2025 compact sedan, low mileage, bought in cash, still under warranty. Plan to keep this car long-term.
What happened: Car was parked, rainwater pooled and flooded the floor. Only the carpet got wet – literally an inch above the floor. Seats dry, trunk dry, no dash lights, everything works normally. Minimal water intrusion.
My dad and I used a wet/dry vac to get rid of the excess water right away. It's been a few days and the floor feels completely dry now.
My dad told me NOT to get it inspected or report it. I didn't listen and went to the dealer anyway. They did some test and wrote on their inspection paper (not Carfax – just the paper they gave me):
- "MOST LIKELY FLOODED"
- "POSSIBLE INSURANCE CLAIM"
They quoted $1,800 to pull the carpet because electronics sit at the floor. Haven't done the repair.
Details:
- Dad is the policyholder, I'm the primary driver
- Located in Northeast US
- I own the car outright (paid cash, no loan)
- I want to KEEP this car long-term
My questions:
- Should I file a claim? People are split between "don't do it, insurance will go up and car value will go down" and "do it because you're keeping it long-term"
- Someone told me I could wait and if a specific part or light comes on later, file a claim for just that part instead of mentioning flood. Is that viable?
- If I don't file anything now, can I still use the warranty later? Or does the dealer's inspection paper kill that option?
- Odds they total a nearly new car with this level of damage vs. just paying for the repair?
- Since I own it outright, what does payout look like if they total it?
- Does my dad being the policyholder complicate anything?
- Will the dealer's inspection comments end up on Carfax? That paper is the only place it's documented right now.
- Any reason NOT to file?
The damage was genuinely minimal – just wet carpet, already dry now. But that inspection paper has me spooked and I don't want to make a move that screws me long-term.
Rainwater flooded floor of my nearly new car – dealer inspection paper says "most likely flooded" and "possible insurance claim." Should I file or wait?
byu/not4u2nv inInsurance
Posted by not4u2nv
2 Comments
Also it smells normal right now as well
If only the floor is wet, sounds like most likely culprit is a blocked drain canal. Either it’s a warranty issue because there is something within the vehicle that is blocking it, or it’s an insurance claim if other debris got into it. I would bet money this is the cause.
If you can’t pull out the carpet to let it air out, see what a shop would charge before making a claim.