Flood Damaged Cars

Hello,

I have a Subaru Forester 2011 that has flood damage.  I took it to Subaru Service in Mississippi and they said that they found vehicle had been under water far enough to damage major electrical components, ecm, tcm, srs, tpms, etc.. along with corrosion to wiring harness and connectors.

They said that they can not take the responsibility to fix a flood damaged car.  I know that it would be useful to buy another car but I would like to fix my car.  My question is where can I find a body shops close to Mississippi where people could fix a car with a flood damage?

Sincerely,
Kersten

Hi Kersten,

Well, this is NOT good news at all.  If the water got high enough to get into those sensitive electrical items its pretty much over and done with.

Rust will set in and just like a cancer in the human body, and you will constantly be battling the side effects of it for years to come.  They are correct, wire connections will rust and cause all kinds of electrical issues later on down the road.

Have you contacted your insurance company?  Most, if not all insurance companies that I have worked with will total a vehicle that has had water damage like this. Any water that has infected the wiring harness or a major electrical component is going to be a total loss in their eyes.  They know what a nightmare these things can be later on.

My honest opinion to you is to cut your losses now and get a new or newer vehicle. You will spend $1,000’s now…and many more $1,000’s later on as the rust starts to work its way in the electrical system.

This type of work is available at just about any dealership or independent repair shop IF You really want to peruse it but hopefully the repair shop and mechanic will be upfront and honest with you about future costly repairs. A “body shop” is not what you need….you need just a regular repair shop mechanic or the dealer.

Most of those items you mentioned are going to only be available from the dealer…or a junk yard, so you might be better off dealing with the dealer although they tend to have slightly higher labor rates than an independent garage would. have.

I don’t know of anyone in MS to refer you to….but I hope I have convinced you not to repair it. Call your insurance and see what they are willing to do.

Please share this with your friends
Austin Davis