You must personally learn to evaluate all aspects of your proposed Vehicle purchase. Never believe anything you are told but learn how to check out a Used Car yourself. If the seller is motivated to get a sale (aren't they all?) then, of course, you will not be given 100% honest answers all of the time. If you are meeting with a sales person, you will find they usually do not lie to you but they will omit important negative facts that are very critical for you to learn and they will concentrate on and promote the emotional positive aspects of the Car Deal hence their name: SALES PERSON.
Checking a used car deal over for mechanical defects is not extremely complicated but many people have no idea what to do. . . .
The beginning basics include the following: (instructions)
1. The first thing you should always do is talk to the seller when you arrive. Take a nice friendly warm approach. Ask the seller about the history of the car. Has it ever been in an accident? Does it have a salvaged title? (Cars which have been in accidents, many times, have salvaged titles.) How long has he/she owned the car? Ask the seller questions regarding the condition of the used car . Ask him/her to tell you about any mechanical problems that exists on the used car. What items have been fixed, repaired or replaced on the vehicle? How often has the oil AND oil filter been changed? While doing your checking on the car, NEVER inform the seller of what you notice or discover, but ask questions regarding maintenance. It is important to learn how very honest this seller is and if you can count on the seller to tell you the truth about this car. Alot of the actual answers to the questions you have asked the seller will be obvious to you as you make your own observations of the car.
2. Before the car engine is even started, check under the hood. If you can't figure out how to open the hood, ask the seller but 'pay attention' to how he/she does it so you can see whether there are any problems in doing this. Is it hard to open, is there some 'trick' to opening it or does he just pull the lever and then push the latch under the hood? WATCH. If you purchase this car you will need to open the hood at some time.
3. If the engine feels like it is warm, ask the seller if he had started it just before you arrived. If he has, DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING or you could become badly burnt. Also, be aware that if the vehicle is 'hard' to start when the engine is cold, sometimes sellers will 'warm' the engine before you arrive. It is best to check the car when the engine is still 'cold'.
4. Check the radiator. It is critical you are able to open the radiator cap so if you have problems opening this, have the seller open it for you. YOU MUST CHECK THIS!! If the fluid cannot be seen in the radiator, thist is probably an indication of something wrong with this used car, although not necessarily a serious problem but indicates you must check much further. You can take a white paper towel or white napkin and roll it into a long tube. Run the tube into the radiator area and if you get no fluid on it, the radiator is definitely much too low than is normal or average for a car. If you see no fluids, this is an indication it has gone somewhere! Notice the ground under the front of the car. Does it look wet?
If you can see the fluid, pay special attention to the color of the fluid. Does it look slightly 'greenish' or, if a newer vehicle, pinkish but otherwise 'clear' in consistency? (Red/pinkish anti-freeze and green anti-freeze should never be mixed and each is required for specific vehicles.) This is anti-freeze mixed with water and normal. Is it only clear as in water? This may indicate the seller added water to the radiator before you got there and another possibility of something wrong with the car. A vehicle which is clear as water is lacking enough anti-freeze to protect it's engine. Is there any 'brownish substance in the fluid? If so, does it look like a liquid or a chalky substance?. Liquid 'oily looking brownish' fluid is generally oil mixed into the fluid and definitely indicates a severe problem. If there is a chaulky substance sticking to the bottom of the cap and top of the spout, it could mean the seller has used 'stop leak' in the radiator to stop the radiator from leaking as it is not a good radiator.
Some newer vehicles do not have radiators but have plastic looking large bottles (like an over-flow tank on a regular vehicle). These plastic holders MUST have fluid in them as they are the radiator for that car.
A piece of knowledge that is important to know is that many vehicles which have the regular metal radiator have not only coolant in the middle of the radiator but on each side there are small vertical tanks built into the radiator for the flowing of transmission fluid on one side and the flowing of oil on the other side which is a method of cooling the transmission fluid and oil. Sometimes there is only one tank for the transmission fluid and sometimes there is no tank. On some vehicles, one or the other of these tanks can internally leak into the radiator. Pay special attention to the oil and transmission fluids as you are checking them as you can see specks of water IN SUNLIGHTin the oil or transmission fluids if these are leaking.
5. Check the oil in the used car. Make sure you have a paper towel or 'rag' in order to wipe the dip stick. You may need to check it more than once as this can be much more complicated than it appears and one of the most important parts of checking the car. Find the 'dip-stick'. If the car doesn't have one, 'run away from that car!. If you can't find it , have the seller find it for you. Pull it out of it's holder, wipe it off, and then put it back into the holder. The reason for this, is the last time the car was driven, the dip stick may have experienced fluids going up it as the engine moved the oil through it. An accurate reading is best done with a clean dip stick and before a car is started. When you pull out the dip stick, first check how how much oil is in the engine You will find a marking on the dip stick showing how much oil should be in the engine. If the oil is very low and little on the dip stick, the chances are good the car deal online is 'using' oil which means the engine is not a 'strong' engine for long drives and can be costly even on short drives due to needing to add oil all the time. If the oil is very close to the line on the dip stick, then the chances are pretty good the engine is all right after you have done the following. You next want to observe the color of the oil. Hopefully, you have seen 'clean' oil from a purchased container so you know what 'clean' oil looks like. If the oil is so very clean it looks like it came from a container on a store shelf and the car is over 5 years old or sometimes even less, the oil should not be so clean it appears to have come from a container. If the oil is too clear, either the used car has had a brand new oil change or the car had gotten so low of oil that the seller had to add so much to the car that it would now appear clear.
You can also use your fingers to feel the oil. If you find real tiny particles, grit or granules by putting it on your forefinger and rubbing your forefinger against your thumb with the oil in the middle, generally the engine is either bad or getting ready to be bad. The feeling of grit in the oil means the interior metal workings of the engine are rubbing up against each other leaving metal inside of the oil. A good strong running engine in a used car has no grit, particles or granules in the oil.
If the oil is black and possibly even gummy, keep this in mind when you are ready to start the used car. The car deal online is definitely way past the time to do an oil change for it.
6. Checking the transmission fluid is also a necessity with a used car containing an automatic transmission. First again before starting the car, you will check this for color and, again for granules and grit in the fluid. Find the dip stick for the transmission. If needed, ask the seller for it's location. This dip stick is sometimes a bit difficult to locate. Sometimes even mechanics need to search for it. At this time, do not pay any attention to the amount of fluid on the dip stick. You ALWAYS check the fluid level amount for a transmission when the vehicle is running. Look at the fluid in a bright light. Most vehicles should have a pinkish fluid without traces of browns mixed in it. If there appears to be brown in it, this is a warning of "something" not right and per mechanics wording "a burnt transmission fluid". Transmission fluid should NEVER be black. Next notice whether there are any very, very tiny droplets of water mixed in it. There should be none. It is important to view this in very good lighting because water droplets are difficult to see. Bright sunlight works great. You lastly 'feel' between your fingers again, the fluid to ensure there are no metal particles within it. Your transmission, just like most mechanical working pieces of a car, are enclosed and should not collect dirt or water.
You now can check the amount of transmission fluid in the car deal online. Start the Used Car. Remove the transmission dipstick and for an accurate reading, wipe it off, insert it again and remove it again. A quality used car deal online will have the fluid amount showing at the 'full' line on the dip stick. If the dipstick shows an excessive amount over the 'full line' or it shows there is not enough fluid in the transmission to reach the full mark, these are indicators there may be something wrong with this used car deal online. A good used car will never show empty on the transmission stick nor a tiny, tiny amount in the transmission.
7. One more fluid you should make note of when viewing a used car deal online is the brake fluid. Ask the seller where it is located and how to remove the cap if you cannot "see" the amount in the reservoir. It is important that this unit is "full". If it is less than full, it indicates something is not 'right' with the brakes system and you need to keep this in mind when starting the used car and definitely if you try to drive it. This fact is true on just about all vehicles.
8. Before you shut the hood, observe any wet looking areas such as oil running down the side of the engine, etc. The valve cover gaskets on automobiles usually have a life expectancy of about 1 year. When the gasket wears out, the engine will allow oil to run or drip down it from the upper most part of the engine. Also, there are many other things that can cause a wetness that are more apparent after you have driven the car and should then be checked again after driven.
Summary Note: When changing fluids on a vehicle yourself or at home, check with the dealership of your vehicle (no matter what the age of it is) and inquire as to the 'right' grade or kind of fluid to use for that specific car. This editorial is not intended to guide you in the maintenance of a vehicle but only to be used for checking over a used car. There will be more editorials later which will cover maintenance and give tips and ideas for fixing or maintaining your vehicle in good condition.
All of the things listed above will give you guidance before you test drive the vehicle after you have completed your initial check of the used car. Your Physical Test Drive is your next step to checking over a car and after that will be the final physical examination and checking before you make your offer which are future topics for our editorials. Each step is important to ensure you obtain a good vehicle at a decent price. There is never any guarantee that you can be 100% positive you have bought a great car but you can reduce the risk of obtaining a bad one.
FALLACIES IN USED CAR DEAL PURCHASES #1 Doctor-owned used car deals online are better maintained -- nowadays, there are advertisements for lawyer- and engineer-owned cars too. #2 Odometer readings indicate true mileage -- resetting the clock is a matter of a few hundred miles only. #3 Used Car dealers are crooks -- most of these guys are in it for the long term and have a reputation to protect #4 Take your trusty mechanic along for car inspection -- these guys make money only when there are repairs to be done. #5 An immaculate-looking, clean-smelling used car deal is a great find -- make-up almost always glosses over a not-so-pleasant story. #6 Live Online Used Car Auctions are not targeted to sell good used cars but to scam the public. Summary: To buy good used cars at a live online used car auctions, a buyer or someone representing the buyer should check the mechanics of a car deal online before agreeing to buy it.
Note: More articles to come to help sellers and buyers with live online used car auctions. These will be found at: http://www.shabid.com
All rights reserved. Information supplied herein by www.shabid.com's friendly mechanics with parts of this from garage mechanics and parts from self-employed successful experienced experts including mechanical genius's. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of www.Shabid.com In the event permission is given, this editorial must be reproduced exactly as presented herein including copyright and reserved rights information.
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All rights reserved. Information supplied herein by www.shabid.com's friendly mechanics with parts of this from garage mechanics and parts from self-employed successful experienced experts including mechanical genius's. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of www.Shabid.com In the event permission is given, this editorial must be reproduced exactly as presented her
