Simple checks when looking at a car

J

JMR

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I am going to look at a second hand car ('03) today and would appreciate any advice on what simple things I can look out for mechanically.

I don't know a whole lot about engines and so on and would probably feel fairly confident in the purchase anyway as it is from a main dealer with a warranty, but I wouldn't like to think I missed any glaring faults with the car!

Couple of simple pointers would be much appreciated
 
An 03 car will not be cheap and it's worth employing someone to do these checks for you.

Without them you might make a very expensive mistake.
 
If the service history is intact and NCT is passed and seller is a main dealer which provides a warranty is it really worth paying the AA upwards of €300 to run a check?

I know €300 is a small percentage of €20K (price of car) but it is still €300

Anybody any horror stories?

Thanks
 
Ask dealer has it ever been crashed and insist on a comprehensive warranty.

Drive the car. Does it feel tight and right?

Check panels for allignment. Checks for signs of accident damage everywhere. Check all fluids under bonnet. Check for water leaks.


A decent mechanic (not AA) would not charge €100 for an hours work.
 
Check the pedals . Low mileage on the mileage clock with serious wear on the pedal rubbers can mean the clock has been wound back
 
might be too late to post this but:

Check the underneath of the oil cap - if its got a non-black sludge walk away - head gasket is on it's last legs and you're talking c. 500 to fix

get your significant other to rev the engine and have a look at the exhaust fumes coming out the back - anything other than clear (i.e. blue or greeny) exhaust and the engine's been run through the mill and will need an overhaul

As previous poster said, check overall wear and tear of pedals and interior & see if they match up with mileage.

Check gaps between panels to see if they've been replaced - gaps should be uniform along each body panel - if not one of them's a replacement

When test driving let go of the steering wheel to see if alignment is ok - should ever so slightly drift to the left (if at all) definitely not to the right!

Check all electrics inside - don't be afraid to stick the stereo on full blast to see if the speakers are ok too!

Hope these little pointers help

I found when I recently bought my car (end Jan) that upon checking the oil cap the dealer realised I knew a bit and offered up a little more info on the car (some electrics were a bit dodgy) so showing a bit of an interest and not just kicking the tyres will help!
 
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