Suppose you see an advertisement about a salvage Honda Civic for sale with a hybrid engine or some damaged electric car. In that case, you don’t need to grab a good offer and thoughtlessly spend your money immediately. In this case, you must first study the condition of such a car in detail, paying particular attention to the battery. This structural element often plays a vital role in the operation of the entire mechanism. It provides energy to the electric motor and allows all car components to function normally. Our article will briefly discuss the nuances of checking the battery when purchasing a damaged electric vehicle and the common myths associated with this design element.
Features of purchasing a damaged electric car
When entering the Honda Civic salvage yard, where you can buy damaged models and damaged electric cars relatively inexpensively, everyone wants to find the most profitable option. This car should have minor damage that can be fixed quickly and for minimal money. Most often, at such a Honda Civic auction, it is possible to find electric cars damaged due to an accident, collisions with various obstacles, natural disasters, etc. These cars are much cheaper than their new counterparts. Moreover, after repair, they are not much different from models that just came off the assembly line.
When choosing such electric cars, carefully checking several vital components and structural elements is essential. They are the ones who most often suffer from accidents, collisions, and other troubles. Batteries are the most vulnerable. Most electric cars take up quite a lot of space and are located along the lower part of the body. Because of this feature, even relatively minor damage to the car becomes sufficient to damage the battery housing elements partially. This often leads to a violation of the tightness with all the ensuing negative consequences. In connection with all of the above, when choosing an electric car, you need to study the condition of the batteries carefully. If there is damage, the cost of repair work should be assessed. In cases where the seller is far from the buyer (for example, on another continent), this work is best entrusted to partners who help buy a damaged car. If there is a Honda Civic auction near me, you can cope with this task yourself (you must have specific knowledge and experience in carrying out such work).
In addition to the battery, broken electric cars may have damaged power wires. They stretch throughout the vehicle, making the risk of breaking relatively high. Breakage of connectors on power wires is also a common problem. There are quite a few in modern electric cars, so there is a high chance of avoiding such a drawback. For slightly outdated models, the risk of breakdown will be pretty high. No less rarely, problems arise in the cooling system and various electronic modules. Even with all the listed shortcomings, there is no need to abandon the electric car immediately. In this form, it will cost very little, so the vehicle’s low price will entirely offset the increased repair costs.
Myths and facts about electric car batteries
In cases where a wrecked Honda Civic is for sale, you need to make a purchase only after assessing the battery’s condition and the complexity of its repair. The same should be done when choosing a damaged electric car. It is better to entrust this work to the partners completing the transaction. At the same time, the buyer needs to study the myths and facts about these structural elements in detail.
The most common myth is that producing batteries for electric cars causes more environmental damage than using gasoline engines. Of course, this is not true. In reality, some toxic substances are used to make car batteries. Moreover, they are taken in tiny quantities and, if necessary, are disposed of by manufacturers in strict accordance with existing rules. As a result, the negative impact on the environment is minimized. Even in cases where you purchase a wrecked Honda Civic or a damaged electric car with a depressurized battery, the fumes of harmful substances do not harm the environment. Also, according to studies, the production of batteries for electric vehicles emits much less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the production of internal combustion engines.
Another popular myth about the batteries of damaged electric vehicles and salvaged Honda Civics is that battery life is sharply reduced after damage. In reality, it is possible to obtain approximately the same working life as before the breakdown after an adequately carried out repair. If you add regular follow-up maintenance to this, you can eliminate the problem almost entirely. In most cases, the battery life of electric cars that have not received any damage is 8-10 years. For batteries that have passed the repair stage, this figure ranges from 7.5 to 9.5 years. Naturally, there are exceptions, but the statistics are pretty positive on average.
A common myth among salvage Honda Civic auction participants is that after repair, the battery takes 2-3 times longer to charge than usual. This can only be true in cases where the work could have been done better. In other situations, the battery will work the same as before the damage, so the time it takes to charge fully will remain the same. This can be easily proven by simple testing, which can be carried out with any electric car that has gone through the recovery stage after an accident. It is enough to compare the indicators the seller declares with data obtained while traveling in a repaired car.
The latest common myth is the opinion of many buyers of refurbished electric cars that the batteries of such cars provide a shorter range than what they had before the repair. This is not true since restoration work is carried out correctly, the battery will work as efficiently as before. Losses will be minimal, and it won’t be easy to notice. Also, owners of electric cars should not forget the gradual wear and tear typical for all batteries, without exception. By the end of their service life, they lose up to 20% of their maximum capabilities, which is why many people think that the battery cannot provide long-term autonomy. Therefore, if you buy an electric car with a battery that has been working for more than 7-8 years, you need to make certain adjustments in calculating the available energy reserve.
In cases where a crashed Honda Civic or any damaged electric car is for sale, it is necessary to study the battery’s condition before purchasing it. This approach will make it possible to find the most attractive of the proposed options for which you don’t mind paying. When inspecting a battery, you need to consider various nuances that may affect its operation. In addition, it is essential to protect yourself from common myths, which are often misleading and prevent an objective assessment of this structural element. If everything is done correctly, after repair, the purchased damaged electric car will become no worse than a new one and can serve its owner for a very long time.
