Buying Advice - Part 2

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Maxwell Smart
Maxwell Smart's picture
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Joined: 04.11.2003
Location: London

This general buying advice was given to me by a highly respected and skilled automotive machinist in Canada. He has built the engines for the Nissan Factory Racing Team as well the Rothman's Porsche Racing Team and has been working on cars for over 25 years. The advice was given to me long distance over the phone, so if there are any errors they are most likely mine in the translation!

Quote:
Buying Advice - Part 2

Questions to Ask Before Seeing the Car
• Mileage
• How long have they owned the vehicle
• Why selling
• What repairs have been done during their ownership
• Ever been in an accident
• Ever been off-road?
• Ever been painted?
• Does it consume oil? If so how much?
• Any problems?
• How often is it serviced? Where?
• Are there records of service, repairs?
• How many kms on brakes, clutch, exhaust, tires?

Going to See the Car:

Documents:
• Check DVLA V5 – date of registration
• VIN should match that of vehicle
• Registration (plate) should match
• Check mileage against MOT

The Car:
• If you go see the car, make sure the engine is stone cold.
• Look underneath for any leaks first
• Check the tyres for any uneven wear
• Check any breather hoses, usually in the valve cover for excessive oil, disconnect if required, to check inside hose for oil. This could indicate worn rings.
• Check all the door and fender gaps for consistent gap, and check body panel alignment.
• Check around the rubber moldings at the windows, key and door handles to see if the vehicle has been repainted. Peel back the rubber with your fingers.
• Look underneath for scrapes or dents in the skid plates, differentials, exhaust or anything that looks like it may hit a rock if vehicle was taken off reading. Just may indicate how hard a life it has had.
• See how easily it starts.

As soon as it starts:
• look at the tailpipe for smoke. Gray or white is unburned fuel, usually not enough compression, or faulty glow plugs.
• See how rough it runs when cold. Blue indicates oil consumption, rings, turbo or valve guides.
• Listen to the engine for any rumbling whirring or growling noises. A bad tensioner will usually clack from the front of the engine. Mercedes usually use a hydraulic tensioner, so if it is noisy (clacking or slapping from the front) at first, it usually means the oil has bled out of the tensioner. A tensioner that has leaked down will quiet down as the engine runs, probably after 20 seconds to a minute.
• See how rough the engine runs when cold, also a sign of uneven compression. If it runs smooth, with minimal smoke, when cold startup, the compression is good. A little bit of smoke is normal, say for half a minute.
• Check the tailpipe for signs of wet or oil.
• When the engine is running, check the breather tube for excessive pressure coming out.
• Listen for any tapping in the engine that disappears or lessens after 2-3 minutes. Usually piston noise.
• Feel the rad hoses for any pressure build up.
• Check around the cap for any signs that antifreeze has boiled out, also check around the overflow hose. This would indicate that the engine has been overheated.
• Check the rad, to see if the fins are soft.
• Rev the engine a bit to check for smoke.

Take it for a drive.
• See if the brake pedal pulsates when you step on the brake.
• Weave slightly from side to side, and listen for any change in noises- [possible wheel bearing problems.
• accelerate slightly, then decelerate, listen for any whining which could be differential problems.
• See how the clutch grabs, does it chatter? Does it slip?
• Put it in 4th gear and floor it. Does the engine rev up too fast? Clutch slippage.
• See how smoothly the tranny goes into gear.
• Check the 4 wheel drive, engage it and listen for any grinding or growling noises. Feel for any vibrations. If you can find a dirt road, slow down to a stop, with 4 wheel drive engaged, and the steering wheel turned hard left , then hard right listen for any clicking, marble like noises. Indicating bad CV joints.
• Drive along; let on and off the throttle, there should be no clunking- bad motor mounts, tranny mounts or u joints.
• Check all the lights, signals, wipers horns. Check for burnt fuses, indicating possible electrical problems.

After the Test Drive
• Once the engine is warm check the oil pressure, a worn crank or bearings will have low oil pressure when hot.
• Listen for any rattling noises when the engine is revved up a bit

Last But not Least
Lastly, look at as many of the same model as you can, junkers that you would never buy to mint ones that you can’t afford. It will give you a “feel” for how they should drive.