As Harvey Cleanup Begins, Half a Million Cars Reportedly Destroyed by Floods

It's a disaster on an epic scale as floods spawned by Hurricane Harvey have reportedly left half a million cars inoperable.

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The cleanup began Friday as tow trucks hauled vehicles, many left abandoned on streets and highways when roadways became impossible to navigate.

Other cars and SUVs were found submerged in driveways.

Auto expert Lauren Fix, the “Car Coach,” spoke to Inside Edition about whether these cars can be salvaged.

“If the vehicle is floating, completely underneath [the surface], it's junk — just forget about it,” she said. “If it is below [a] point called the sill, your brakes, fuel lines, exhaust system and computers need to be checked.

"If the water is halfway up the door, you're probably in trouble, because all that dirty water has now flown into the vehicle.”

Another concern is that the flooded cars may be patched up and sold to unsuspecting buyers across America and could become death traps.

“Safety systems don't work," Fix said. "Anti-lock brake systems and the car could stop and die at any time and even worse, there's zero warranty."

Read: TV Reporter Meets Newborn Baby After He Helped Rescue Mom in Labor From Harvey Flood

The “Car Coach” did say there's an easy way to find out if a car has been damaged by a flood.

“If you suspect that a vehicle might be flood-damaged, turn the fan on as high as possible for heat and the air-conditioning and put your nose to the vent," she said. "If it smells moldy or perfumed, that's a sign water has been down those vents and you want to walk away from that vehicle."

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