I purchased a used MINI 2003 about 2 weeks ago. It was a private sale and within a week the A/C stopped working and when I took it to the mechanic he told me the A/C Compressor ir broken and that it is a flood car. The carfax and title didn't mention any f[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]looding- but I guess a title wash could have been done. My dad who helped me purchase a used Toyota about 6 years ago had checked the car out and found no traces of flood damage. The mechanic I went to does not work at a MINi dealership, so I’m going to take it to a dealer and see if they can check it out. Is it possible that the seller did such an incredible cosmetic repair that the car does not smell like mold at all and seems to be in great condition (with wears and tears of course)? The mechanic said that no other failures came up when he connected the machine to the car and that he only noticed the rusting when he got to the bottom (when he was checking for the A/C). It will be quite costly to repair the compressor and I don’t want to put money into that if the entire car is going to fail in a few months.[/FONT][/SIZE]

 

Getting a second opinion from another technician concerning the condition of your MINI is likely the best idea. You're right about the moldy smell from a flood vehicle, either in the boot or passenger compartment. Could it be cleaned up so that it would not smell? Just guessing, but I doubt it.

 

Yes have someone else verify it. But you know CarFax has that guarantee so it would be interesting to see what would happen when you go back to them showing that they are wrong.

This is just another example of why I tell people never trust Carfax, have a trusted mechanic check it out.