Beware of a Flood Damaged Used Car In Your Town

Beware of a Flood Damaged Used Car In Your Town

Is a flood car coming to a town near you?
Hurricanes have done major devastation to the southern coastline, and the clean up project will likely take years to return things to some what normal. What I am concerned about is the potentially HUGE number of vehicles that will soon come on the market to be sold as used cars. The problem is not that the vehicle is used, but that it is potentially a casualty of the hurricanes and high water. These used cars are generally known in the business as “flood cars.”
Now I know what you are thinking, “I don’t live in these Southern areas, so I am not at risk of unknowingly purchasing one of these flood cars.” Sorry, but you are dead wrong…actually the farther away you live from the hurricane damage, the greater you are at risk for being scammed into buying one of these cars.
Why are you more at risk? Think about it. The flood damage took place in New Orleans, don’t you think that the residents there know that used cars on the market in that area have a HUGE potential to be flood cars? You bet they know that.
But do you think the used car buyers in Arizona would suspect flood cars were brought into their area? Probably not, and the scam artists behind these flood cars know this. I would suspect theses car will be on the used car market for about a year…maybe more. This issue is huge and will hurt many people who make the mistake and purchase one of these vehicles.
What is the big deal about a car that got water inside it if it seems to run just fine? Great question…even if I made it up myself. The engine itself might be fine, and long term engine damage might not have occurred, but there are many other components of the vehicle that can seem to be working normally now, but can deteriorate in the near future.
Electrical components and wiring are usually affected most. There is a ton of complex wiring under the hood, in the dashboard, and under the carpeting of the vehicle. Water gets inside the vehicle from underneath from holes in the frame and body and around the door openings. If the carpet gets wet, so does the vast network of wiring under the carpet. The carpet can easily be replaced, but the wiring under the vehicle is usually too complex and therefore too expensive to replace, so new carpet is laid on top of them, concealing potential damage.
So what if the wires get wet? Rust my dear friend. Rust is your enemy, and rust you will soon have. These wires will now slowly begin to break down and rust will form on any part of the wire that is not protected. When the electricity traveling inside these wires makes contact with this rust, it will make a ground, and the electricity will stop traveling. Whatever component the electricity was traveling to, a fuel pump for instance, will soon stop working. Finding the trouble spot in the miles of wire is not an easy task. The carpets and seat will probably have to be removed and hours of diagnostic time will probably be accumulated as the mechanic tries to find the trouble spot.
In most cars, the onboard computer system is located in the lower part of the passenger dashboard area, just inches above the carpeting. Some Japanese vehicles have the computer located under the passenger seat, on top of the carpet! If the computer system gets wet, not only will it need to be replaced, but it can damage many other electrical components as well.
The computer can be replaced now, and all might seem well, but the rust will soon make its way to these other electrical components and a domino effect will probably start to happen. One sensor after another will fail, intermittent electrical problems will begin to happen, and your pocketbook will soon start to feel the ill effects of multiple monthly mechanic visits. I consider rust the cancer of automobiles, you have to keep cutting and cutting and cutting to stop its growth.
Transmissions are another big ticket item that can be affected by water and not show symptoms for some time. When moisture enters the transmission, the normally light pink fluid becomes a light white/pinkish frothy mix, like a strawberry milkshake. The entire workings of the transmission are extremely complex and full of wires, sensors, and lots of rubber seals and O-rings. The water will cause the rubber parts to swell and leak, and the sensors and electrical components will soon succumb to rust and water damage as well.
So what can you do to protect yourself from buying a flooded time bomb?
1. Be cautious of every used car on the market.
2. Take your time inspecting and test driving. A good deal today is usually a good deal tomorrow too, so don’t succumb to pushy sales people.
3. Inspect under the driver and passenger seats for obvious signs of rust on the seat tracks and metal seat frame.
4. Look at the headliner (the fabric on the roof inside the car). Once wet, the glue that holds this fabric in place will begin to weaken, and the fabric will begin to fall down completely, or will fall in small sections that will look like bubbles.
5. Inspect the undercarriage and the exhaust system for signs of large scale rust. I would expect a small amount of rust as being normal; ask your mechanic if you have questions.
6. Use your nose. If the inside of the vehicle smells damp and moldy, or feels damp to your skin…run!
7. Remove the wheels and inspect the brakes. This should be done anyway if you are inspecting a used car, but rust damage will really show itself on the brake components.
8. Inspect all under-hood fluids for water contamination. Oil and water will look like a chocolate milkshake, oil and transmission or power steering fluid will look like a strawberry milkshake.
9. Get the dealership or the seller to give you a written statement that to the best of their knowledge that 1. the car has not been in a flood, and 2. the car was not involved in any type of insurance claim that might have resulted in the original owner selling the vehicle to their insurance company as a “total loss.”
10. Get a CarFax report. These reports can provide very valuable information about the car, but I would not rely solely on them. CarFax may not have complete or updated information critical to your decision.
11. Look in the trunk under the caper ting and under the spare tire. Water and rust will tend to puddle here since it is one of the lowest places of the vehicle. If you see standing water, or signs of rust in and around the spare tire area it is probably a flood damaged vehicle and should be avoided.
My website provides one of the best used car checklists I have been able to find. I highly recommend a would-be-buyer to print it out and follow the step-by-step guide. If you aren’t in the market for a used car yourself, be sure to pass this article and checklist information on to your co-workers, friends, and family who are.

Hurricane Proof Computer

Hurricane Proof Computer

Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage each year, including damage to computers. Unfortunately, computers can be much harder to replace if lost than other electronics because of the data contained on their hard drives and time spent tweaking and overclocking them. Being a Katrina evacuee and survivor myself, I know how important a computer can be after a natural disaster. With hurricane season looming in the days ahead, I decided to write a guide to help people protect their computers and data during a natural disaster.

Part I: Backing Up Data And Things to Have

Hurricane season or not, you should always be backing up your data. Whether you plan on riding out the storm (a bad idea) or evacuating to another location, you should have a backup of your computer data either on an external hard drive or optical media such as CD-Rs or a DVD. Be sure to keep your data in a very safe place, such as a water proof safe. Never leave your backup by your computer.

Next, you should have the following things to make life after the storm easier:

1. Phone numbers for insurance, computer or computer parts companies, and phone numbers for all local ISPs (including dial-up and satellite). Having your insurance phone number and phone numbers for your computer company will help get your computer replaced faster if it is damaged. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to have phone numbers and even access disks for all of your local ISPs! After Katrina, the Internet was the only way many people could contact the outside world. As fate would have it, my broadband was down for 3 weeks and none of the other broadband ISPs would except new orders due to the storm, leaving me with my old friend Dial Up, whom I thought I had buried 8 years ago. Your best bet is to use a satellite ISP as they have no equipment that can be destroyed by a hurricane and cause an outage.

2. Back ups of all your file, have all application and game discs, CD keys, drivers, and operating system discs on hand.

3. Photos of your computer as well as proof of what parts are inside.

In the event your quad SLI rig is destroyed, you don’t want your insurance company to replace it with something of a significantly lesser value, do you? It’s very easy for people to claim “I had this, this, and this and it all cost me 00 last month.” after their 3 year old Athlon XP rig is destroyed. As a result, your insurance company may be hesitant to replace your expensive computer parts unless you can prove you own them. Also know to what extent your insurance (including flood insurance) will replace damaged property. While some policies will cover the replacement cost of damaged property, some may only cover part of the damage cost. Also know what your deductible is.

4. Blog or Social Networking Profile

Social networking sites such as myspace were great after Katrina. Friends could find out where other friends had evacuated to simply by reading each others’ myspaces.

5. Generator and Gas

A generator can power many things, including home computers! Check with your local generator supplier about any local laws about generators, how to safely and properly set one up, and how well they will work with computers. Because generators provide unstable power, a battery backup UPS and a surge protector are a must. Do not count on gas to power your generator being available in the aftermath of the storm. It’s best to have a good supply of gas as well as a few empty gas containers on hand.

Part II: Evacuating with Your PC

Like any family members or pets you may have, your PC isn’t something to leave behind if you can avoid it. While your first priority should be getting out alive, you should consider bringing your PC with you if you can room in your car. You can’t count on your destination to have good computers, high speed Internet, or any entertaining activities for that matter. Being in another place during a hurricane is stressful. Between watching your home town being walloped on CNN and The Weather Channel, the people around you as well as yourself will be tense and worried. Having a nice computer to browse the web with and play Battlefield 2 is a sure entertainer. In fact, the Internet was the only place where I could get information about my very neighborhood after the storm! Local newspaper message boards were packed with evacuees from all over my area and had plenty of information about damage to share.

Even if you can’t bring your PC, at the very least bring your hard drive with you! If your home is looted in the aftermath of the storm, the last thing you want is your personal data in someone else’s hands. Be sure your hard drive is in an anti-static bag to avoid needless damage to it.

If taking a long road trip, you should probably place some sort of padding or foaming (even a blanket will work) around your computer or hard drive to protect it from the vibrations of the car. Don’t bring your monitor unless you have an LCD and there’s room for it.

Part III: Leaving Your PC at Home

If you don’t have room for your PC in your car, don’t plan on staying with it during the storm. There are several safeguards you can take to prevent unnecessary damage to your computer:

1. Cover any open parts of your computer case (such as fans and vents) with tape. Don’t use duct tape unless you want to risk taking paint off your case or a sticky mess.

2. Cover your computer with as many trash bags as you need. At least 2 trash bags per computer are recommended.

3. Consider how high your home is above sea level, the risk of flooding, and other factors. If you know your home could flood, you should put your computer on the second floor. But if you know your roof is weak and could easily blow off, don’t put it on the second floor! Find an enclosed space with no windows (such as a closet) as close to the center of your home as possible. If your computer case has a side window, make sure it’s facing towards the ground or against a wall. If you can, place other objects around your computer to offer it additonal protection from blowing rain and flying debris.

Part IV: When the Worst Happens

In the event your PC becomes damaged during the storm, don’t fret. If the damage is from a fallen tree or a piece of flying debri, there is nothing you can do. If your computer becomes flooded, however, there are steps you can take to recover it. Below is a basic guide on how to recover a flooded computer.

1. Do not turn on the computer! Make sure it is unplugged! While you may be anxious to see if your computer can run, don’t do it if you know it’s been exposed to water. You’ll just end up causing more damage if you do. Remember to keep your computer unplugged.

2. Remove components that work. If you can see a water line in your computer, take out all the components above it and put them in a safe place.

3. Let your computer dry. Let your computer dry for a week or so. One drop of water in a running computer could mean disaster.

4. Remove the CMOS battery and other parts.

5. Use a solution of 90% alcohol or more to wash the various components of your computer, including connectors. If necessary, use a paint brush to remove stubbon crud.

6. Let your computer dry completely.

If the above doesn’t work or you have data you can’t risk losing on your hard drive, consider professional computer recovery. Do not plan on salvaging the power supply, CMOS battery, the hard drive, optical drives, or any fans if they have been flooded. Also remember to take pictures of any damage to your computer before you attempt to fix it for insurance purposes.

Hopefully this guide will help people save their computers from hurricane related damage. A computer is a very useful tool that should be part of any good disaster supply kit. Trust me when I say it’s an important thing to have around. However, remember a computer is only a material possession. Like all material objects, they can be replaced. Human and animal life, however, cannot. Use good judgement when deciding whether or not to take your computer with you and while repairing it if it damaged.

Disclaimer: In no way is the author responsible for any actions you may take to save your computer from a hurricane or fix it after flooding. Any actions you choose regarding hurricanes and computers are taken at your own risk. For the sake of all, please use common sense during any natural disaster.

Laptops: in the 21st century

Laptops: in the 21st century

Laptops:the new age communication

A laptop computer or simply a laptop is a small mobile computer that usually weighs from 8 to 16 pounds. It usually runs on a single main battery that can also be connected to an external AC/DC connector. A laptop has small components that have been optimised for mobile use and efficient energy consumption. A laptop computer can generally perform all the tasks that a regular computer can do, but they are typically more expensive than a desktop computer.although the prices are rapidly falling among the major production manufacturers.
Many laptops come equipped with a 9 volt battery that will keep the device running for quite some time in case of a power failure so that laptop computer users can complete there urgent tasks quickly. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and most of them use different memory modules to access their random access memory (RAM). They have a built-in keyboard and many of them come equipped with a touch-pad. A pointing stick or an external mouse can also be attached to the device. These days, manufactures have released several new models of cheap end laptop computer into the markets.
These cheap laptops are a big hit among the masses. Earlier, only high profile business people or executives were the only ones that could afford to buy a laptop computer. But people of all walsk of life can now purchase these at retailers in the market these days. Thanks to the big competition in the mobile computing market, manufacturers are rolling out a updated model of a cost effective laptop computer every now and then.
Gone are the days when only high profile business people and executives could afford to buy a laptop. Now, several models of cheap laptops are available in the shops. Retailers across the UK have come up with many attractive cheap notebook deals. These deals have made it possible for students, youngsters and housewives to own a laptop computer of their own. The prices of laptops are bound to fall further in the future.

Laptop computer www.discount-notebooks.net