Anyone doing post-hurricane Sandy dry outs?

R

Richard Grasa

New member
I hope everyone on the East Coast made it through the storm safely. I've put up some ads that I will be doing dry-outs for vehicles that got semi-flooded (carpet and seats only). Anyone else do these kinds of jobs? I've done a couple in the spring time in past years from snow melts where just the carpet and seats got wet, but no electrical or any other issues. Any tips or pointers anyone can give would be great. Also, has anyone dealt with insurance companies for dry outs?
 
Vehicles flooded with salt water should be totaled by insurance company - rust issues..

Street water flooding from off the street is classified as "cat3 - black water" flooding, need to be completely gutted, contaminated components, replaced, under-carriage washed, engine cleaned - bottom - transmission flushed, brakes on some vehicles repacked and greased, Electrical connectors, blown dry and treated, chair rails cleaned treated, electrical modules/computers boxes etc..located on floor pan - mechanic needs to check off for damage
 
It all depends on the severity of the water damage. Not just the water type. Flood claims are a totally different animal then a "dry out".



Unless you have both water mitigation and mechanical experience in these types of situations, it's wise to thread lightly. You could open yourself up to alot of liabilty if you don't fully scope out the extent of the damage and cover your arse in the repair. It can be a great payout if you do know how to beat the system. :)
 
My M37X was wet (carpets mostly) car was totalled becase it was salt water and this causes many electrical issues. If I were a detailer for hire I would get a waiver of liability on all dry outs. Main issue is electrial / rust issues. I have heard of many fires and erant airbag deployments caused by the salt water.



I guess we will never know how long that EXO would have lasted. :(. Too bad, I really liked that car.
 
JSFM35X said:
My M37X was wet (carpets mostly) car was totalled becase it was salt water and this causes many electrical issues. If I were a detailer for hire I would get a waiver of liability on all dry outs. Main issue is electrial / rust issues. I have heard of many fires and erant airbag deployments caused by the salt water.



I guess we will never know how long that EXO would have lasted. :(. Too bad, I really liked that car.
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How much water was in the car? Where was the water line? How much damage did they appraise? Was there any engine damage?



I don't know of any insurance company (except Chubb) that will total a car just because the carpets had water (salt) on them? Depending on the value of the car (I'm assuming it wasn't cheap), they could have replaced the carpets, wire harness, seats and any electrical components on the floor and still be far from being a total loss. Insurance companies try to consider potential long term/hidden water damage on every flood claim, but if this damage doesn't outweigh the value/total loss threshold they end up attempting repair.
 
David Fermani said:
How much water was in the car? Where was the water line? How much damage did they appraise? Was there any engine damage?



I don't know of any insurance company (except Chubb) that will total a car just because the carpets had water (salt) on them? Depending on the value of the car (I'm assuming it wasn't cheap), they could have replaced the carpets, wire harness, seats and any electrical components on the floor and still be far from being a total loss. Insurance companies try to consider potential long term/hidden water damage on every flood claim, but if this damage doesn't outweigh the value/total loss threshold they end up attempting repair.
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Most insurance companies that I have dealt with have written off brackish/saltwater even when in my opinion it was minor just in the floor pan above carpet.
 
Automania said:
Most insurance companies that I have dealt with have written off brackish/saltwater even when in my opinion it was minor just in the floor pan above carpet.
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What was the value of these vehicles?



I can't see an insurance company totaling a $50,000 car out when they have less than $10K in damages?
 
Just FYI, I ended up not doing any of this kind of work because of my inexperience dealing with major damage. I will stick to doing light dry outs where just the carpet got wet from snow melting in the spring time. And I will only touch it if there's obviously no other kind of damage to the car and insurance does not need to get involved. Def don't want to open myself up to any liability issues where major damage is concerned.
 
David Fermani said:
It all depends on the severity of the water damage. Not just the water type. Flood claims are a totally different animal then a "dry out".



Unless you have both water mitigation and mechanical experience in these types of situations, it's wise to thread lightly. You could open yourself up to alot of liabilty if you don't fully scope out the extent of the damage and cover your arse in the repair. It can be a great payout if you do know how to beat the system. :)
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.



Years ago we had State Farm contact us regarding a BMW M roadster that was brand new and tucked away by the new owner in their cottage garage. Apparently the sewers backed up during the winter and the garage was so water tight that the water rose up as high as the dash - water hits the dash = write off/salvage title. All they wanted us to do was clean the interior (smelled bad with minor mold growth) before sending it to he auction but ended up doing nothing because of the liability. We even tried to buy it but they wouldn't even sell it to us.
 
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