Many vehicles with flood damage can't be fixed, say St. Louis auto repair shops

St. Louis experienced a record-breaking rainfall last week and many vehicles suffered extensive damage from flooding. In some cases, water was up to car windows, or even higher.

In an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Richard Cox, shop owner of Danmark Tire & Auto, said repairing flooded vehicles is very challenging.

“I’ve always had bad experiences with cars that have been in a flood. All the wiring’s going to rust. Everything is going to rust in the car,” he told the news outlet.

If water only goes halfway up the tire, repairs should be able to be done — but likely not if it goes much higher.

“When it gets a little higher than that, you’re going to start getting water into your passenger compartment. Most of the time, that can be cleaned and restored,” he said. "It starts destroying electronics — underneath the dash, underneath the seats, in the heating and air conditioning, the computer, any number of things.”

One tip from Brian Seiber of Tactical Towing & Recovery, who was interviewed for the article, was for consumers to turn off the engine before water gets to high, if possible. He said that about one out of every three or four cars that are turned off in floods can later start up and run.

However, even if the vehicle can be driven, it's possible for mold to grow and affect writing and sensors underneath the dashboard, the article noted.