In a four hour period, Charlotte fire responded to 80 calls for service. Most of those calls were for people stranded in their homes or cars.
It's unclear how cars were damaged by the flooding but at Hunter Wrecker service, Mike Chitwood says once the rain started so did the calls for help.
He points to several waterlogged cars on the lot. Chitwood says many of the cars they pick up will be considered a total loss by insurance companies.
When a junk car is declared a total loss it should be sent to a junk yard and sold as scrap metal. But the Better Business Bureau warns many cars are sold as 'salvage' vehicles.
"Realize whenever [flooding] happens really anywhere in the southeast since Charlotte is such a big market, these cars have a tendency to end up in our market for sale," President of the BBB Tom Bartholomy said.
Bartholomy says a title should show a car is flood damaged. But that doesn't always happen, especially if the car is sold by an individual and not a reputable dealer.
And it doesn't take much to make a muddy car look practically brand new from the outside.
"Especially this soon after flooding - they'll be on Craiglist, classified ads..so you won't have any knowledge before hand what it has been through...there are things to look out for," Bartholomy said.
Those things include checking under the hood, in the trunk and beneath the seats for mud, rust or water damage.
Check hoses and flex wires under the dash to see if they bend or crack.
Bartholomy also suggests for the things that can't be checked out on your own, take the car to a mechanic you trust. He says it may cost a hundred bucks but it could save you more money in the long run.
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