Whether you are looking for a new-to-you car, becoming a used car mechanic, or want to catch issues before they get expensive on your own car, you need to know what to look and listen for.
Lucky you, your favorite GreaseMonkey is gonna get you up to speed, and have you riding more confident.
Before You Get in the Car
The inspection should start before you even hop into the drivers seat. There could be a tire about to pop, or a wheel loose, or something hanging under the vehicle.
Outside the vehicle you will want to check:
Tire condition
Flat or underinflated tires
Metals bands showing
Inner or outer tire wear
Bubbles on the sidewall
Lug nuts all appear tight
Undercarriage
Leaks under the vehicle
Bad Rust
Wires or hoses hanging from the vehicle
Random sticks or trash picked up from the road
Severe damage visible on the underside-example something was run over
Exterior of the Vehicle
Body damage or panels hanging off
Mirrors in place and not loose
Windows and windshield not cracked/chipped
Seals around windows and windshield aren’t all cracked or rotten
If everything looks good here, dust yourself off, pop the hood and look around
Check Under The Hood
With the hood open you can see what’s going on with the engine and fluids.
Look for leaks, some are obvious, others may be hidden, so take your time here
Verify it doesn’t look like any parts are missing
Make sure there aren’t any shoddy repairs visible - tape and zip ties, etc
The battery shouldn’t have corrosion on it
The belt shouldn’t be cracked or missing ribs
Use the dipstick to verify the oil looks fine, no sludge or milky looking
Check the coolant looks full and doesn’t seem mixed with oil
Verify brake fluid is full and not black
If a transmission dipstick is available, check for red fluid, not milky & no metal flakes on it
Inside the Vehicle
So we opened the door, it wasn’t all squeaky and hopped into the not stained and ripped seat. Before starting the vehicle take a second to check a few things. Interior repairs can be costly at worst and an annoyance at best.
Some things to check out before you get running:
Check visors for proper function
Check that every window will go up and down
check power mirror operation
check seat controls
Check that the consoles and compartments open and work
No broken trim pieces in sight
If everything is still looking alright, it’s finally time to start the vehicle.
This one step alone has a few things you should be paying attention to.
Cranks easily when you turn the key and starts fast
No loud backfire noises
Engine doesn’t make any loud rattling noises on start
No funny smells
No ticking or clanking noises
Go back under the hood and verify you still don’t hear, see or smell anything that seems off. Check that the radio works, then go ahead and turn it all the way off for the test drive.
Test Drive Time
Everything has checked out so far, and it’s finally time to take this baby on a drive. This is the fun part, peel some tires, drive aggressive, have some fun.
I have a specific way I go about this several times a day, so I’m constantly listening and feeling for issues in vehicles while driving. Most people just throw on the radio and drive normal. Not today you don’t.
It may be natural to just test drive the same way you normally drive, but that can cover up certain problems. You’ll want to put the car through all the motions.
While it hasn’t been running for long, make sure you get it through all the gears of the transmission. You want to be sure it doesn’t shift rough cold, as that’s an early sign of a failing transmission. Make sure you do this several times, driving like a grandma, medium aggression, and like a race car.
Verify that if you hold speed around 40-45 mph you don’t feel any extra vibrations or noises. Torque converter problems will usually show themselves early if you are feeling for the vibration or gear hunting in this speed range.
Feel for any wobbles in the steering wheel or body as you cruise at higher speeds. Wobbles can be a sign of tires being imbalanced or worn unevenly, suspension problems, or driveshaft/differential problems.
Listen for any roaring noises or odd sounds. There shouldn’t be a ton of air noise, or any roaring. Roaring noises are often tire or wheel bearing problems.
Pay attention for loud noises inside or out when you go over bumps. Rattles shouldn’t happen. Bangs are bad news.
How does the car idle at red lights? Is it shaking your teeth loose? Probably an issue with the engine or engine mounts.
Wrapping Up The Process
Assuming everything is still well and good, pop the hood one more time. Make sure there aren’t any bad smells now that things are hot.
Make sure the coolant is still visible in the tank without opening it (IT WILL BURN YOU)
It’s still possible to miss something or find another problem with the vehicle in the air. With all these checks in mind though, you can be confident you have check for the majority of problems a vehicle will have, that you can find on a test drive.
Remember to do this occasionally with any vehicle you own. Turn the radio down and actually listen and feel your vehicle. It’s always better to catch a problem before it turns into 3.
Be sure to follow on Twitter @BowTiedGreaseMonkey and let us know how your test drive went, or if this helped you notice a problem on your daily driver.
Keep following along, and you’ll be a competent grease monkey yourself before you know it.
As always, comments, tweets and DMs are open for any questions you may have,