Czech Television: beware flood-damaged cars being sold as second hand

People in North Bohemia are still cleaning up after the recent flash floods, but Czech Television warned of a new peril on its evening news on Tuesday – flood-damaged cars being sold as second hand by unscrupulous traders. Czech Television reported that driving such vehicles can be dangerous, even fatal, and experts are warning potential buyers to check used cars carefully.

It’s an unfortunate trend but one that has appeared in this country following every major flood. Hundreds of cars were written off this summer after ending up floating down the swollen rivers of North Bohemia or piled up in improbable heaps on dry land.

But Czech Television reported on Tuesday that some of those same cars have been washed down, dried out and spruced up, and are now being offered as second hand. Zdeněk Novotný works in a scrap yard, where such flood-damaged cars usually end up:

“Look at this particular vehicle - virtually all the electrics have been damaged, all the wiring, all the switches, everything. Water has got into the engine, the gearbox, the whole lot. It’s severely damaged.”

After the floods in North Bohemia, photo: Kristýna Maková

Auto experts say flooded electrics can lead to brake failures and cause ABS and airbag systems to malfunction. Short circuits can even cause cars to burst into flames. But evidence of flood damage can be hard to spot to the untrained eye, and Czech Television reported that dozens of flood-damaged vehicles are being bought from scrap yards, cleaned up and sold as second hand on the internet or brought in to car dealers. Karel Kadeřábek, manager of a used car dealership, had this advice for anyone buying a second-hand car this summer:

“Potential customers should look deeper into the car’s various components. That means pulling back the carpets, the mats, the panels on the doors, everything, for signs of sand or mud. Look carefully under the bonnet, look in every corner of the engine compartment for mud and sand.”

Czech Television reported that the number of second-hand cars on the Czech market increases by around 10 percent after each major flood; in 2002, for example, hundreds of flood-damaged cars bought from German scrap yards were imported to the Czech Republic and then sold on as second hand. Czech law appears to provide little protection; if you do unwittingly buy such a car, it seems to be tough luck.

Czech Television’s advice was this – if you are looking over a used vehicle, rip up everything you can for evidence of mud or sand. And also give it a good sniff. If it stinks, it’s most likely been underwater.