Somebody sold me an Ondoy car, now what?!

[DonCamote]

We've been looking for Honda Jazz (a used car because don't have the money for the brand new) and when I found one in the internet, I went to see it with my wife. It was a 2009 Honda Jazz Automatic (bought in July 09). Ran for 7k km already. I brought a mechanic with me to inspect it. My mechanic gave the okay. I even asked the seller if it was submerged in flood in Ondoy. She said no. Sweet little mama seems she won't cheat me, lives in a posh village, teaches in a nice school. I checked all functions that will need electricity just in case this was indeed damaged, I opened the insides of tail light and there was no trace of mud. We made the deal at 570k.

The car does not smell new anymore and the seats have traces of dust like it was not cleaned for weeks. Anyway, I thought these are all just dirt (I was thinking I'll just bring this to a detailing shop to freshen up). Guess what? I brought the car for full detailing and I got weak in the knees when they took out the seats - there are traces of brown dried mud under the carpets! This car was an Ondoy casualty after all! We've just been cheated! I contacted the seller and she told me that they did not know about it. (Background - car was purchased in 7/09 by Mr. R, sold to Mrs V in 12/09) It's possible that Mr. R did not tell them about it being flooded but I now doubt Mrs V. The sad reality is I've just been cheated and me and my mechanic did not detect it! arrrgh!

I'm going after the seller but I really doubt if she is willing to give my money back, my aim now is at least she gives me back some of it because this now is not a good deal at 570k. Somebody told me, he would not buy this for 400k after knowing it was flooded. Lalong sumama ang loob ko.

Anyway, I might have to live with this and learn from the mistake.

It has been a year since Ondoy, the car is running perfect in terms of performance. Only there is mud under the carpet which hopefully detailing can clean-up (it's still in the shop). Some metal parts are rusting so how do prevent this from deteriorating? Rustproofing job?

My cousin keeps on telling me "pag natagal baka lalabas mga problema nyan". I asked him which but he cannot tell me. He gets me worried all the more. Is there a truth to this? What are possible malfunctions impacted by the flood will surface later (assuming it works now)?

Thanks for reading.

[_Qwerty_]

soli mo pag ayaw demanda mo..

[av8or5]

We've been looking for Honda Jazz (a used car because don't have the money for the brand new) and when I found one in the internet, I went to see it with my wife. It was a 2009 Honda Jazz Automatic (bought in July 09). Ran for 7k km already. I brought a mechanic with me to inspect it. My mechanic gave the okay. I even asked the seller if it was submerged in flood in Ondoy. She said no. Sweet little mama seems she won't cheat me, lives in a posh village, teaches in a nice school. I checked all functions that will need electricity just in case this was indeed damaged, I opened the insides of tail light and there was no trace of mud. We made the deal at 570k.

The car does not smell new anymore and the seats have traces of dust like it was not cleaned for weeks. Anyway, I thought these are all just dirt (I was thinking I'll just bring this to a detailing shop to freshen up). Guess what? I brought the car for full detailing and I got weak in the knees when they took out the seats - there are traces of brown dried mud under the carpets! This car was an Ondoy casualty after all! We've just been cheated! I contacted the seller and she told me that they did not know about it. (Background - car was purchased in 7/09 by Mr. R, sold to Mrs V in 12/09) It's possible that Mr. R did not tell them about it being flooded but I now doubt Mrs V. The sad reality is I've just been cheated and me and my mechanic did not detect it! arrrgh!

I'm going after the seller but I really doubt if she is willing to give my money back, my aim now is at least she gives me back some of it because this now is not a good deal at 570k. Somebody told me, he would not buy this for 400k after knowing it was flooded. Lalong sumama ang loob ko.

Anyway, I might have to live with this and learn from the mistake.

It has been a year since Ondoy, the car is running perfect in terms of performance. Only there is mud under the carpet which hopefully detailing can clean-up (it's still in the shop). Some metal parts are rusting so how do prevent this from deteriorating? Rustproofing job?

My cousin keeps on telling me "pag natagal baka lalabas mga problema nyan". I asked him which but he cannot tell me. He gets me worried all the more. Is there a truth to this? What are possible malfunctions impacted by the flood will surface later (assuming it works now)?

Thanks for reading.

sir, why dont you talk to the insurance company.i am assumming when you bought the car, may insurance pa. you can check with them if nag claim sila or even inquired regarding that.

pics would also help regarding the mud you saw? maybe may butas lang and pumasok mga debris.

your unit is working naman, so think positively na wala masisira. (law of attraction)

[mda_]

sa deed of sale mo ba may "as-is, where-is" clause? if so, i doubt na may habol ka pa sa nagbenta. i think best way to check is through the insurance route---that is if it was covered under acts of god. kung wala naman dun, di rin naman makaka-claim yung previous owner.

possible rin naman na pinasok lang ng tubig hanggang flooring, and not totally submerged. but if it's running fine, i don't see any problem why you should worry.

btw, since that's a 2009 model, shouldn't the car still be under the honda warranty? baka naman it should still be, unless na-ondoy nga talaga. baka may records din yung kotse sa dealer, check mo rin dun.

sir, why dont you talk to the insurance company.i am assumming when you bought the car, may insurance pa. you can check with them if nag claim sila or even inquired regarding that.

pics would also help regarding the mud you saw? maybe may butas lang and pumasok mga debris.

your unit is working naman, so think positively na wala masisira. (law of attraction)

[desert fox]

Magkakaproblema ka sa kalawang, at sa function na me kinalaman sa kuryente later on...

Hope not....

[jimnyeatworld]

maybe it's from another flood, not Ondoy. kaya nun tinanong nyo kung na-Ondoy, hindi daw.

[ghosthunter]

The major problem with ex-flooded cars is the electricals and electronics.

Water gets stuck in the wiring and causes corrosion to happen. As time goes on, the corroded wires eventually fails can causes something to malfunction. Unfortunately there is no external signs. All the wiring still look fine (no breaks, cuts, etc). All sensors, electronics seems to function or checks fine when tested away from the car.

Only a costly re-wiring job will prevent this headache from happening months and years after the flood happened.

Electronics also don't handle water too well like the car's engine computer or ECU. Failure may take days to years to happen.

[jimnyeatworld]

yeah, a friend of mine waited for 6 months for parts of his toyota vios in the engine to be replaced. after 8 months, hindi nag-auto lock yun ibang doors nya and other electricals. sabi nga nya gumastos pa sya, sana binenta nya na lang ng as is. totally submerged kasi yun vios eh

[garfield_08]

share ko lang bro.

my office mate had her 2003 lancer gls flooded during ondoy. water went past the flooring. they had the car rewired and detailed sa casa, and had no problems for a year. lately, a problem occurred on the transmission (m/t). the car wont start at neutral, it will only start at 1st gear. turns out a small piston in the transmission was badly corroded and needed replacement. it may be a minor problem though, pero hassle din ng malaki sa kasamahan ko kasi need nya yung car everyday. ECU was normal in operation, but they already replaced the alternator prior to the busted piston.

some problems may be hidden from plain view. have it checked thoroughly on a trusted shop.

[blue_gambit]

If you want peace of mind, have it checked at the casa for mechanical & electrical problems. If everythings ok, have the rusts treated. So what if its been ondoy, kung ok naman pala eh. Kahit nga severe ang problems sa electrical, its not the end of the world. You can always have it rewired, I think nasa 5K ang pa rewire ng entire car sa home service. A car is just like a piece of appliance, when broken it can be repaired. Just because it was submerged, doesn't means its a piece of crap already.

Relax buddy dont believe any tom,dick & harry that tells you just because your car has been ondoy your doomed. 4x4's go through worse on mud trails than ondoy. Mud, broken axle, busted suspension, watered engine. But hey after month of repairs it still runs. IMHO