How to Check a Car before Buying a car
Coalville auto care-Leicestershires mobile mechanic.
How to Check a Car before Buying
If you're alert and know what you're looking for, you can tell if a car is 'straight' or not almost right away. Accident damage, signs of neglect or even just signs of wear all give themselves away.
Outside Checks
When walking around a car, focus on the following:
Panel gaps; worry if a front wing is 'closer' to the bonnet at some point. Poor panel fit often gives shoddy repair work away
Rippled panels; filler is usually visible; crouch down at the front or back and look along the panels - damage will be obvious
Crummy paint; not all repairers can paint to factory standard. Look along window rubbers and other trims for signs of excess paint
'Bow legs'; crouch down again - does the car sit straight? Are the wheels aligned correctly? Are the wheel gaps the same between the arches of each side? No to any of the above indicates chassis damage
Worn tyres; is the tyre wear even? If not the alignment may be out. Be careful to inspect the insides of the tyre to check for uneven wear
Wheel arches; this is a common place for rust. Rub your hands underneath the arch to check for rust damage
Inside Checks
Open the door; any theft damage around the lock or handle? And, once inside, check for:
Shiny plastics; a mirror-like steering wheel, gear knob or pedal rubbers suggest 120,000 miles, not the 20,000 miles on the clock
Soft worn seats; A well worn or saggy driver's seat suggests heavy usage. Look at the driver, check the mileage, is the wear what you'd expect for the two?
Seatbelts; do they return properly, are they worn or broken. Be very wary of any damage to seatbelts – it could indicate a previous crash
Under the carpets; lift the carpets in the boot, to check for crash damage, rippling or any welding marks. Also check the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) with the one on the registration document, do they tally? Damp carpets in a cabriolet suggest an ill-fitting hood, or a careless owner
Odometer alignment; the numbers are not normally uneven in the display, so if they look wonky it could be because they have been tampered with. The mileage reading on the most modern digital odometers can be 'realigned' in seconds with a laptop computer
Theft damage; is the steering column ill-fitting or damaged? Are there glass fragments under the seat? Does the door trim not fit correctly?
Under the bonnet
A few simple checks can reveal a number of critical and expensive problems.
Temperature gauges should be in the normal zone after a short drive - worry if they're not
Look under the bonnet for leaks of oil, water or hydraulic fluid - watch out for wisps of smoke too
Check the oil filler cap for white residue or frothy foam. If present, the cylinder head gasket has gone - serious, and expensive
Check the oil level; if it's low or sludgy then the owner is unlikely to have changed it for a while. That should make you worry about the general maintenance the car has had too
How to Check a Car before Buying
If you're alert and know what you're looking for, you can tell if a car is 'straight' or not almost right away. Accident damage, signs of neglect or even just signs of wear all give themselves away.
Outside Checks
When walking around a car, focus on the following:
Panel gaps; worry if a front wing is 'closer' to the bonnet at some point. Poor panel fit often gives shoddy repair work away
Rippled panels; filler is usually visible; crouch down at the front or back and look along the panels - damage will be obvious
Crummy paint; not all repairers can paint to factory standard. Look along window rubbers and other trims for signs of excess paint
'Bow legs'; crouch down again - does the car sit straight? Are the wheels aligned correctly? Are the wheel gaps the same between the arches of each side? No to any of the above indicates chassis damage
Worn tyres; is the tyre wear even? If not the alignment may be out. Be careful to inspect the insides of the tyre to check for uneven wear
Wheel arches; this is a common place for rust. Rub your hands underneath the arch to check for rust damage
Inside Checks
Open the door; any theft damage around the lock or handle? And, once inside, check for:
Shiny plastics; a mirror-like steering wheel, gear knob or pedal rubbers suggest 120,000 miles, not the 20,000 miles on the clock
Soft worn seats; A well worn or saggy driver's seat suggests heavy usage. Look at the driver, check the mileage, is the wear what you'd expect for the two?
Seatbelts; do they return properly, are they worn or broken. Be very wary of any damage to seatbelts – it could indicate a previous crash
Under the carpets; lift the carpets in the boot, to check for crash damage, rippling or any welding marks. Also check the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) with the one on the registration document, do they tally? Damp carpets in a cabriolet suggest an ill-fitting hood, or a careless owner
Odometer alignment; the numbers are not normally uneven in the display, so if they look wonky it could be because they have been tampered with. The mileage reading on the most modern digital odometers can be 'realigned' in seconds with a laptop computer
Theft damage; is the steering column ill-fitting or damaged? Are there glass fragments under the seat? Does the door trim not fit correctly?
Under the bonnet
A few simple checks can reveal a number of critical and expensive problems.
Temperature gauges should be in the normal zone after a short drive - worry if they're not
Look under the bonnet for leaks of oil, water or hydraulic fluid - watch out for wisps of smoke too
Check the oil filler cap for white residue or frothy foam. If present, the cylinder head gasket has gone - serious, and expensive
Check the oil level; if it's low or sludgy then the owner is unlikely to have changed it for a while. That should make you worry about the general maintenance the car has had too
posted by coalville auto care at 3:15 AM
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