not being able to drive your car while it's in the shop getting repaired ever so often. It certainly doesn't look like a bargain when you take the bigger picture into account. It's anything but.
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Old 31st August 2012, 01:42   #33
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Sure is a tempting offer. When evaluating the pros and cons, I would also put in the mix- the usage of the car. If the car is going to be used 85% or more in the city, I would think about it. However if it's going to be used primarily or even 50% as a tourer, I would not risk it. My two cents. All the best!
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Old 31st August 2012, 01:54   #34
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Strict NO-NO for this deal. My bro's City was half-submerged in 26/7 floods in Mumbai, and he worked for almost 3-4 to get things in order. AC, electricals were badly affected. Again, Repairs at Honda will cost you much more than you are spending on your Alto. Even after doing repairs, reliability will be the concern.
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Old 31st August 2012, 01:56   #35
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushs View Post
Just a thought. Since electronics are the most affected, why doesn't one change the whole wiring harness to OE ones? Rest, any sensor failure/error throws an OBD error code.
To replace the wiring harness in a car, one would need to strip the entire car down. It's easier said than done. The wiring harness goes everywhere, from the engine to the rear lights and all sensors, air conditioning, immobilizer and much much more.

Also, the ECU alone would cost close to a lakh for Honda cars. So no point.
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Old 31st August 2012, 07:09   #36
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Do you have the vella time to get it repaired? Its like buying a mayapuri jeep, except its more unpredictable and has 100X the electronics.

If you are the DIY type, have the time/inclination then great - else spend some more time with family
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Old 31st August 2012, 10:50   #37
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Hi Harish,

I hope that you would have read yesterday's (30th Aug) TOI - Delhi (Page 2). There is news related to the mechanics earning money due to water logging on Delhi roads in the past 2 days.

News link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/15969213.cms

Here is the last paragraph of the news:

Quote:
But the nightmare doesn't end once the vehicles have been repaired. Clogging of the engine can deteriorate the vehicle's condition. "Once water seeps into the car, it can be sucked out but it damages the engine. Some customers complain that their car stops at regular intervals or that it takes time to turn on the engine," said Jagpreet Singh from Ring Road Honda, Peeragarhi. Are the civic agencies listening?
Now the decision is yours!

Cheers!
Irish
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Old 31st August 2012, 12:04   #38
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by harishnayak View Post
Hi Friends,
Just got some information regarding availability of about 20 flood ridden Honda cars in MP region. This is only for the inner circle so cant share too many details.

Cars - civic , city & Jazz
Price - 1/3rd

Status - working but with Soggy interiors and potentially few scratches here and there. Is it worth taking a risk buying such a car? I have a sparingly used alto and am planning to sell it and buy a Jazz. Has anyone bought such cars in the past? Please help!!
From the first post I assume these cars were lying at the dealer's stockyard during the recent flood in MP (beginning of August). And by saying that the cars are working I can safely assume that the engine is working fine.

There is an element of risk involved but I don't understand how majority of the members are just against the proposition. How can one outrightly reject the proposition without checking the exact condition of the cars. If there is any electrical and ECU problem it will come up when you do a proper PDI.

And if the dealer is providing standard and extended warranty from Honda, then I think there is no harm in taking a risk; ofcouse you need to do a through PDI before you can make a decision.

I don't find any problem in exploring the oppurtunity and I belief Harish is not going to go ahead if he thinks the car is worth a scrap.
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Old 31st August 2012, 14:46   #39
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Harish,

End of the day, you have to ask yourself three questions:

- Is this going to be your only car? If yes, then you should avoid buying a flood-hit car. Reliability is of paramount importance with the primary car of any household.

- Can you afford to lose $$$? Remember, even if you are getting a Jazz at 1/3rd the cost, parts will still cost as much as any other expensive hatchback. Honda parts seldom go wrong; when they do, they are frightfully expensive to replace.

- Do you have the time if things go wrong? A car with such unpredictable durability is a hit or miss. If problems crop up, they can get very time consuming to solve.

If this is not going to be your primary car, you can take a financial hit and have spare time, then go for it. Else, run in the opposite direction.
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Old 31st August 2012, 15:23   #40
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

If you have some money to spare and have an appetite for risk and negotiate more than 50% off then go ahead and buy the Jazz.

Sometimes risks do pay off. But, do remember in most cases, they DON'T
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Old 31st August 2012, 23:34   #41
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by harishnayak View Post
Is it worth taking a risk buying such a car?
Has anyone bought such cars in the past?
Harish, flood damaged cars are not a bad option, if you can answer the questions GTO asks...
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
End of the day, you have to ask yourself three questions:
I'll add a 4th question:

Do you personally have enough technical know-how, or know someone really, really well, who has such know-how, to understand how to repair flood-damaged cars? In my experience, Delhi mechs have not the foggiest idea what needs to be done in case of flood damage, whereas Mumbai and Kolkata FNGs have a much better grasp of what to do before/during/after starting up a car that had been in a flood.

If your answer to the above question is NO, or if you answer NO to GTO's summation...
Quote:
If this is not going to be your primary car, you can take a financial hit and have spare time, then go for it.
...forget it. I know this won't be your primary car, but you'll have to answer the other parts yourself.

OTOH, if you asked me, I'd go for it (if I needed to buy another car) - the only constraint would be the time required to sort out the issues. Till then I wouldn't let my wife drive it (I don't want that distress call from the other end of town when something goes wrong)!
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Old 31st August 2012, 23:56   #42
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

Perhaps, these cars could be grabbed by some agency from some Insurance Company bulk auction and being offered for sale.
The engine also could be flooded and could not be depended to deliver durability as in the case of new ones.
So better that you do not look that way.
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Old 1st September 2012, 01:00   #43
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

This can be taken by some automobile enthusiast or someone who can afford a higher segment car just trying to save some money(in a true Indian way).

A common man can ill afford to own this car as it's reliability is decided by probability.
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Old 1st September 2012, 01:42   #44
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

As always, I'll qualify my post saying my experience is UK based only -

If the vehicle has been submerged in water sufficuently deep enough for the dealer to want to move it on at a knock-down price then they, in my humble opinion, must see the risk as being too great to be able to repair with any certainty flooded components, particularly the electrical ones.

They will have almost certainly claimed their insurance, which if it was in the UK the vehicle would be registered with a central insurance data-base alerting insurance companies of the damage. I'm sure that will oad any insurance policy you buy for this vehicle.

I would reckon this will have been mentioned earlier, but would there be any kind of manufacturers warranty provided with the car, and even it is are there new exclusions due to the circumstances of its sale? I don't doubt Honda will go out of its way to prove breakages are down to the water damage and exclude their liability.

Bottom line - don't buy it, water damaged cars are notoriously unreliable.
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Old 1st September 2012, 12:37   #45
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re: Buying a flood hit car for cheap - Is it worth the risk?

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Originally Posted by Argyll View Post
They will have almost certainly claimed their insurance...
The price they are selling at, is probably the average residual scrap value of the vehicles as determined by the insurance company + incidental selling costs. The co. is definitely not incurring a loss by selling at 1/3rd the new price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Argyll View Post
Bottom line - don't buy it, water damaged cars are notoriously unreliable.
...if not handled / repaired correctly. Finding such a FNG mech would be tough in Delhi. As for authorised service centres, they are wholly incapable of handling such complexities, apart from costing a bomb.
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