Today, we will share some vital tips with you, which you should follow before buying any used car. A number of people have asked us about it, so, here are few things you must check before purchasing a second-hand vehicle.
It is pertinent to mention that people have asked us these questions after receiving their PakWheels Inspection Report. So, if you find these issues, shortcomings or faults mentioned in the report, do not buy that car.
1. Exhaust Smoke:
Most important issue is Exhaust Smoke. Usually there are three types of the smoke i.e., White, Blue and Black. You should remember that there is a difference between steam and smoke. In winters, the smoke a car emit before reaching its operating temperature is called steam, which is a normal phenomenon.
Now, lets talk about the above-mentioned kinds of smoke:
White Smoke:
If car continues to emit white smoke, even after reaching its normal temperature, it means coolant is entering in combustion chamber of the car. The reason behind could be a crack in cylinder block, crack in cylinder head, or issue in head gasket. If head gasket is burnt or has become de-shaped due to engine heat, then water from water jackets will start entering in combustion chamber, which causes white smoke.
Blue Smoke:
The blue smoke means that the engine oil is burning inside combustion chamber. The major reason behind it is piston rings, which do not make proper seal with cylinder walls. The car can also face this issue due to absence of proper seals, leading to more consumption of oil inside engine, which causes blue smoke.
Black Smoke:
The black smoke from the car means improper burning of mixture inside engine. The car may face this issue due to dirty air filter or faulty intake valve or weak spark plug. One thing you must remember is that black smoke can be very costly in diesel cars because these cars have electronic pumps and fault in electronic nozzles lead to this issue and cost of new pumps and nozzles can reach above Rs2 lacs.
In short, if the car is emitting any kind of smoke, don’t buy it.
2. Oil Leakage in Used Car:
Always check any kind of fluid leakages from the car, and if you find any, don’t buy it. If the seller is presenting the car after a wash, do drive it for 5-10 minutes and keep the car’s engine running at operating temperature. Check top cover of engine, seals, electric connections and underbody of the car for any sign of leaked fluids.
3. Condition of Engine Oil in Used Car:
The condition of engine oil shows its proper status as it must not be coffee-colored. Furthermore, take the car for a road test and then check the condition of Mobil oil, again. If oil’s color is dark, it means that coolant has been mixed in it, meaning an issue in engine. Also remove the engine oil cap to check any kind of sludge inside it.
4. Rust on Body:
Check the vehicle’s pillars, body penal, radiator support and rear boot for any kind of rust on the car’s body. Actually, the rust makes car’s body very weak and it can be very dangerous with time. The cars in cities along sea coast mostly face this issue.
5. OBD Code:
Do check the OBD Codes and make sure these are past codes and are now inactive. Mostly, there are two types of codes in a vehicle, i.e., History and Permanent. The history codes are those, which you don’t resolve, for example, you removed the wire of a warning light instead of resolving the issue. On the other hand, the permanent codes are those which exists in the car at time of selling. Hence, you should evaluate the seriousness of these codes through OBD. In short, you should buy the car without codes.
6. Abnormal Noises From Engine of Used Car:
Never buy a car with abnormal voices in its engine. Those noises mean that the engine is not in a good condition, and it can lead to some serious accident. So, drive the vehicle for a few minutes to check any noises from the engine.
We hope that these tips will help you in buying a used car. For more such tips, keep visiting PakWheels.
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