So I just bought a used 2006 TL two weeks ago and realized a little too late that I should have been more careful with which dealer I used. He was USAA certified but the car shows small signs of water damage, and I'm afraid it could be flood damage. I checked all the usual recommended places and had my mechanic check it out and neither showed major signs of flood damage. The headlights have dried condensation on the inside and fogged up after a car wash, but the seal might have been broken due to a fender bender (the fender doesn't quite line up flush by the headlight)

However, this afternoon I installed an iPod adapter into the car and I noticed that the metal framing by the VBS switch on the left side of the steering wheel had rust water spots. There are no other signs in that area of rusting, not on the cables or the exposed metal, but it is concerning. Below is a picture of the rust. Should I be worried about flood damage or could the rusting just be from rain getting in an open door or window?

 

It's hard to say. If there was some flood damage don't you think there would be more damage to the rest of the car? That area is pretty high in the car so that would mean a lot of water would have entered the vehicle. Min of like 4 feet of water. If you are really concerned pull the carpet back and see if you notice anything. If nothing major, don't stress about it.

 

+1

I would check for other damage. I have seen little spots like this on other parts of my frame, but it's not because of flood damage- it's because it snows so much here that when it evaporates off of the floor mats the moisture stays in the car floating somewhere. After years and years of that happening, apparently some of it got onto some of the metal parts of the console, so it was a very gradual process. All I did was wipe it away, and it was gone.

Not sure if it's the same case for you, but that's something worth checking out. If it was flood damage, then that could just be a tiny symptom of a HUGE problem in the car as a whole.

 

dont worry about that one. A LOT of hondas i've seen all have rust there, not sure why. That includes civics, accords, tsx and TLs. I think my car has it too, but I cant recall for sure.

its probably just from rain getting in a bit when you open the door. not a problem at all.