Hurricane Harvey raises concerns for people planning on buying used cars
As the nation deals with Hurricane Harvey, there are some important information for those planning on buying a used car.
Floods left behind by the storm damaged thousands of cars. Sometimes, those vehicles end up on the secondary market
"They try to clean them up the best they can, but it's never enough," said auto mechanic Jim Ruebhousen. "During [Hurricane] Katrina, after that, wave of cars came through. That was the first thing we would look at."
In the aftermath of Harvey, Ruebhousen suspects they might see the same situation.
When asked how exactly the flood-damaged cars get back on the market, Ruebhousen said there are a number of ways, with some being more common than others.
Once a car is totaled, it will end up in auction, and once its sold, the cars are cleaned up some more. Ruebhousen, however, said not much can be done to fix flood damage.
"The cars have been underwater. There's gonna be severe electrical damage," said Ruebhousen.
Ruebhousen said there are things people should look for.
"Look up underneath the dash," sid Ruebhousen. "That's a good spot to look, because they don't get under there."
Also, people should raise the car, and take a look inside suspension components.