How to road test a car before buyig it

When buying a used car the road test is the most important element, as it will highlight all the major faults of the most expensive items to repair. When you start the car note and memorize the indicated oil pressure and make sure that there is enough fuel in the tank to test the car for at least 10 miles. The best way to carry out a road test is to test the car on a quiet road where you can reach the highest legal maximum speed. Whilst driving the car, frequently check in the rear view mirror for signs of smoke when accelerating, if you observe black smoke, it indicates heavy fuel consumption and blue smoke is a sure sign of oil usage. If the steering wheel or the car vibrates, either the drive shaft (on rear wheel drive cars) or the tires is out of balance and will have to be balanced. When braking does the brake pedal pulsate under your foot? If it does, the front brake discs will have to be skimmed (It must be done on the car) and new brake pads will have to be fitted. When braking does the car pull to one side? If it does, there is brake fluid and or grease on the brake pads of the opposite side. If you hear a persistent grumbling noise that subsides when you turn the steering wheel momentarily left and right, but the grumbling reappear when turning the steering wheel back, then the wheel bearings of one or both front wheels will have to be replaced. After driving about 3 miles the heat gauge should indicate normal operating temperature, if it does not, the thermostat may have been removed. 2006 mazda 3 for sale 34951. Operating an engine without a thermostat will result in excessive engine wear. Test the heater and air conditioner to determine if they are operating as they should. If not they will have to be repaired. When you have done 5 miles, stop the car, apply the hand or parking brake, select top gear and try to pull away, if the engine stalls the clutch is still fine, but if the engine picks up speed but the car does not move, the clutch will have to be overhauled. Select first gear and with the hand or parking brake still applied, try to pull away again, if you can, the brakes will have to be repaired. Release the hand or parking brake and pull away, if the clutch judders when you pull away, the flywheel and pressure plate will have to be skimmed, the clutch plate and rear main bearing oil seal must be replaced. Turn back to the dealers premises, on the return trip the transmission and rear axle oil should have warmed up enough to show up any problems. Pick up speed and change the gears rapidly through the range, take your foot off the accelerator pedal and change the gears down, there should be no crunching of the gears when changing them up or down, if they do, the transmission will have to be overhauled. If the gear lever kicks out of any selected gear under acceleration or deceleration, the gearbox will have to be overhauled. If it is affront wheel or four wheel drive car, check the constant velocity joints by searching for a open space where you can drive the car around in full circles. Stop the car and turn the steering wheel all the way to the left, select first gear, pull away and complete two full circles. How to Make a Good Deal with Car Dealers . Stop the car, turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and repeat the test. If you have heard a clack, clack sound on one or both sides, the constant velocity on the side that made the noise must be replaced. If you hear a high pitch whining sound on the return trip at certain speeds, the rear axle will have to be overhauled. When you take your hands off the steering wheel and the car pull to one side, the wheel alignment must be corrected. When you reach the dealers premises, park the car but do not switch off the ignition, let the engine idle, if the engine oil warning light flicker or the indicated oil pressure is now lower as two thirds as the indicated pressure when you started the engine, it indicates that the engine will shortly be in need of a major overhaul. With the engine still idling, get out of the car, put your one foot on the accelerator pedal and look to the rear of the car, increase the engine speed to 2750 rpm hold it there for at least 60 seconds, if the engine uses oil, blue smoke will start appearing from the exhaust tail pipe after 40 to 60 seconds. Switch off the ignition and open the bonnet, check for water and oil leaks. Pull out the engine oil dipstick and check the color of the oil, if the color of the oil is white/grayish there is water in the oil. Remove the oil filler cap and if there is a grey froth on the bottom of the cap water is definitely leaking into the oil, there can be several causes and it would require immediate attention to find the source of the leak. Visually check the electrical wiring for open wires or different color Insulation tape, remove the fuse box cover and check around the fuses for signs of melting. If any of the above prove to be positive beware, electrical repairs can be very expensive. Close the bonnet, look under the car to see if water or oil have leaked out since you have parked the car. You have now completed the road test. If you have found faults of the engine, transmission, rear axle or any Signs of accident damage repairs, do not consider buying this car, as it may prove to be a “Lemon” that will bleed you dry. Article written by Pieter le Roux an expert used car mechanic with forty years experience of the used car trade. used-car-expert.blogspot.com For more information on used cars, request a free copy of his “Used Car Guide and Checklist” on what and how to check by sending an email to:pieterleroux48@gmail.com