ALERT: Help kill water-damaged car bills

The Senate Transportation Committee will take up House Bill 392 and Senate Bill 539 at its meeting on Thursday at 2pm. These bills will raise, from $1,000 to $5,000, the amount of water damage that a vehicle can sustain before it is required to be disclosed to the buyer.

Water damage to a vehicle can cause any number of unseen problems. Brakes, steering and air bags may become unreliable, and mold and bacteria may be undiscovered. The latter pose particular risks to people with allergies, children, and those with compromised immune systems. Many states require that any water damage be disclosed. These bills, according to an earlier report in The Virginian-Pilot, were written without consulting any consumer protection advocates, just auto dealers, insurance companies and auto recyclers – in other words, people who make money off these things.

Can you imagine someone scraping together the money to buy a used car, only to have it be a water-logged lemon?

Contact the members of the Senate Transportation Committee and let them know we don’t want water damaged cars flooding Virginia. Their phone numbers and email address are below the fold.

Chairman – Sen. Yvonne Miller (804) 698-7505  email
Member –  Sen. Ed Houck (804) 698-7517 email
Member – Sen. Henry Marsh (804) 698-7516 email
Member – Sen. Stephen Newman (804) 698-7523 email
Member – Sen. Jon Watkins (804) 698-7510 email
Member – Sen. Phil Puckett (804) 698-7538 email
Member – Sen. Frank Wagner (804) 698-7507 email
Member – Sen. Harry Blevins (804) 698-7514 email
Member – Sen. Creigh Deeds (804) 698-7525 email
Member – Sen. Ryan McDougle (804) 698-7504 email
Member – Sen. Patsy Ticer (804) 698-7530 email
Member – Sen. Ralph Smith (804) 698-7522 email
Member – Sen. John Miller (804) 698-7501 email
Member – Sen. Dave Marsden (804) 698-7537 email
Member – Sen. Jeff McWaters (804) 698-7508 email