Water damage is one of the most common hidden problems in used cars, and it often escapes basic photo reviews. During a live video inspection, ask the inspector to check these specific points: 1. Smell test: A musty or moldy odor inside the cabin is the first red flag. Have them open all doors, run the AC briefly, and smell the air from the vents—musty AC often indicates water in the HVAC system. 2. Under the carpets: Lift the floor mats and look for water lines, rust stains, or dampness on the carpet backing and the metal floor underneath. Sediment or silt residue is a giveaway. 3. Seat rails and bolts: Pull the seats fully forward and backward. Rust on seat rails or fresh-looking bolts suggests the seats were removed for cleaning after flooding. 4. Trunk area: Check the spare tire well and under the trunk carpet for standing water marks or rust. 5. Electronics: Test every window, seat adjustment, and the infotainment screen—water-damaged electronics behave erratically. Also request a scan report: flood cars often store history codes for multiple control modules that failed simultaneously. Cross-check the car's origin; vehicles from flood-prone southern regions deserve extra scrutiny.

We can only infer from the existing connected maintenance records. If the records show continuity and adhere to the recommended maintenance schedule, we will assign a high credit score; if there are gaps of tens of thousands of kilometers, we will assume it was not well maintained during that period and alert you.

The battery pack is 30–50% of an EV's value, so its inspection should be the most detailed part of the pre-shipment check. Require these items: 1. BMS data readout: state of health (SOH), full-charge voltage, cell voltage deviation, cycle count, and fast-charging percentage. SOH above 90% is good; below 80% means a costly pack replacement is approaching. 2. Physical inspection: check the underbody for pack dents, coolant leaks from the battery cooling circuit, and corrosion on high-voltage connectors. 3. Range test: a real drive of at least 30–50 km, comparing energy consumption against the rated figure. A pack with poor cells overheats and depletes fast. 4. Charging test: verify both AC and DC charging work, and record charging speed and any error messages. Get the raw diagnostic data, not just a summary. If the inspector won't share the BMS report, assume the battery is the reason why.