Buying a used car is considered by many to be a lottery. To make an informed and informed choice, the buyer must be more vigilant, carefully looking at the smallest details. This is not a sign of bad taste or being Choosing a used caroverly picky. A detailed inspection of the car reduces the chance of buying a pig in a poke and subsequent problems associated with the maintenance and operation of the vehicle. In this article, we will provide simple guidelines to help you make your choice.
Checking the numbers on the units
Study the data sheet, focusing on the year of manufacture, the date when the car was registered, engine and body numbers. It will be a big plus if you are also provided with a service book for review. It will help determine how often the car was serviced in the service and who exactly performed it. Also, from it you can find out through how many owners the car passed before being in front of you, the same information can be found in the vehicle's TCP.
You can also determine the year of manufacture of a car by other methods, in particular, by identification number (VIN). Another place where the real month and year of manufacture is indicated on most foreign cars is the fasteners for seat belts.
We proceed to inspect the body
After examining the documentation, you can proceed to an external examination. It is logical that it should start with a body inspection. It is important that the car is not dirty, otherwise it will be problematic to notice many paint flaws.
First check if there are any defects in geometry and coloring. The easiest way to do this is by sitting down so that the eyes are in line with the waist line of the car. Looking at the car body from this angle, you can usually see even well-done repair work. Compare the surfaces of the trunk, fenders, doors, hood, roof. A small magnet will also come in very handy at this stage. If it does not stick to the body, then, most likely, there was some defect in this place earlier, which they tried to hide with a large layer of putty or painting in several layers. The magnet refuses to stay above the lasso, at the ends of doors, at the bends of the wings, if they are subject to progressive corrosion. By placing the magnet in places where corrosion is rare, such as the center of the bonnet, the roof, it is possible to determine if the vehicle has been involved in accidents.
Be sure to check every door. If you have to apply efforts of different intensities, and the sound when closing is different, then there is a risk that the body behaves.
Check if there are traces of paint on any plastic or rubber parts of the body (they should not be), carefully compare, carefully unscrewing the edge, texture and color of rubber seals on the outside and inside on the doors, trunk lid, glass.
Opening the hood and examining the side members, you can see that they were pulled out after the impact, because traces in the form of "folds" and knocked down paint remain in any case. Also compare the paint on the fenders and the engine compartment. If you decide to purchase a Japanese model, then check the rubber seals for doors, windows, trunk. It is from these places that they usually begin the process of rusting.
Inspect the bolts that secure the fuel filler flap. As a rule, if the car is painted in some place, then the gas tank flap is removed to paint the paint. If the paint is ripped off the bolts and there are clear signs that they were unscrewed, then the car may have been repainted.
Moving on to the salon inspection
Start with rugs. If moisture is found under them, it is a serious matter. At the very least, a seal or even a stove is leaking.
Check the seat adjustments carefully.
Check the operation of the lighting devices, and it is advisable to go out every time and personally make sure that they are working properly.
Be sure to check the functionality of all switches and devices, without exception, radio, air conditioner, wipers, etc.
Test the fan, stove, air conditioner in all modes.
Suspension inspection
Violation of the suspension geometry can be determined by the following signs: tires wear out unevenly, the car, when driving with the steering wheel released, goes to the side. Examine the discs, they may be bent or broken.
There should be no noticeable backlash on the wheels and steering wheel.
Check if the shock absorbers are leaking or damaged. A high-quality check of shock absorbers is possible only at a special stand, but you can get by with simpler methods. For example, after pressing the wing of a car, it should return to its original position by swinging a maximum of two times. When driving, the wear of the shock absorbers is also determined by the "pecking" of the nose in the event of braking and sagging backwards when accelerating. In addition, the car does not hold the road well, strives to leave the trajectory of the turn, rolls on its side.
If knocking or rattling is heard from the suspension side, the rubber bushings of stabilizers, shock absorber bushings or suspension pivots have become unusable.
When inspecting the brake system, take a closer look at the thickness of the pads on the pads (must be at least 5 mm) and the brake discs themselves (at least 11 mm). The side along the edge of the disc appears when the mileage crosses the line of 100 thousand km. There should be no extraneous grinding when braking, "throwing" the car to the side, etc.
If conditions permit, take a closer look at the covers for the steering and suspension joints, axle shafts (on cars with front-wheel drive). It is very easy to determine the violation of their tightness - you just need to squeeze them with your fingers. The appearance of grease should be regarded as the first sign that the hinges will soon have to be replaced with new ones.
We proceed to inspect the engine
The engine itself must be clean and dry and the hoses must not be cracked.
To "by eye" determine the degree of engine wear - take a closer look at the oil. If small metal particles are present in it, the crankshaft liners are in a deplorable state. Intensive fumes from the oil filler neck indicate problems with the crankcase ventilation or piston rings. A strong knock on the engine is a sign of serious defects, check that negligent sellers do not use too thick oil in order to deceive you and drown out the disturbing knock.
To check the exhaust system, plug the muffler pipe. When idling, the car will surely stall. It will not be superfluous to take a closer look, whether the fasteners are not touched by corrosion.
To check the cooling system, you need to open the radiator cap by starting the engine, but without waiting for it to warm up, and inspect the transparent expansion tank. Bubbles that rise indicate that the head gasket has been punctured.
If traces of rust are visible near the radiator filler neck or expansion tank, then the engine has previously overheated.
The presence of a pasty black coating on the oil filler cap also indicates engine overheating or the wrong oil grade, untimely oil change.
Do not forget to check the smoke of the exhaust gases. When you press the gas pedal, the color of the smoke should take on a pale-gray color (at idle it is almost colorless). Blue smoke indicates that oil is entering the combustion chambers of the cylinders, black - problems with the fuel system, white - water or antifreeze gets into the combustion chambers. Remember that in wet or frosty weather, the accuracy of detecting engine faults by smoke color is severely impaired.
We start the engine, wait until it warms up, and then ask someone to depress the gas pedal all the way. At this point, you need to bring your hand to the exhaust pipe, if you see multiple oily spots - the engine will soon require repair.
Checking the car in motion
Get under way, pay attention to gear changes as you pick up speed. The action should be carried out easily and clearly. Whining sounds when the gas is released indicate wear of the gears, a strange grinding at the time of gear shifting - the differentials have become unusable, the load change is accompanied by a knock - the universal joint of the propeller shaft is worn out.
Test the parking brake by stopping on an incline. Turn it on and try to pull away smoothly. The engine should stop and the car should remain stationary. If this does not happen, and the engine still works, you will have to change the clutch friction linings.
Test the braking system by hard braking on dry asphalt. Do not be too lazy to leave the car and look close at the brake trace - there must be symmetry. Pay attention to whether the car rolls from side to side when braking. It shouldn't be like that. If the car is equipped with anti-lock braking system ABS, then during emergency braking, unlike models without this function, the vehicle must be controlled by turning the steering wheel, there is also no squeal of rubber. The brake pedal should not "respond" with jerks when pressed smoothly. Cuts, bumps, noise of the brake columns in the cabin also indicate the poor quality of the braking system.
Checking the "machine"
If you buy a car with an automatic transmission, you can check it as follows. First, move the lever to the "D" position, then release the parking brake. The machine must remain in place, and after lightly pressing the gas pedal, move away. If, in order to start moving, you have to accelerate the engine to 1500 rpm and higher, then the machine is hopelessly worn out.
Also remember that the car must not roll forward down the hill with the automatic transmission knob in the "R" position. Stop on a flat section of the road, switch the automatic machine to the "D" position, press the brake, and with your free foot sharply and fully drown the gas pedal. The excellent condition of the machine is evidenced if at this moment the engine immediately stalls. Otherwise, release the throttle without waiting for the car to stall, and switch to "P" or "N" mode, as such experiments strongly affect the worn out automatic transmission of a used car.
Choosing a good used car is not easy. If you do decide to do it yourself, we hope that at least some of our recommendations will help you.