What is the danger of a drowned car?
And although vehicles cannot die from prolonged immersion in water, problems will almost certainly arise because of this. The only question is their number and seriousness. Therefore, such a car is sold at a significant discount and they directly talk about the problem. But what if the seller is silent about this: how can you identify a drowned car and is it worth avoiding such cars on principle? Let’s talk about this in detail.
All the shortcomings of such a choice are hidden under a beautiful wrapper – both figuratively and literally. First of all, it’s damp. After prolonged soaking, the upholstery absorbs a lot of moisture, water penetrates into the smallest cracks, is absorbed into the sheets of factory noise on the floor, inside the doors and on the engine panel. Then all this causes a generous bouquet of troubles – the smell of dampness and corrosion.
The body is rotting everywhere – pockets of rust are rapidly growing both in places typical for “saffron milk caps” (sills, fenders), and in areas hidden from view. Metal suffers in those areas where water usually does not penetrate during normal operation. Staying in water has a noticeable effect on fastenings: studs, bolts and nuts sour and rust, which are then almost impossible to dismantle in the usual way. Bodybuilders know that on such examples the spars die early.
In addition to the body, bearings, silent blocks, stabilizer bushings, ball joints and other suspension parts become unusable. Even though the chassis is designed to withstand water on the road, engineers do not design it with constant submersion in mind. As a result, the lubricant is washed out, water penetrates through the seals and breathers. The exhaust pipe also doesn’t last long – the muffler, resonator, and catalyst rot.
The higher the water stood, the worse the consequences would be. The most unpleasant thing begins when the engine drank moisture. When water gets into the engine, the oil becomes contaminated, which over time transforms into an unusable emulsion. And if the lubrication system does not work properly, friction increases, the engine overheats and may “knock” – this is already a serious expense, including replacing the engine with a contract one. Moreover, an engine brought from Japan may just as well be removed from a drowned person.
And for dessert – electrics. Wiring along with sensors and control units can fail either immediately or gradually. If the water does not cause a short circuit by burning electrical circuits, it will still set off a time bomb. Poorly sealed blocks and other boards will begin to slowly but surely be absorbed by corrosion – the oxide will begin to destroy microcircuits, of which modern “Japanese” have an insane amount.
Devices will fail, work every now and then, or take on a life of their own. In the end, oxidation will kill contacts, connectors and even wiring – under seemingly intact insulation there may be a completely rotten wire.
Why is there so much driftwood in Japan?
Among right-hand drive cars in the aftermarket, there are plenty of recessed examples. And this is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, there are many Japanese, and the civilian vehicle fleet is of a corresponding size. And the more vehicles there are in a country, the more often they collide, are stolen and are drowned. Secondly, and many consider this the main problem of Japan, the island state is simply located like this – there is continuous water all around, small pieces of land, so cars end up outside the shores.
But in fact, everything is much simpler and more logical, and the second reason can be safely multiplied by zero. Because with a large number of cars, the Japanese often suffer from typhoons and simply heavy rains that do not stop for weeks. This leads to the flooding of courtyards, streets, entire neighborhoods and settlements: people are evacuated, and their Toyotas, Hondas and Lexuses are left floating mixed with silt. This leads to an explanation for one interesting fact – most of the right-hand drive drowned drowned in fresh water, not salt water, as indicated in the documents. And, as you know, the rains in all parts of the world are exclusively fresh.