AUTOMOTIVE workshops in Shah Alam and Subang Jaya have been so overwhelmed by flood-damaged vehicles that mechanics have to call in help from counterparts in other areas.

They fear that leaving waterlogged cars without repair for too long will cause further damage to the vehicles and are arranging for some to be sent to workshops in areas spared of the Klang Valley’s worst floods in history, which occurred over the weekend of December 18.

Federal Territory & Selangor Automobile Repairers’ Association (FTSARA) president Yap Koon Leong told The Malaysian Insight that although many cars needed repairs, it takes time to discern the extent of damage that a car had undergone.

“The electrical boards and engines need to be inspected closely. An auto repair shop can inspect one to two cars, at the most, in a day. This leaves other flood-damaged cars to wait for a long time, which is not good as the internal parts are prone to rust.

“Repair shops that have too many cars in the queue are making arrangements to send some of them to workshops elsewhere,” Yap said.

Although auto repair shops are already full, Yap said there may be even more flood-damaged vehicles that have yet to be sent in. Their owners could still be focusing on cleaning their homes or the vehicles may have been swept away and yet to be found.

He said FTSARA, which has more than 600 members, does not agree to raising service fees at this time when car owners hit by floods are struggling.

“If a report is lodged against a repair shop for charging excessively, we will take action because our responsibility is to protect consumers,” he said.

Go for second-hand

Some types of damage will be impossible to repair, Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Associations of Malaysia (FMCCAM) president Tony Khor Chong Boon said.

If flood-hit car owners find themselves in that situation, and are also financially squeezed, their best option would be to purchase a second-hand car, he added.

“It will depend on the person’s financial state. If one has limited funds, or prefers to focus on replacing furniture and appliances at home, then getting a second-hand car is a good idea if one cannot afford a brand-new car at this time,” Khor said.

Vehicles could be repaired if the flooding reached only the up to the car’s carpets. In this situation, the car’s engine had not been immersed in water.

“The vehicle can be left to dry, and then it can be driven as usual after an inspection,” Khor said.

A vehicle could still be salvaged even if higher levels of floodwaters had wet the engine and the seats, as parts could be removed and cleaned.

If floodwaters had covered the car’s dashboard, however, this means the engine had been submerged, and the car’s electronics would likely be affected.

“It will have to be disassembled for inspection, to see if repairs can be done,” Khor said.

And if a car had been completely submerged, he said it would be more worthwhile buying a new one than spending on repairs.

Negeri Sembilan Car Dealers & Credit Companies Association president Teh Seng Hap, who runs a second-hand car shop, has been seeing some post-flood purchases.

“In the past few days, I’ve sold two second-hand Proton cars for under RM20,000 to flood victims from Shah Alam.

“They came down to Negeri Sembilan to buy the cars after they were introduced by other customers,” Teh said.

But he expects post-flood sales to be minimal as the prevailing economic conditions are still poor.

“With the economic downturn, inflation and post-flood cleaning up cost, I don’t expect many people to prioritise the purchase of vehicles to replace the ones they lost.

“However, if they do, an affordable, second-hand car is a good choice,” The said.

Continuous heavy rain from December 17 to 19 resulted in devastating floods in Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Negri Sembilan.

Massive cleaning up is still underway in many areas.

As of yesterday, 48 people had died from the floods. – December 29, 2021.