Water Damage Restoration For Flooded Cars

Water Damage Restoration For Flooded Cars

Unless your car is Bumblebee or Optimus Prime or one of those really neat Autobots (or a land-based Decepticon, if you prefer the dark side), flooded cars are serious mishaps that could spell great financial loss for the owner. This could be true for vehicles that are somewhat outdated and not properly insured. Moreover, even if the car has been insured, some companies consider AOG (or Acts of God) incidents like floodings as not coverable. Nevertheless, don't lose hope yet and throw in the towel. Water damage restoration activities can still be performed on your car to minimize your financial loss.

The following are basic tips to follow to achieve an effective water damage restoration program for your car.

* The most crucial factor in your quest for an effective water damage restoration of your flooded car is time. Do not wait for more than 48 hours to take action and leave your car to dry out naturally in the open. This would create more serious problems for the car like mold infestations and corrosion. These would jeopardize your chances of finally recovering your car and restoring it back to tip-top condition.

* Before starting with any water damage restoration activities, remove the car batteries first. Have it checked if still usable, otherwise, you would need to purchase a new set.

* Remove electronic items from your car like the stereo, amplifiers and speakers. Have them checked by qualified technicians and if needed perform drying and restoration on them as well.

* The most important thing at this point is to dry out your car from excess moisture. Remove seat covers and have these washed with a detergent and bleach solution dissolved in warm water. Remove any other loose materials from the trunk, the glove compartment and any other storage locations inside your car. Sort these things out and check if these are still usable or not.

* The seats in your car can be detached for more effective drying. If you don't know how, seek the help of a car mechanic and have these seats detached and placed in a dry location. Using the detergent-bleach solution, clean the surface of the car seats and remove any dirt, mud and other debris from the surface. Rinse it off with disinfectant-treated water. Using blower and fans, dry the seats by propping them up on makeshift stands to hasten the drying process. Apply fungicide and allow it to dry. The faster you can set this up, the more effective the water damage restoration process will be and avoid the risk of mold infestations.

* Remove the sidings from the doors and other panels. Have them dry out separately and check if still usable or not.

* Totally remove the carpet lining inside the car and from the trunk. It is advisable not to perform restoration for these parts to prevent risk of future mold infestation that may occur if water damage restoration was not successful or was not properly done.

* Clean the car with the same detergent-bleach solution. It is advisable to use a pressurized water sprayer to strip away the mud and other debris from the car chassis. Check the compartments, cavities, the headlights and other sections, which may hold floodwater remnants. Clean these sections properly using the cleaning solution and industrial grade cleaning brushes and other tools.

* Rinse the car with a disinfectant solution. Using a pressurized air blower, proceed with drying out your car section-by-section, ensuring no parts are left out and no standing water is remaining.

* After the car has totally dried up, have an electrician check for the wirings and the electrical system of your car. While he 's at it, employ the services of a mechanic to check your engine 's condition. If no apparent damage is seen, it is advisable to perform a complete oil change, properly flushing out the previous oil from the engine, which may be contaminated with floodwater. Perform the same with your gear oil.

* As a final precaution, spray your car with fungicide to prevent any chance for mold infestations to take place.

* Restore your seats, electricals and other stuff previously removed. Have one final check performed by technicians and mechanics before starting and testing your car.

These simple and practical tips on water damage restoration for your car can save you lots of money and minimize your losses. As in any do-it-yourself activity, it would be best to seek the advice and help of qualified professionals as well as researching for other information similar to this.

On the other hand, you could hire one of the Autobots to come and take a look at your car.