How to repair flood damage (and when not to)
Fresh water flood cars can be saved. Salt water cars usually can't. The triage checks, the repair sequence, and the walk-away signs.
REPAIR · 5 min read
First rule
Fresh water and salt water are different hobbies. A fresh-water car can be genuinely recovered. A salt-water car corrodes from the inside out for years, which is why the Analyzer caps any salt-flood deal at grade C.
Triage before you bid
How high did the water get? Carpet line: recoverable. Dash line: walk away unless you're paying parts money. Study the listing photos for a tide mark on the door cards and condensation inside the lights.
The repair sequence
Disconnect the battery before anything else. Strip the interior to bare metal, carpets and underlay out. Dry for days, not hours: a dehumidifier in a sealed car beats a heater. Drop every fluid, because water sinks in fuel tanks and finds its way into gearboxes. Pull every connector below the water line, clean with contact cleaner, grease and reseat. Only then try to start it.
The electronics lottery
Modules that sat underwater while powered fail unpredictably, sometimes months later. Price a used replacement for every module below the line: ABS, body control, seat modules, amplifiers under seats. If the car has air suspension compressors or 48V kit mounted low, budget to replace rather than repair.
When not to
Salt water over the sills, any hybrid or EV with a submerged battery pack, or any car whose ECU went under. Those are parts cars. Bid them as parts money or leave them alone.