Floods have made a lot of havoc in the United States in the past several years. The extreme intensity and the increased water levels were proven to be catastrophic for thousands of homes that were near the shore and businesses, the owners of which have to bear some serious losses. The less-talked about but equally wrecked things of this natural disaster are the large proportion of flood-damaged cars that were one of the severe causalities of these horrendous hurricanes.

Based on the information gathered by the car professionals of one of the acclaimed Mahindra Scorpio Parts dealers, there were approximately 500,000 cars that were ruined by Hurricane Harvey and the equivalent numbers of cars were damaged when Hurricane Katrina broke upon.

Cars that bear the burden of these natural disasters, after proper inception and evaluation are often classified as the damaged and are sent for scrapping. But often these flooded and soaked automobiles end up on the used car dealerships.

So, to help you identify damaged flooded cars, hers are few pointers you need to keep in mind when you are looking for a second-hand car.

Check Vehicle Identification Number: No matter what, whether you are buying an old car or a new car, the first thing you should do is check the vehicle identification number with CarFax, Experian’s Auto Check or the National Insurance Crime Bureau's VinCheck. This will help you see the complete vehicle history over the net or whether it has been declared as a flooded automobile.

Wet Places: There are some places in a car that no matter what won’t dry, even if you try earnestly to make it go away. So, it is definitely a tell-tale sign that someone is selling flood-damaged car under the pretense of second-hand cars. Headlights, lamps, and taillights are those places where you can easily detect water presence because they’ll instantly turn foggy. Also, the instrument panel and the exterior and interior mirrors may also house some moisture that hasn’t evaporated.

Check the Oil: Yes, in case water has made its way inside the engine’s oil, you’ll notice that the color of the oil has changed a bit along with its viscosity. If you are a pro or are used to checking your car’s engine oil, then you’ll instantly make out the difference. The flood affected oil will resemble the color of coffee with milk or a chocolate milkshake.

Corrosion: This is the most important indicator, implying that the car has been in the water no matter what. You’ll find visible signs of corrosion in the vehicle’s undercarriage, especially on the brake lines, around the fuel tank, near the top of the springs and on the shock towers.

Be a responsible customer and don’t let yourself get fooled.