Don’t Forget to Check the Boot When Buying a Used Car — Here’s Why

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – It is not uncommon for people to focus only on the engine bay and the underside when checking a used car. Yet there is one part that is often overlooked: the boot.

The owner of vehicle inspection service PT Inspector Indonesia Expert, Lukman Hakim, says that the boot is in fact one of the crucial points in detecting flood-damaged used cars.

“The boot is the space where water can be stored the most if the car has ever been flood-damaged; the potential for rot is higher there,” Hakim told Kompas.com, not long ago.

If not cleaned and dried properly, any remaining water can trigger rust on the floor pan, bolts, and even the frame joints in that area.

Therefore, he reminds that checks of used cars should not be done half-heartedly.

Opening the boot carpet and directly inspecting the condition of the floor pan beneath it becomes an important step that must not be overlooked.

However Hakim stresses that assessment of flood-damaged used cars cannot rely on one or two findings alone.

In other words, finding a little rust or stain does not necessarily constitute strong evidence. Inspections must be thorough, from the interior, the electrical system, to hidden components.

“Yes, we use a scanner tool. Its function is to read any errors in the car’s sensor and electrical system,” Hakim said.

“In flood-damaged cars, there are usually quite a lot of malfunctions that can be detected via that tool,” he added.