Sad times. I currently live in Puerto Rico and my 2014 Evo X GSR was the victim of hurricane flooding after Maria battered the island. My house (and garage) saw about 2 feet of water for a few hours. Needless to say, the Evo flooded. The insurance already came by to take pictures and inspect the car but I'll have to wait a week or 2 since there are a lot of cars being claimed at the moment.

The Evo is stock height with only a few mods (catback, intake, etc.). Water did NOT get in the engine as the oil is clean.

The issues: The car will start but only if you connect jumper cables. It turns off after a few seconds of disconnecting the cables leading me to think the alternator is toast as it looks like it sits low. With jumper cables connected the car will stay on and rev fine but pretty much every system on the car is showing "service required" on the LCD display on the dash. Radio, lights, climate control all work. Center console button to switch between Tarmac, Gravel, Snow does not work however.

Pretty sure the insurance will total it but would it be worth buying back to try to get her road ready again? If not, I will not be getting another Evo as there are only 2 others I've seen for sale here and don't want to jump into another car payment as my wife just recently bought a 2017 Hyundai Tucson and I have a 4 month old kid now. Am I looking at a nightmare to get her road ready again with 2 feet of flood damage and the issues I mentioned or might it be worth it to buy it back?
Thanks!

 

I'd say no, part it out and save some money for something else.

 

It's hard to tell with flood cars. My car was a flood car, luckily for me the only damaged part was the amplifier so I made off like a bandit. If the price is right it would be fun to fix and make drivable again. But if the price is steep I'd ditch it and start fresh.

 

Normally insurance companies will let you keep the car for pretty cheap, it depends on how bad the damage is. As far as getting it running again all of the wiring would likely need to be replaced. I would only buy it back if you were interested in parting it out

 

My $.02? Take the money and run!
I say that because the car will be a constant source of headache as corrosion continues to eat wiring.


Electrical gremlins will be nibbling...


You will probably stop trusting the car...

 

Even if you can solve the electrical issues, the other problem is biohazard.


When water sits in a car for more than a day is the problem. You have mold and other fungi that are hazardous that will be detrimental to your breathing and health.


If you still like the idea of having a project and still feel attached I would say gut the car completely and turn it into a fun race car project.


Yea funds might be tight for a long time but don't lose sight of your car that you always loved. Give it a new start in life and reconnect with your baby. Take your time and even if it takes 5 years to get it to race car status, it'll be worth it.

 

Thanks for all the replies!
I don't think I'll be keeping it. I'll either take the money left after paying it off or buy it back to part out and try to make some money.
I'll keep everyone posted on what ends up happening as soon as the insurance contacts me back.

 

(and just make sure the new or used replacement car you buy hasn't had flood damage too - it can real really hard to detect if they clean it up enough)

 

Yeah, cars with significant flood damage (more than just a little water in the floor board) can be nightmares down the road.

 

Insurance wants me to tow it to a shop and have an estimate done. They want to repair it if possible 😑

 

Your car might total all depends on who writes your estimate. I would ask to replace all the wiring in the car. usually not to expensive. you have a 400 dollar harness here a hundred one over there a an perhaps a thousand one. A year ago helped my ex buy a flooded 2015 accord pulled all the interior and fascias that had sensors replaced all the wiring and cleaned the car through and through took us a month just working on it during spare time. including the car we paid almost 12,000(i added my beer cost in to don't worry)

As far as the engine it was never cranked in our possession. drained all fluids and cleared combustion chamber. once it had new fluids, spark plugs, coils, battery and ecm i hand cranked the pulley for a good 5 min then keyed on and ran rough a bunch of sensors were not working. i went to a dismantles and local parts stores and got what was needed now the car has been running for a little over a year. with no issues.

just do some homework before you decide to do it. i write estimates everyday and have CCC ONE to be able to determine how much it will cost me to do and since i work at an auto body shop i do receive a discounted rate on goods. the best thing to do is find someone parting out their car. i know of 2 EVO X her in Cali that are being parted out so an offer of 1,000 for all the wiring would seem nice instead of throwing it into the scrap bin

 

Tell them you have a sensitivity to black mold, so if they fix it and you start having respiratory issues you will hold them responsible for the costs.