Used Car Guide and Checklist

USED CAR GUIDE AND CHECKLIST:

This comprehensive guide on what and how to check on a used
car that you want to buy, was compiled by an expert used car
mechanic with more than 40 years experience of the used car
trade.

When you use this guide and checklist the chance that you may
Buy a “Lemon” is very slim.

Beware of bargains if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.


EXTERNAL INSPECTION:


Guide and pencil in hand (Using a pencil will allow you to erase the notes you have made)

Start with the wheels. Write down the make, size and condition of all four tires. Check for uneven wear, as the tires could have been rotated it will not be possible to pinpoint where they were mounted.

My recommendation to you is to have the wheel alignment checked and the wheels balanced of any used car that you buy, usually when you notice that the tires wear down on the inside or the outside the damage is already done.

Check the rims – are they the same? Do they have any visible damage, dents or cracks?

Go to the front of the car, bend your body forward so that eyes are on the same level as the fenders and the bonnet, look towards the back of the car, any dents and body repairs will be visible. Do the same with the roof.

Go to the back of the car and repeat this inspection from the back of the car.

Look down both sides of the car from the back to check for dents and body repairs. Make notes of any that you have found.

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Check the rear window sealing rubber for paint overspray and any signs of rusting around the edges of the rubber.

Check the rear window glass, the tail and indicator light lenses for chips, cracks or signs of overspray.

Check all chrome strips, insignia, boot locks and the rear bumper for rusting or overspray.

Open the boot; check out the general appearance of the luggage compartment and the condition of the carpet. Lift the carpet and look underneath for signs of rust.

Check the spare wheel, take it out and inspect the tread and the sidewalls for cuts or knobs, is the rim and tire make and size the same as the ones fitted to the vehicle?

Is there a jack, does it work?

Is there a wheel spanner, does it fit the wheel nuts?

Remove the hub caps if they are fitted, check for broken wheel studs.

Close the boot, does it close easily the first time?

The above may seem unnecessary but you will be surprised to see how many times these items turn out to be faulty.

Start with the rear passenger side door, open and close the door twice, does it close easily the first time?

Check the door rubbers and the striker plates for wear and overspray.

If the car does not have electric windows, wind the window up and down twice to check the window winder mechanism.

Check the condition of the rear seat upholstery, if it has loose seat covers, remove them to check for cigarette burns or other damage.

If there is a loose rubber mat on the carpet, lift it and check the condition of the carpet.

Repeat this operation with the remaining doors.

Go to the front of the car.

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Page 2.


Check the wiper blades for tears or sun damage.

Check the windscreen, the headlights, the park lights and the indicator lenses for chips and overspray, the windscreen rubber, the grill, the front bumper, insignia and all chrome strips for rust or overspray.

The reason for checking for overspray is that it will highlight any repairs and also if the car has been resprayed, if it was, it will have an adverse effect on the value of the car.

Open the bonnet and check the engine compartment for signs of rust and overspray.

Check the radiator for leaks or corrosion, open the radiator cap and check for signs of oil or rust in the water. The water should be green or red if anti freeze have been added to the water.

Visually inspect the radiator hoses for signs of being cracked or perished, press the radiator hoses between your thumb and first fingers, they must not be hard to press.

Visually inspect the fan belts, they must not show any cracks or signs of fraying.

Visually check the electrical wiring for signs of open wires or different colored insulation tape, open the fuse box, if there are visible signs of melting around the fuses, beware, electrical repairs can be very expensive.

Check the battery box, the hold down and the terminals for corrosion or rust.

Check if the air cleaner is securely mounted to the carburetor or if there is a rubber hose leading from the air cleaner to the carburetor or the fuel injection air inlet, the connection must be secure and free of cracks or tears and show no signs of being perished. If any of the above is positive, dust would have entered the engine, which could have caused rapid engine wear.

Check the windscreen washer, the power steering, the clutch and brake master cylinder reservoirs for leaks and or missing or cracked lids.

Check and test the spark plug leads between your two fingers, they should not feel hard or rigid, if they do, they will have to be replaced.

Look on the top and the sides of the engine for water or oil leaks.




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Pull out the engine oil dipstick, there should be no sludge on it, check the color of the oil, if it is black or dark brown the oil should be changed, if the color is grey or white there is water in the oil.

Remove the oil filler cap, check for sludge or a white/grey froth on the bottom of
the cap if present there could be water in the oil.

Close the bonnet.

Get in the car and sit in the driver's seat.

Check the roof lining for tears.

The sun visors.

The pedal rubbers for wear.

The rear view and side mirrors.

Open the cubby hole and look for the service and warranty books, if they are still there you can check to see if the car was serviced regularly. If the previous owners address or phone number is there make a note of it so you can contact him and find out why he sold this car.

Make a note of the odometer reading, when you contact the previous owner ask
him what the odometer reading was when he traded his car in. All odometer readings can be changed including digital odometers.

Check the centre console compartment lid as the hinges are often broken.

If the car has a manual transmission and a hydraulic clutch, place your left foot on the pedal, move the pedal down half way, hold this position for 60 seconds, if there is a leak in the system the pedal will lose resistance and move to the floor by itself.

Repeat this procedure with the brake pedal, but move the pedal down until it won’t go down any further, hold this position for 60 seconds. If there is a leak in the system the pedal will move to the floor.

If the clutch is operated by a cable, pump the clutch a few times and feel if the cable works smoothly and that the pedal returns to the same position every time you release the pedal. If the operation of the cable is jerky or hard the cable must be replaced.


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Carry out the same test with the accelerator pedal to check the cable.

Switch on the ignition, but do not start the engine at this stage.

Check the operation of the following.

The seat belts.

The seat adjusters, the reason that these two items are included here is that some cars have electric seat adjusters and warning lights on the seat belts.

The headlight switch.

The dim and bright switch.

The indicator switch.

The wiper switch.

The windscreen washer.

The sun roof, check its operation and also the sealing rubbers as they are prone to be leaking water.

The electric operated side mirrors.

The electric window switches.

The horn.

The warning lights.

The dome lights.

The cigarette lighter and ashtray.

The radio and cd player, check it now and switch it off before you start the engine. If you don’t, you may not hear any tell tale noises when starting or test driving the vehicle.

Turn the steering wheel plus minus 2 inches (50 millimeters) rapidly to both sides, a couple of times and feel if there is any play on the steering. If there is, the steering box may have to be adjusted or repaired, or the steering joints could be worn and must be replaced.

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START THE ENGINE:

The starter must kick in the first time, if you hear a grinding noise and the engine does not turn, the bendix drive or ring gear could be faulty.

If the engine starts the first time, let it idle for a minute or two, if the vehicle has an oil pressure gauge take note of the indicated oil pressure. If it only has a warning light the light should not take more than 3 seconds to go out.

Apply the hand or parking brake, select first or reverse gear, try to pull off, if you can, the brake will have to be repaired.

Select top gear and try to pull off with the hand brake still on, if the engine stalls, the clutch is still ok. If the engine speed increases the clutch and pressure plate will have to be replaced. If you hear a noise when applying the clutch and the noise goes away when you take your foot off the pedal the release bearing will have to be replaced.

Ask the dealer if he has a car lift, ramp or pit, if he has, ask him if you can use it to check the underside of the car, he won’t mind and you can then inspect the following.

Signs of accident damage or rust, all the dust covers of the following, tie rod ends, ball joints and steering arms.

Check the drive shafts universal joints and slip joints for wear.

Check the exhaust systems rubber hangers.

On front and four wheel drive cars inspect the constant velocity joints boots for tears and leaking of grease.

Visually check the engine sump, the gearbox, rear axle and shock absorbers for oil leaks.

NOW FOR THE ROAD TEST:

If the dealer won’t allow you to do a road test or complain about the way you test his car, walk away and take your business some where else, there are thousands of used cars for sale.

You must drive the car yourself; check the fuel level before you leave his premises. He must put in enough fuel to do at least 10 miles (16 kilometers).


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The best way to test any car is on a quiet stretch of road where you can reach the highest possible legal speed.

When driving the car check the rear view mirrors regularly for signs of smoke, black smoke is an indication of excessive fuel usage, blue smoke indicates oil usage, white smoke, very seldom but can be due to brake fluid leakage in the brake booster that is being drawn into the inlet manifold.

Do you feel any vibrations of the car or the steering wheel?

If you do it could be either the tires or the drive shaft that is out of balance.

When braking, do you feel the brake pedal vibrating under your foot?
If it does the brake discs will have to be skimmed and the disc pads replaced.

When braking hard, do you feel the vehicle shudder or vibrate or does the vehicle pull to one side?

If you do it could be that brake fluid or oil has leaked onto the disc pads.

If any of the above happens the brakes will have to be repaired.

If you let go of the steering wheel, does the car pull to one side?

If it does, the wheel alignment will have to be corrected.

Is the steering wheel centralized and do the indicators cancel after you have
turned.

Listen for a grumbling noise, if you hear one, turn the steering wheel first to one side and then to the other side, if the noise go away when you turn the steering, one of the wheel bearings is worn and will have to be replaced.

Do you hear a whining sound at a certain speed? If you do, it could be the differential; it will have to be overhauled.

Check if the heater and air conditioner is working. Do you hear the fan blowing?

Check the heat gauge, it must indicate normal operating temperature after you have done about 2 miles (3 kilometers), if it does not, the thermostat may have been removed. Running an engine without a thermostat will result in excessive engine wear.

Stop the car and turn back to the dealer’s premises does the clutch judder when you pull away? If it does, the clutch will have to be overhauled and most likely
The rear main bearing oil seal as well.

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Page 7

On the return trip the transmission and differential oil should have warmed up enough and any problems should be easier to detect.

MANUAL TRANSMISSION:

Do a couple of fast gear shifts, pick up speed fast and change the gears rapidly, there should be no grating of the gears when changing them up or down, if they do, the synchromesh rings and or bearings are worn.

If the gear lever kicks out of its selected position under acceleration or deceleration the gearbox will have to be overhauled in both cases.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:

Check the operation of the kick down switch and adjustment by stomping on the accelerator pedal. There should be no hesitation to select a lower gear and when accelerating the gearbox should change back to a higher gear when easing back on the accelerator pedal.

If you hear the engine speed increase but the cars speed does not increase at the same time, the gearbox is slipping and will have to be overhauled.

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS

Look for a place where you can make a couple of full circles with the car. Stop the car and turn the steering all the way to the left until it won’t go any further. Hold the steering wheel in that position, pull off and complete two to three full circles, if you hear a clack, clack sound, the constant velocity joints will have to be replaced. Stop the car and repeat the test to the right.

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CARS

On four wheel drive cars, check if the two wheel drive and four wheel drive selectors operate. Also check if the hub and differential locks still work. The gear levers should not kick out of the selected gear under acceleration or deceleration, if it does, the gearbox will have to be overhauled.

As a four wheel drive car also have constant velocity joints, check them in the same way as described for the front wheel drive cars.

When you return to the dealer’s property, park the car but do not switch it off, let the engine idle. If it has a oil pressure warning light and it flickers on and off or if it has an oil pressure gauge and the indicated pressure is now less than two thirds lower than the pressure when you started the engine the first time, the engine bearings and or oil pump is worn, and the engine will most probably have to be overhauled.

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Open the door and listen if you hear a grumbling noise from the gearbox, if you do, apply the clutch, if the noise disappear, let out the clutch, if the noise re-appear, the lay shaft bearings in the gearbox is worn and will have to be replaced.

With the engine still idling, get out of the car and go to the exhaust tail pipe, check the color of the inside of the pipe, if it is black and shiny the engine could be using oil or the fuel mixture could be very rich, if it is brown, beige or white there does not seem to be any problems. Press the piece of cardboard on the tail pipe, if you hear a hissing sound the exhaust is leaking.

Move back to the driver side of the car, place your one foot on the accelerator pedal, the other foot on the ground next to the car, look to the rear of the car, raise the engine speed to plus minus 2500 rpm., hold it there for 60 seconds, if the engine uses oil blue smoke will start appearing from about 40 seconds, if it does the engine will have to be overhauled.

Switch off the engine, remove the keys and check the following.

The steering lock.

The gear lock, if it has one.

Get out of the car and check, the central locking, test the key to see if it can lock and unlock both front doors.

The alarm system.

Open the bonnet and again check for water or oil leaks.

Pull out the engine oil dipstick and check the color of the oil again, if the color changed to white or gray, water is leaking into the engine, there can be several causes for this.

Remove the oil filler cap again and check for a white/grey froth on the cap, if
it is present water have leaked into the oil, there can be several causes.

If the car has an automatic transmission, pull out the transmission fluid dipstick, sniff the fluid on the dipstick, if it smell like burnt oil, it can be an indication of slipping inside the transmission causing the transmission fluid to overheat.

Close the bonnet.

Look underneath the car to check for any oil or water that may have leaked since you have parked the car.


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Start at the front of the car and press each corner of the car down and release when you reach the bottom, do this rapidly a couple of times, when you stop, the bouncing must stop immediately on the first up stroke, if it does not, that particular shock absorber will have to be replaced.

We have now completed our test, if you have found any faults of the following, the engine, the transmission, the differential or if the car was resprayed or show signs of previous accident repairs. Do not consider buying this car.

Transfer all the notes you have made to the page that I have supplied.

Now it is time to put up your poker face.

DO NOT appear over eager you are not shopping at a supermarket with low profit margins. The profit margins on used cars are much higher than those on new cars. He can afford to play around with the price.

The best tactic is to let him give you the price that he offers for your trade in and the price he wants for the car you are interested in.

If you have found a few minor faults, hand him your list, tell him you want him to fix the faults first and that you want to sleep on the deal. You will inform him the next day about your decision.

He may tell you that he has another person that is also interested in this car. Usually it is sales talk to try and close the deal, don’t fall for it.

When you get back at your house, get a couple of insurance quotations on the car that you want to purchase.

If you have found the previous owners phone number or address contact him and find out why he sold this car and what was the cars odometer reading when
he traded the car in.

If the insurance companies insist that you fit an alarm system or tracking device to the car you must try and negotiate that the cost is for the dealers account.

If your car is still under a hire purchase agreement, phone your financial institution and ask for the settlement amount.

You now have all the information to make the right decision. I am not implying that all used car dealers will do you in, but be wide awake and check out every aspect of the proposed deal BEFORE you hand him any money or sign any agreement.



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Page 10



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Page 11.


LAST PAGE

.

If your mechanical knowledge is limited, use the instructions in this guide and practice on any available vehicle, when you have done this a couple of times you will be able to do this much faster and increase your understanding of the sequence and method.

You can reprint this guide as many times as you wish, you can give it away to as many people as you want, provided that you adhere to the reprint condition.


REPRINT CONDITION:


The only condition is that this report and guide must not be changed or altered in any way and no pages must be omitted, and it must be copied as is.

NON ADHERENCE TO THIS REPRINT CONDITION WILL LEAD TO PROSECUTION OF INFRINGEMENT OF THE AUTHORS COPY RIGHT.

To view other tips on cars check out my other blog.


Visit. http://used-car-expert.blogspot.com

If you cannot print a copy and would like one, please contact me by email with your request and I will send you a copy by email. I am not collecting email addresses and will not contact you again or pass your email address on to other people.


For any comments on how this report and guide have helped you, please contact the author at the following address.


Email. pieterleroux48@gmail.com







© Pieter le Roux, 2009. Rights reserved world wide.

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Notes.