AI DamageVideo guide · 02:35
Flood: 10 water levels in the cabin
Subtitles: full voice-over text. An English version with its own audio track and subtitles is available.
A Flood label does not say how high the water rose. The level decides what was damaged: from the brakes and floor up to the wiring, the airbag module, gearbox, engine intake, control units and instrument panel.
What to check before you bid
- Photos under the carpet, and the seat rails and bolts.
- The seat belt pulled all the way out: dirt and water marks.
- The fuse box and the connectors under the dashboard.
- The spare wheel well.
3D illustration: VW Golf 8 GTI, GT Cars: Hyperspeed (CC BY). The body and seats are from the model; internal parts are schematic.
A general layout of a passenger car, not an assessment of a specific lot. The height of the components depends on the model.
Read more in the guideOn-screen text
Text from the checked video frames. The time marks the observed frame, not the exact scene boundary. Translated from Ukrainian.
00:00
FLOOD A lot labelled Water or Flood. In the photos the car is clean and dry. But water rises in layers, and each layer takes its own components. Let's follow the water level from the bottom up, and see which photos to ask for before you bid.
00:16
01 · Brakes · Wheel bearings The first level is the wheels. Water and dirt get into the wheel bearings and brakes. The discs rust within a few days, and the bearings start to hum later.
00:28
02 · Floor · Carpet The second is the floor and carpet. Carpet with sound insulation holds water like a sponge. If it was only dried on top, moisture, dirt and smell remain underneath.
00:41
03 · Wiring · Connectors The third is the wiring and connectors running along the floor. Contact corrosion does not appear straight away but after weeks or months. Hence intermittent faults and a draining battery.
00:54
04 · Seat rails · Seat motors The fourth is the seat rails and electric motors. Rust on the rails and bolts is one of the most visible signs that water was in the cabin.
01:05
05 · Airbag control module The fifth is the airbag control module, which often sits under the console or the seats. After water it is replaced, not dried, because whether the airbags deploy depends on it.
01:18
06 · Transmission · Differential The sixth is the gearbox and the differential. Water gets into the oil through the breathers. Cloudy or milky oil is a reason to change the fluid or repair the unit.
01:30
07 · Engine air intake The seventh is the engine intake. If the water reached the air filter while the engine was running, hydrolock is possible: bent connecting rods and an engine rebuild.
01:42
08 · Fuse box · Control units The eighth is the fuse boxes and electronic control units. Oxidised circuit boards and connectors cause failures that are hard to track down even with diagnostics.
01:53
09 · Seats · Seat belts The ninth is the seats and seat belts. Seat foam takes weeks to dry and goes mouldy. Pull the seat belt all the way out: dirt or stains on it give away the water level.
02:05
10 · Dashboard · Instruments The tenth is the dashboard, instruments and infotainment. Water at this level means the cabin was flooded almost completely, and the repair often costs more than the car itself.
02:17
Before you bid What to ask for before you bid: photos under the carpet, the seat rails and bolts, the seat belt pulled all the way out, the fuse box and the spare wheel well. What to check on a specific lot: at vinwind.com.