Consumer Advocate How to avoid a car abused by hurricane
Post on: 2011-09-05 By: admin
Northeast Florida was spared from Hurricane Irene when it made a bending turn and hit the Mid-Atlantic and New England.Used car buyers might not be so fortunate.The flooding from Irene will damage cars, just as Midwest flooding earlier this year put cars underwater. A tropical storm headed toward the Gulf Coast this weekend was expected to dump 10 to 15 inches of rain.If history is a guide, cars damaged in floods can wind up for sale in other states. After Hurricane Katrina, there were reports of thousands of flooded cars being shipped to other states for sale.Fortunately, there are ways to do some research before buying to see if any red flags exist on a used car.The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System keeps information on whether a vehicle was transferred or sold to an auto recycler, junk yard or salvage yard. The report will also show whether the vehicle has been “branded” as junk, salvage or flooded. The designation is collected from insurance carriers, junk and salvage yards, auto recycling businesses and state agencies that issue vehicle titles. The U.S. Department of Justice oversees the system.To get a report, go to www.nmvtis.gov and click on “check vehicle history.” The reports are based on vehicle identification numbers. The cost for a report ranges from about $2 to $7.Another excellent source is the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ online research tool at https://services.flhsmv.gov/MVCheckWeb/. It’s free and quick. You just type in title information or the vehicle identification number. I did this with my own car and in a matter of seconds, I could see whether it had been reported as a salvage vehicle or had any flood designations. It also showed whether it had been previously titled in any other states.The National Insurance Crime Bureau also offers a free way to check whether an automobile has been listed as stolen or salvage. Go to www.nicb.org and click on VINCheck.Carfax provides its flood information about vehicles free. Go to www.carfax.com/flood. The availability of all the online databases makes it harder for people to take flood-damaged cars to other states, retitle them and sell them as if they were never submerged in water.But the systems still depend on comprehensive reporting, so it’s worthwhile to have a mechanic inspect the car before you buy it.Consumer Reports says some items buyers can check themselves include looking under the car’s carpets for signs of mud. The magazine says lights are expensive to replace so check the housing for water lines. Check the housing on the lens or reflector to see if there is a water line.
RobocallsRemember those aggravating robocalls that people repeatedly got about their car warranties expiring?The Federal Trade Commission sued the companies behind the robocalls. Last week, the FTC said it was sending out about 4,450 refund checks totaling $3.2 million to people duped by the calls.The FTC says the robocalls deceived consumers by making it seem like the calls came from automobile manufacturers or the person’s car dealership. The calls actually were selling extended service plans.Unfortunately, there are no checks in the mail for those who didn’t buy the plans but had to put up with the barrage of robocalls that randomly went to just about any phone number — home, work or a cellphone. Still, there’s some satisfaction that this scam was shut down.
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Article original from: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400564/david-bauerlein/2011-09-03/consumer-advocate-how-avoid-car-abused-hurricane
