I just bought a 06 ram 1500, and when i look at it with a fine tooth comb, i think its been in water... its kinda hard to see, which is why i didnt notice at the dealership, but i've replaced a few things (taken out dash, door panels, peeled up carpet to run wires) and i've noticed alot of suspicious activity....
first, in one of the heater vents, there appears to be ALOT of dust.. like its been dunked in a big mud puddle, the water dried, and left dust behind, buit its only in 1 heater vent which is weird..
2nd, that plug input under the dash (where they take emissions) has corrosion on it and looks like it got a little wet...
3rd, when i lifted the floor panels (the ones that run along the edge of the carpet) the little gaps where the clips go looks to have a bunch of gooey stuff in it.. like someone spilled a pop or something..
I've looked under the hood very closely and it looks brand new, i checked the fuse box and there is no corrosion.. underneath the truck, the exhaust pipes are pretty red and rusty looking, but i see that all the time... carfax has no report on it being in an accident.. but in the right light, you can see the passenger side door is a different color and NOT stock, also the passenger fender has signs of re-painting on it (overspray).
I was wondering why i got it for such a killer deal (bluebook $18k and i got it out the door for $11.8k). Everything works perfectly, all electronics are fantastic, the only issue is the brakes are wobbly when i come to a stop, like it has a bent rotor (?).
I dont know much about how to check for signs, I normally just tinker with interior, and from what i see, there are no stains or rust inside..
can anyone help me determine if its been flooded or not?
where are common places i should look for more definitive answers to it?
thank you very much