Getting a new automobile has its benefits and drawbacks. Your experience and problems will vary depending on whether you bought a new car or old one. With new automobiles, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be safe most of the time, thanks to insurance and warranties, but with a used car, there are a few things to look for to ensure it’s working as it should. If you have no prior experience, we have included some helpful tips and tactics on how to thoroughly inspect it and ensure there are no hidden defects to be aware of in the text below.
Look out for rust and any visible physical damage
When you bought the car, chances are it looked all cleaned up, smooth and new, without traces of any damage or accidents. However, there is an old trick to establish whether something was done on the car and if so, which part. Go under, look at the plastic parts just above the tires for signs of cracks, or accumulated dirt which is an indicator that the car has been through some rough terrain. Then look out for rust; rust on its own isn`t harmful per se and most people think of it as the number one sign of a bad deal. But rust is a normal process of oxidation happening on metal after it has been exposed to water and weather conditions for a certain time. Therefore, rust actually tells you that the car has been sitting for a long time on the open, and this is not a bad thing but it can harm the engine if it hasn`t run for a longer period of time.
Look for irregularities, bumps, or if the color is faded on one area and brighter on the other, which indicates the automobile has been in an accident and the part has been removed and replaced, causing the color to differ. These are small symptoms that indicate the automobile has been in a little accident or has been bumped once or twice. This is not necessarily a catastrophe, but it does indicate that you should be aware of the possible harm it may cause later.
Diagnostic check
Another way to make sure your car is perfectly fine and can go for a long time without problem is going on a diagnostic check-up. Your local mechanic can do it for you and simply hook up the engine of the car and make sure it didn`t lose its original horsepower and performance. You can also check for electrical anomalies or if the brake light is working as it is supposed to. If this is too much trouble and you cannot find the time, you can always go with the android app from Torque, as it is a cutting-edge phone app quickly scanning and making sure the performance of the car is on point. It basically makes it a lot easier and it goes well with OBD2 Bluetooth-enabled adapters. You can easily determine how your electrical system is holding up, if the transmission is in good working order, or if the engine is healthy and sound, particularly in terms of performance, as we all know that the engine is the heart of the car, and if it isn’t working as it should, the car will have issues. Diagnostics checkups are giving you an insight look into the well-being of the car, and differ from mechanical checks as they are usually more concentrated on the exterior.
Look at the tires and behind them
The pattern on the tires gives you an excellent sense of the car’s mileage and distance traveled. The axle joints just behind it are another item to look for. Take your automobile to a mechanic and have him inspect the undercarriage, such as the shock absorbers and joints, and the chassis and exhaust system. These parts form the automobile’s skeleton, so if they’re worn out, it’s likely the car has seen a lot of use, as these parts are designed to endure a long time and stay strong.
Kee track the first month
If you have bought a new car, and have been driving it for some time, make sure to wait a month or two and keep track of what is going on beneath the hood. Look at the oil and cooling water regularly; this way you`ll know if there is some leakage or not. Look at the gas consumption. Maybe it is time to change the air filter or maybe the exhausting system isn`t working as it is supposed to. Keeping a little journal for the first month or two can give you quite an insight into the overall condition of the car and any hidden diseases.
The automobile has already been bought, so whatever is going on, don’t give it too much attention since it isn’t worth it. Fortunately, whatever hidden problem you have is fixable and affordable.