Good number of folks asking about the bluetooth scanner I'm using. Here's a link! amzn.to/2AwvtSQ I've had this one for maybe 4 years or so (EricTheCarGuy actually gave it to me). It's worked great!
I love your channel, been a fan for some time, your knowledge and no nonsense approach to engineering and mechanics is unparalleled, for this I thank you sincerely. I have a question about the scanner you are using, can it also give you vehicle information about the car as you drive? I am looking for something that will give me engine temp and oil pressure in real time that I can have in my field of vision on my phone as I am driving, more just to monitor certain parameters in different driving environments. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, continued success my good man, I always look forward to your uploads. Best channel and best host on the subject!!!!
Yes, it actually has a live display where you can read things like temperature, throttle position, that kind of thing. It will depend on your make and model what it can read, but you can get live stuff and record data. It's quite neat! I'd recommend looking into compatibility with your make and model, but it's worked well with the cars I've tried it on.
LOL teamed up with progressive to make a video to help folks out there buying half-broken cars! As someone who just recently bought one myself, I can tell you progressive is the only one that'll insure me at a near-decent rate! $100 instead of $180-200
a tip if you find a used car on the side of the road with a for sale sign, when you call them dont specify what car your interested in buying, this will let you know if they are a used car dealer because they will have to ask which car, also ask what price they are asking even if it says on the sign.
I'd be glad. It's easy for a car to lose value if it has faults. Hard for it to gain value if your maintenance and mods have been exceptionally good, unless you are selling to someone who knows cars.
Also #6: If the dealership or auto lot refuses to let you, as a customer, to test drive or have a mechanic inspect the vehicle, Forget the other tests and walk away, no matter how sweet the deal is.
@@gameworkerty they have their 7 day return policy though, so at least you can have your mechanic check it out within that time frame and return it if anything bad comes up.
Apparently one dealership we dealt with was dodgy but did let us bring the car to a mechanic. The mechanic barely had to glimpse at the engine bay. He said it had been in a frontal accident and someone did a horrible job of, like, supergluing the internal parts back together. This was unnoticeable from the outside
Sign 1.. It's a Honda S2k.... On a for real note, I have done tons of used car inspections. The little time spent on a proper inspection can save years of headaches. Never be afraid to walk away from a car, especially if it's your only transportation
That also depends on the dealership/technician. I've worked for a hyundai dealership that would sell used cars with what I consider major issues without repairing them. They'd ask that I clean it up and make it as good as I can without any parts. I.e. I had a hyundai tuscon with oil on the front cover and they wanted me to clean it up and do what I can to slow/stop the leak but just pulling the cover and replacing the gasket and doing an inspection behind the timing cover was a no-no. I no longer work for that dealership btw.
@@oddieboi the used car dealerships always do that kind of things, at least in my country. I really hate that, the last car we buy is a Chevrolet Prizm 1999, i make sure that car was in perfect conditions, and i was right. Amazing car.
Humble mechanic. Sign 1 Honda released s2000 2.0 and it has 240hp name any make reliabilty like HONDA #1 sign 2 i have accord 2000 coupe. And my bro has the98 sedan never had a issue with so i guess the old cars are made to last longer than used cars
Honda's are extremely reliable I have 254k on my Honda civic that's breaking it in I seriously feel like I can easily hit 300k I took this thing cross country already. doesn't leak or burn one drop of oil.
What if the tasteful mod actually _is_ tasteful, like a spoiler on a Coyote V8 Mustang, or four-barrel carburetor on a car that originally ran a two-barrel.
Side note for undercarriage leaks... If you run the AC, condensation could build up and will sometimes drip when the car is stopped. It’s just water, so make sure you can identify that it’s not the AC.
For number 5, just because there isn't a code right now doesn't mean it won't pop up later. One should also check the readiness monitor and make sure the codes weren't cleared recently.
If you check the OBDII codes make sure to run an emissions or smog test. If any of the items indicate "not ready" you know that the engine computer was recently reset to hide codes.
@@baddrivercam Yes, try that 1st, but not all makes and models even years will give you that "miles since cleared" DTC, but as a fail safe, and as a general rule check the emissions like he said above. I do that before I even start the car or a test drive, if they can't explain why the car isn't ready, I walk. I don't even live in an emissions testing area.
You forgot to mention that Condensation from the AC dripping is okay. :) that's the only thing that should drip when you have the AC running for some time.
When I sold my used car, I listed everything that was wrong with it and sold it for a good price (lower than what other cars were listed at). Car went fast.
Selfie stick being used for something other then a narcissists next photo op, if it was only used for such purposes it wouldn't be banned in so many public areas.
Yes, a selfie-stick would be much better than leaving the phone on the floor recording, as you drive back and forth to get video of the bottom of the car. A "didn't quite judge it right" moment can cost you! :)
I have a special tool. It's a spring loaded magnet, you stick it to a panel and slowly lift of, when the magnet lets go it has a scale that tells you the thickness of the paint. Obviously if it doesn't stick at all, it's been bogged up. Sometimes the best time to check for smoke is at night with some one driving behind you. Their headlights will highlight the smoke. Also if it smokes going up a hill, then it's the rings, and when you engine brake down a hill and then you blip the throttle if it smokes it's the valve stem seals.
I have seen videos about the UK equivalent to the Nissan Frontier breaking in two due to frame rust. This was due to a plant in Spain not building the frames correctly. As far as I know, this is not a problem in the US.
It's always easier to say no to a vehicle. Expanding on #4, in addition to looking inside the oil fill for sludge, reach in a scoop out a sample from the underside of the valve cover. If your finger comes out with sludge, skip all other tests and walk.
I guess long enough for it to warm up, and long enough to include a variety of roads (ie motorway / highway driving). 20 mins at least I reckon. You’re spending a lot of your hard earned money - the seller should understand if they’re genuine.
One of my coworkers recently took a test drive in a used F150 being sold by the owner... who refused to let him take any left turns or look under the front of the truck! Yeah sure buddy, you're totally hiding your catastrophic suspension damage XD
Heh, ditched my vehicle a few times, never totaled. Once because I didn't quite judge _what_ was crossing the road, I just saw movement. It was icy, and I slid. Turned out, it was just some turkeys. Wouldn't have been good, but probably wouldn't have been worth the risks I took if I had known what it was crossing the road. As it turns out, didn't hit a single turkey, and no damage to the vehicle, so it worked out the best for everyone, including the turkeys.
Years ago, I learned that when you put tractor in a stall with an overhead door the ROPS might be just a tiny bit taller than you might have thought!!! So THAT'S why it can fold down....D'oh.....
I had a matching set of 4 Tires on my truck, my girlfriend got a flat borrowing it for work and her boss bought me a brand new tire of a different brand that day. I didn't say no because tires aren't cheap, that's what it says about me.
Good observation. I usually check down at the floorboard to inspect the brake pedal and clutch (if applicable). If the ribbed pattern is worn down to a smooth surface it's usually a good indication of how the car was treated by the previous owner(s).
This is why my number 1 priority when selling trash cars that have had no maintenence whatsoever, is to just buy a set of matching tyres for them before selling. People don't suspect a thing.
Start with the rust first,under the car only. Frame,shock mounts,gas tank area. Car can look mint on the outside,but if it’s totally rusted out underneath,it’s unsafe.
Most of the issues he explained will show up after a good 15-20mins of driving mixed with slow and hard pulls. Remember any seller who really has nothing to hide will have that patience and understanding. But more importantly is to do a recheck after the test
When I bought my used car I propped it up on a curb to make it a lot easier to crawl under to look for rust/suspension problems. Great video, did not know about the exhaust one, I'll have to use it next time.
Would take advice but I buy 400 dollar cars with lots of issues and drive them until they explode. I bought a 1990 Geo Prizm for 550 and have been driving it 100 miles a day, already put 8k miles and nothing has broke
On my channel I have a video on a Lincoln I got for 400 and made a grill and headlights for it. Still have that one but haven't done any work. Will make a video for the Geo eventually.
Geo Prizm aka Rebadged Toyota Corollas are great little cars especially the lightweight, fuel economy, vehicle simplicity, and affordable replacement parts due to worldly abundance of the model. After having newer vehicles, i decided to go back to the 90's era Corolla because it met many of the criterion that i wanted in a daily driver car especially living where vehicles tend to rust. After having a newer car that got flooded out and another car with many other expensive issues like dealer only PCM updates and recalls and such led me to this decision. No regrets.
@@xochiltepetzalailhuicamina2322 Hell yeah. Except my thermostat got stuck today and it is in the worst spot to fix it. Thought it was at the front but it is under the distributor.
A couple odd ball comments. Listen to the engine when you start it, when its warmed up, and when you turn it off. Clattering, clunking, crackling, = leave. If you are a mechanic or have been exposed to folks working on cars, smell various engine compartments in for repair. I saw a vid of a mechanic who was blind. But he could do pretty good diagnostics from the sounds and smells from an engine compartment. Overheated coolants, electrical insulation, burnt oil, etc..
once again, fantastic video! just as a side note regarding the scan tool, if you're using your own obd2 unit it's best to scan it first, then again after the test drive. reason being, a clever dealer has potentially also spent the $5 on a cheap OBD2 unit and has cleared any codes that where on it. my grandmother recently purchased a 2014 Toyota Aurion and i made a point of scanning it during it's maiden voyage, and again after she had owned it for a week or 2 just to be sure that it wasn't harboring any cleared codes
lol at number 4.. I'm sure that's fine in California but in the North East you won't find a car without rust under it unless its brand new. They heavily salt the roads in Pennsylvania and all the cars undersides have rust
That's why "excessive" rust was mentioned. Some rust is expected on the underside, how much obviously depends on location (climate) and vehicle age. Still, up to about 10 years old vehicles should have next to no rust. Manufacturers usually put 12 years of anti-rust warranty on cars (at least here in EU), so if it's rusted after 5 there's something wrong.
@@kenkalajdzic But (usually) that warranty only covers rusting though the metal from inside to out. So it really doesn’t cover any rust on the underside of the car. If you drive on the salted roads underside of 10 year old car will be rusty.
Not necessarily. I change the fluids on my vehicle religiously, and keep up with all the standard maintenance. Wash and wax regularly, and once a year I clean everything under the hood. The engine, panels, hoses, wire harnesses, blow out and hose down the radiator, everything. My truck is 12 years old now with 130k miles but still looks brand new.
Agreed. I do not like seeing a freshly cleaned engine bay in a car for sale. Cleaning engines is such a rare thing to do, it's suspicious to do so when selling. It might be innocent, but it might have been done to hide problems. I like to see an engine bay that is clean because there have been no leaks, but shows no evidence of having been deliberately cleaned.
I see you are using the BlueDriver! It’s an awesome tool. I was having an intermittent cooling fan issue on a Mustang GT this summer past and that tool was instrumental in allowing me to monitor the temperature as I drove to avoid ruining the engine. I changed the thermostat, radiator cap, had the radiator out and tested (good) and even replaced the cooling fan assembly with a new one from Ford. But the issue persisted. I was told it could be a head gasket but I had no symptoms for that. I was getting no codes for anything either. A ford tech looked at it with a Ford computer and was baffled. I was fixing to replace the PCM when I decided to disassemble the BEC (bussed electrical center) in the engine bay. Lo and behold there was my issue, a short in the connector to the high speed fan relay. I got a salvage BEC and a new connector and repinned the wires from the old connector into it and problem solved! Right before I had disassembled the BEC the BlueDriver had started giving me an open fan circuit code. Worst issue I ever had to troubleshoot on a car but now it’s working great, well was, it’s winter stored now. Even the stereo sounds way louder and clearer and I was having an intermittent transmission flare issue that has gone away too. I had an issue in that BEC for a while that was interfering with voltages needed for other things like the transmission operation. It progressively got worst with the cooling fan issue. I put a lot of time into troubleshooting it, working on it myself, reading stuff online, etc. So glad I solved it and that the car did not catch fire!!
I wondering if he was referring to anything in particular. Someone from another automotive channel actually did this with one of their long term vehicles.
after 2 of my family members went against my advice and purchased the used vehicle they wanted anyway. i came up with one sign you shouldnt buy a used car. 1. get on craigslist and find the highest mileage of the same model you are considering. if you are excited because this car only has 80k miles but you can only find 4 of them for sale, the highest with 110k miles. high and low miles is relative to the car you are considering. i would actually say that for THIS car, 80k is really high miles.
When scanning for codes , if you find none , check to see if all the " Monitors " are ready and able to send a code . Many people disconnect and reconnect the battery right before you show up to buy their car . This will temporarily clear off all the codes but only until the Monitors reset . Then the codes will pop up again .
@@EngineeringExplained I'm thinking of buying 2014 GX460, even though some ppl suggested Equus or Genesis (I dont know anything about Hyundai :() but I'm familiar with RX which I had in the past and now with ES, but then I see this: "You shouldn't buy used car"! And it's true I hate headaches and frequent visits to mechanic ripoffs!!! Any suggestions? I am looking for a reliable SUV, crossover or similar high which can handle too many bumps, dips, cracks and poor maintained rough roads in Houston and sometimes major floods or even stagnant rain water lol!, at the same time a vehicle with safety features, very quiet and comfortable for my eldelry parents who ride with me most of the time. Thnx
@@seekfactsnotfiction9056 Im sorry im 1 year late😅. But I do have some advice. Being a used car doesnt neccessarily mean the car has problems, especially if the car has a low mileage. The gx460 is a solid choice, those things are bulletproof, along with their toyota counterpart: the prado. I would also consider a 2011-2014 cadillac escalade. Since it has the same engine as a yukon denali, which isnt that problematic and is fairly cheap to fix. In addition to being literally being as floaty and comfortable as a yacht. A wierd but real choice would be a w126-w140 s class. Those things are so reliable they make toyotas seem like a joke. my father literally made a profit selling one after more than a year of heavy use. They are as luxurious as they can be. Other honorable mentions include the ford explorer 2016, expedition 2015, land cruiser gxr 2013, Nissan patrol platinum from around 2014, dodge durango of any model year, and a kia sorento/mohave/telluride. In addition to the hyundai santa fe or pallisade. I know I have alot of knowledge for a 15 year old. 😂
This was helpful. sometimes the mistakes we make when buying a car we feel like we being rush by the salesperson. And we forget to inspect important parts of the vehicle!
If buying a classic car it might be normal for it to bellow out a big white cloud of smoke when its very cold outside and the engine is still cold. Also a few small leaks are common. But you still dont want to see gushing fluid or smoking very heavily even after its warmed up.
I also like to check for bubbles in the oil, particularly if the seller changed the oil. A good diagnostic/preventative action if you buy the car is to change all fluids, yes including diff/transaxle, ones too before deciding what to go in depth on if needed. The more mileage on the car the more you can expect to have to repair sooner than later.
If you don't live in the rust belt maybe you can be that picky about rust on suspension bits, but if you live in the snowbelt states, you're going to have to accept some rust on suspension components. In a dream world, DOT's the world over would quit using salt, just use sand and everyone would buy snow tires, but since that is bound to never happen, we must make a compromise, haha.
Colorado uses lots of mag chloride. It melts the snow and ice beautifully, but it's every bit as corrosive as salt, and it puts a layer of crud on everything it touches: windshield, paint and headlights included. Under no circumstances run out of windshield washer fluid when the roads have been treated with that stuff. You will be driving blind in 5 minutes or less. In fact, I've always suspected that it was actually the people who make windshield washer fluid who first came up with the idea of using mag chloride for de-icing. It must have tripled their sales.
I used to put my vehicles in the garage, crank up the heater, and flush underneath with hot water every time they ran through salt. It slows rusting, but nothing will stop it since they would have sat all day at work or school marinating. I did keep them rust free for a long time though. Long enough that comparable cars were rusted away or in the junkyard.
@@blakew5672 - It may have been titled "Excessive Rust" but if you listen to him talk his standards would never pass any Northeastern cars. You put a camera under a NE car you are going to see TONS of rust. And you won't be able to tell what is severe rust vs mostly surface rust unless you get under there and feel, poke and lightly hammer areas. So sorry, you;re incorrect. Most of these TH-camr's doing car videos live in areas where rust in not an issue. I have rarely seen videos where they had to torch a rusted bolt for 7 minutes just to get it lose, etc etc.
@@kaitlynnderry2414 - Yes, I know if you are close that will happen. But isn't that mostly in the body? Not underneath in the frame? Even if so, nothing compare to the NE part of the country were they have to salt the roads.
These are excellent tips. Many of the newer cars no longer have dip sticks for checking the oil in the engine and or transmission. It would be a good idea to have a proper quality scan tool and go through the readings to view for any error codes. If the person is not proficient to properly check out a vehicle it is best for them to pay a qualified mechanic to check out the vehicle. If you can have access to a lift it is a good idea to check for loose ball joints, loose suspension parts, condition of the tie rods, struts, springs and shocks.
Get a very good mechanic to do a checkup. Then take care of the damn car. Keep in mind that every used car has some problems. What is important is that they are not major and that you can fix them without spending lots of time and money. Plenty of a-holes that lie and want to scam someone into buying their poorly maintained car.
This is why I always change my oil every 3000 miles, and filter every six. Coolant changed every five. Have yet to reach the 10,000 for my transmission fluid in my newer car. Just keeping up on those things is a good way to make sure your car goes over 300,000 miles. Had a Toyota Solara with over 300,000 miles, and the only thing that failed was the Manifold 1 cat. converter.
@@joehutchcraft1675 I think you can get away with "normal" mantainance that is 7kmi for oil and filters. My dsg requires oil and filters every 40kmi. If you do it more often then great!
@@Gandalf721 I keep it as "factory" as I can. It is the 177hp so plenty of power for me. I also do little city driving so the standard interval is ok for me.
@@joehutchcraft1675 In all of the Mazda Rotary (The final being a series 2 RX7, the oil and filter were changed every 10,000 Km. The cooling system was straight coolant . No water. Gearbox oil was changed every 2 years. Over its life all the car needed was one universal joint. Exhaust system and Disk pads. No oil leaks whatsoever. I would use shoe polish even to keep door seals in good condition.
I bought a 1997 Pontiac Trans Am with 7,800 original miles. I took it on 2 test drives without any problems. The next day after purchasing it I put new tires and changed all the fluids. It drives like a brand new car, and the engine bay is immaculate as well as the inside/outside of the car. There are some great used cars out there and you just have to do your homework properly. Thanks!
When buying from a private party , I also judge a car by its owner . More meticulous people take care of their investments . I also want to see if the car has the service records and the Original Owners Manual . If you are buying a car with a rubber timing belt and there is no history of it ever being replaced , you could be on borrowed time if its an interference motor because if it breaks , you now have a 3,500 lb lawn Ornament. Most rubber timing belts need replacing after about 70 k miles and every 70k afterwards.
Yeah,i bought a 2000s suburban that had a bad head on the 5.3l lm7, i told my wife i just needed to get a pair of heads,turns out i "accidentally" bought a bigger head +97 hp Another 150 with a fairly moderate cam
I got my first car for 1500 and all it needed was a new timing belt. Normal Blue book for that car was 4500 or higher at the time. Dealer didn't know what was wrong with it as it was running off half power and wouldn't pass Emissions. He didn't want to take the time to look at it because of it's age. After looking at it myself, Found it only needed a timing belt. Paid my reliable mechanic to do it. Cost $700. So 2200 for a 4500 car. And it ran amazing for all the years I had it. Ran like new! Bargain!
One thing you can use to check for rust is take a small magnet with you. If bondo has been used to hide rust, the magnet will not stick to it. In my younger days, I knew a fellow who moved from Michigan to Texas(where I live), bringing his 1969 Buick. This car had rust where you would not think a car could rust. After he got a new car, he bondoed the Buick up, had a cheap paint job put on it and sold it. Another person I know caught a body shop in a lie with a magnet. He had a truck he needed some paint work on and the body shop claimed the hood was aluminum and would cost more to paint. He stuck a small magnet to it. Magnets do not stick to aluminum.
One thing to know about OBDII codes: not only do you want to check if there are any codes stored or codes being displayed, but you want to see if there are any pending codes and Not Ready statuses. If someone is trying to sell a car that has been throwing up codes and showing a check engine light, they may try to fudge it by clearing the codes themselves to make it appear to the buyer that there are no problems. There’s an easy way to tell if this is the case: plug in your scanner and check the I/M readiness section. If anything reads NOT READY or PENDING, it can absolutely mean that the owner is trying to hide something!
@@Ck87JF Yep! At least I haven't downshifted on the highway by accident in a while... (I did that in town a couple days ago, that was fun... But that's still not technically on the highway!)
Jake Garrett I decided to test drive a manual 2015 Mazda3 I was considering buying. Stalled it several times in the parking lot, but finally found my groove with the clutch. Stalled it on the way back, because the dealer was trying to fiddle with buttons on the steering wheel at the same time I was trying to turn onto a new road. >_< Last I drove manual was an eighties Ford Pinto. :D
@@Ck87JF I probably stalled my RX-8 the same amount or more when I test drove it (the owner was staring at me like "wow, when this kid says he can't shift, he really can't shift!"). At least it sounds like you're better than my dad. I made a "grasscar" (lawn mower that does 40+ mph, still with the original super wobbly 1970's worn out steering...). It has the clutch and throttle on opposite sides of a normal car (clutch on right, throttle on left). My dad, no joke could be heard 1/4 mile away flooring it and grinding gears (for a solid 4 minutes before I could run over to him), because somehow he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't go into gear... Now, you would think, well maybe if this engine is revved to max shooting flames out the side, well maybe, just maybe, that's not the clutch? That transmission died shortly after. Sad part is he knew it was backwards, but really the worst part is not stopping and thinking, hmmmm.... maybe something is wrong.... So maybe I'm better at shifting than my dad, but I'm not exactly sure that's much of an achievement, LOL!
Great vid,thanks a lot! Gonna make a list of what you said as I’m looking for a secondhand car right now. Great timing for the vid. 👍🏼 Keep up the good work,thanks a lot.
After all this, buddy wouldn't know if I am potentially buying or servicing their ride! Lol
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Old car guy here. Old cars/trucks for old guy. Lots of very cool rides that all needed brakes, wheel bearings, transfer case, fuel pump/lines, fuel injectors, TPS, EGR, PCV, Coil driver, plugs & wires, synthetic oil when it even looks dirty and plenty of rust. They all made plenty of 100,000 mile odometer rollovers. I love bass, no treble, but it's all about the oil, no trouble. p.s. Love that 420 code. My repair procedure is personal, however. (O2 spacer and full bowl). My '79 Z28 has 420 mechanical logic...windows automatically roll down some, depending on severity.
Sign 6: (Listing): Built Motor, really fast (Responds To Question): No, I don’t have receipts or dyno sheets, but I put 3x the value of the car into the motor and it was done by (such and such) shop. God I was gullible at 16.
Paul Citti , I meant the owner claimed he spent 3x the money the car was worth on the engine/tranny, around 12k. Car was a high mileage ‘91 firebird with a stroker engine and a hacked up wiring job. I wasted 7k and a lot of hours trying to get that POS reliable. Couple years later I’ve got a turbo Miata on MegaSquirt and I can actually tune well haha.
that's why in Germany we can go 300kph plus, because every car has to get inspection every two years, providing some basic level of road worthiness/safety. Also checking the service history might be a good tip?
cuteshadowKIA same in the us. Some states it’s every year. But if you “know a guy” or the shop is lazy, they can pass a car that shouldn’t be on the road.
@@cuteshadow I'm french, so I couldn't go to 300 anyway... Just wanted to highlight the fact that an inspection doesn't relate to the quality or performance of the car, it only means it's not a wreck 😂
Smell the exhaust and check the oil cap and coolant cap,Also check under the car for rust holes and how bad the rust got too.And check the tire wear.Don'y forget to bring a Ob2 scanner too.Take it for a hour testdrive! Been there done it with the owner.
We wish! The P0420 family (0420, 0421, 0430, 0431) are troublemakers. 0420/0430 are often exhaust leaks ahead of the converters (or even really dirty injectors) but could also be a bad converter. 0421/0431 seem to always be bad pre-converters. Trying to fix a P0420 or P0430 by blindly replacing the converter can take the car up a very dark alley. The code goes away because the new converter is just enough better to clear the code, but it comes back six months later when the new wears off and the problem gets worse. A second replacement lasts a month or two as the problem gets even worse. I fixed the last P0420 in the family - my daughter's 2002 Sienna - by instructing her to use top tier gas. I cleared the code a week later and it didn't come back for nearly a year. She had gone back to random gas.
He needs pictures of what he's talking about. His idea of a lot of smoke, a dirty engine bay and other points are too subjective. Show us a video of the type cars you are talking about.
For an auto trans if the left side of the brake pedal is worn that means its been driven 2 footed constantly dragging the brakes. This wears everything prematurely. Left foot wear walk away.
Another easy check for bad head gasket is removing the coolant fill cap and putting you hand tight over it, if there is pressure building up there might be exhaust leaking into the coolant. Do this when the engine is cold, coolant gets hot. Also check the colour of the coolant, if it's brown there is either plenty of rust, or they've used some coolant leak repair fluid rather than finding and fixing it. This could also be a bad head gasket they've tried fixing. These repair fluids can work anywhere between not at all and several years, but it's a gamble.
I agree with most of what he said besides oil and fluid leaks, depending on what is leaking and from where, you might be able to use that to negotiate a better price and fix it quickly and easily yourself and end up getting a better deal than expected
Do make sure that you check the codes on the engine because scammers will reset the check engine codes sell a vehicle and then about the next day check engine light will come on and it can be big issues Also check the transmission fluid if it doesn't look pink or looks like strawberry cream or Looks black don't buy it I mean the transmission repairs coming your way the cheapest transmission repair is $2,000
No service history...just walk away... battery flat but not charging after 10 mile run, be very concerned! Condition of interior, if interior looks abused, dirty storage bins or fast food wrappers or worn carpets the car probably has not been driven carefully or maintained that well ...
Make sure to look very carefully at all the body panels and at the spacing between panels. If the paint is wonky, or the gaps vary a lot, there's a good chance it's been in a collision and salvaged.
Old Head gasket cracks Issues Solved with Ground pepper poured into the Coolant stopped the leak if the leak remains keep adding Ground pepper until it stops then drive Works every time good doing it for 5 years cast iron heads love it
Good number of folks asking about the bluetooth scanner I'm using. Here's a link! amzn.to/2AwvtSQ I've had this one for maybe 4 years or so (EricTheCarGuy actually gave it to me). It's worked great!
I love your channel, been a fan for some time, your knowledge and no nonsense approach to engineering and mechanics is unparalleled, for this I thank you sincerely. I have a question about the scanner you are using, can it also give you vehicle information about the car as you drive? I am looking for something that will give me engine temp and oil pressure in real time that I can have in my field of vision on my phone as I am driving, more just to monitor certain parameters in different driving environments. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, continued success my good man, I always look forward to your uploads. Best channel and best host on the subject!!!!
Yes, it actually has a live display where you can read things like temperature, throttle position, that kind of thing. It will depend on your make and model what it can read, but you can get live stuff and record data. It's quite neat! I'd recommend looking into compatibility with your make and model, but it's worked well with the cars I've tried it on.
Engineering Explained ever heard of diesel?
Hey, do all the points apply equally to a diesel-fueled vehicle?
LOL teamed up with progressive to make a video to help folks out there buying half-broken cars! As someone who just recently bought one myself, I can tell you progressive is the only one that'll insure me at a near-decent rate! $100 instead of $180-200
#6. Blood stains in the trunk
Yes those dead hookers sure do leave a mess, though a double layer of thick plastic sheet taped inside the trunk sure does help.
Shouldn't affect the longevity of the car
Those cars has ghost in it
I personally think it’s helpful so then I can do the same and it blends in
Fanny Shmella @holdup.comments
1: smoky exhaust
2: fluid leaks
3: cloudy oil
4: excessive rust under car
5: obdii codes
For those of u who don’t have time
Sheldon Cooper SDG thanks buddie
Thanks
THANK YOU !!! OMG what a beast !!
I wish more people would do this for their videos. and Timestamp their main points
a tip if you find a used car on the side of the road with a for sale sign, when you call them dont specify what car your interested in buying, this will let you know if they are a used car dealer because they will have to ask which car, also ask what price they are asking even if it says on the sign.
K m8 thnks
Imagine trying to sell your car and this guy shows up. I would just apologize and run away.
I buy cars and fix them up. Once they're perfect I sell them cheap because I'm bored of them..... it happens.
@@staydriven578 lol I do that too
@@staydriven578 yo I feel you.
You are funny :DDD i just LOL
I'd be glad. It's easy for a car to lose value if it has faults. Hard for it to gain value if your maintenance and mods have been exceptionally good, unless you are selling to someone who knows cars.
Also #6: If the dealership or auto lot refuses to let you, as a customer, to test drive or have a mechanic inspect the vehicle,
Forget the other tests and walk away, no matter how sweet the deal is.
True!! I done that quiet a few times
there are a few persons especially if you look for a gtr or rx-7 that will tell you "NO I DRIVE YOU SIT"
Exactly! 😆
@@gameworkerty they have their 7 day return policy though, so at least you can have your mechanic check it out within that time frame and return it if anything bad comes up.
Apparently one dealership we dealt with was dodgy but did let us bring the car to a mechanic. The mechanic barely had to glimpse at the engine bay. He said it had been in a frontal accident and someone did a horrible job of, like, supergluing the internal parts back together. This was unnoticeable from the outside
Sign 1.. It's a Honda S2k....
On a for real note, I have done tons of used car inspections. The little time spent on a proper inspection can save years of headaches. Never be afraid to walk away from a car, especially if it's your only transportation
That also depends on the dealership/technician. I've worked for a hyundai dealership that would sell used cars with what I consider major issues without repairing them. They'd ask that I clean it up and make it as good as I can without any parts. I.e. I had a hyundai tuscon with oil on the front cover and they wanted me to clean it up and do what I can to slow/stop the leak but just pulling the cover and replacing the gasket and doing an inspection behind the timing cover was a no-no. I no longer work for that dealership btw.
@@oddieboi good karma choice.
@@oddieboi the used car dealerships always do that kind of things, at least in my country. I really hate that, the last car we buy is a Chevrolet Prizm 1999, i make sure that car was in perfect conditions, and i was right. Amazing car.
Humble mechanic. Sign 1 Honda released s2000 2.0 and it has 240hp name any make reliabilty like HONDA #1 sign 2 i have accord 2000 coupe. And my bro has the98 sedan never had a issue with so i guess the old cars are made to last longer than used cars
Honda's are extremely reliable I have 254k on my Honda civic that's breaking it in I seriously feel like I can easily hit 300k I took this thing cross country already. doesn't leak or burn one drop of oil.
Nice video dude! Perfect overview for people looking to buy a used car!
From the master himself, thanks Chris!!
Hey guys! Chris fix here. Is this you bro?
Hey its ChrisFix!😃
Saw some oil outside the oil pan, is that bad otherwise everything looked great
Aseem Agarwal could be a leak in the oil pan or the oil pan Gasket. Doesn't cost much to fix either one of those things so it's probably alright
"Take it on a nice long test drive". See you in 100K
"The engine just stopped, dunno what's wrong with it. You can have it back, I don't want it."
@@EngineeringExplained Would you still wipe dat' back bumper ?
@@EngineeringExplained Out of fuel.
just plan a vacation when you test drive it, take it out for a week :). Then you know if it's worth your money
You helped me a long time ago to find fake IC's, thank you!
6th point - The owner said the car has been "tastefully modded"
Hahaha
Never been beaten on...
*Has a 6266 turbo, meth injection, highlift cams, and stripped interior*
🤔🤔🤔
That's enough for me to give up the purchase.
"bro, this wing is totally functional, trust me." "What's a fart can?."
What if the tasteful mod actually _is_ tasteful, like a spoiler on a Coyote V8 Mustang, or four-barrel carburetor on a car that originally ran a two-barrel.
Side note for undercarriage leaks...
If you run the AC, condensation could build up and will sometimes drip when the car is stopped. It’s just water, so make sure you can identify that it’s not the AC.
#5 - #1: It's not a 1994 Toyota Celica
Wait, wrong channel
The main point hes trying to get across is to put on gloves when you start looking at the car.
Safety is paramount.
@@EngineeringExplained dirty hands dirty worker
Engineers wear gloves, mechanics don't. They just get in the way.
and safety glasses
If a buyer turned up to see my car and pulled out his surgical gloves I would drop the selling price straight away. 😂
Kept thinking every time you cut to an exhaust shot we would get an example of what smoke you were talking about.
I did too. @Engineering Explained talks about the issues, then shows a perfectly fine car as far as I can tell...
Reason i disliked.. And the continuoustalkingwithoutpausesexhaustedmeinaminute
Lololo most enjineeeRs arent good with those things hajahaha
Just him showing off his perfect maintained s2000 lol
If the smoke doesn't look like a light gray that barely is visible, you gotta problem....lol
For number 5, just because there isn't a code right now doesn't mean it won't pop up later. One should also check the readiness monitor and make sure the codes weren't cleared recently.
I was thinking senor readiness monitors too. 😁
Emissions checks too. If they're not ready, either the codes were just reset or there's something wrong with the car anyway.
An addition for Nr5: good luck reading a Volvo with a generic OBDII tool.
exactly
How do you even check if codes have been cleared when you plug in a scan tool?
If you check the OBDII codes make sure to run an emissions or smog test. If any of the items indicate "not ready" you know that the engine computer was recently reset to hide codes.
Lawrence Lentini your reader can tell you exactly how many miles since DTC's were last cleared.
@@baddrivercam Yes, try that 1st, but not all makes and models even years will give you that "miles since cleared" DTC, but as a fail safe, and as a general rule check the emissions like he said above. I do that before I even start the car or a test drive, if they can't explain why the car isn't ready, I walk. I don't even live in an emissions testing area.
Or like he said take it for a nice long test drive and make it throw the codes again.
@@kensperspective idk where you guys live but no ones getting a test drive on a used car in england lmao
@@ethani7137 Why?
You forgot to mention that Condensation from the AC dripping is okay. :) that's the only thing that should drip when you have the AC running for some time.
6th sign
“No low ballers, I know what I have”
😂 Man so true
This. And my other favorite are “it’s rare” and “it’s mint except.”
@@NGAAutoTV the best is the "unmolested" cars that have completely different wheels and interior
When I sold my used car, I listed everything that was wrong with it and sold it for a good price (lower than what other cars were listed at). Car went fast.
7th sign
"No high ballers. I know what I have"
8:05 "Perhaps someone bumped into the side of the garage..." Who would do that Jason?!
No idea! 😂
Maybe someone just didn't judge it right.
My wife's grandmother, like 10 times lol
@@EngineeringExplained i think someone uploaded a video about it, his name was Jason too.
Pretty sure he drove the same type of car aswell @@josephbourne4078
Engineering “Take it on a long test drive” Explained
How long is considered a long test drive?
@@matthewbarymow4402 word
@@matthewbarymow4402 put a 10000 miles on it and return if its not good
If you see purple smoke, you misunderstood the guy who told you about his LSD and how it improved his driving experience.
When you put on those blue latex gloves , the seller will know you mean business!
😀
😬
you were all making fun of the selfie stick, but LOOK NOW how you need it for a video under your carrrrrrr
Hahahaha
Selfie stick being used for something other then a narcissists next photo op, if it was only used for such purposes it wouldn't be banned in so many public areas.
Yes, a selfie-stick would be much better than leaving the phone on the floor recording, as you drive back and forth to get video of the bottom of the car. A "didn't quite judge it right" moment can cost you! :)
@@jaydunbar7538 yj
Quick tip on frame rust: if you can push a screwdriver through it, it's definitely too much rust...
Too obvious, and the best part ... There will not be any rust where the hole is.
I have a special tool. It's a spring loaded magnet, you stick it to a panel and slowly lift of, when the magnet lets go it has a scale that tells you the thickness of the paint. Obviously if it doesn't stick at all, it's been bogged up. Sometimes the best time to check for smoke is at night with some one driving behind you. Their headlights will highlight the smoke. Also if it smokes going up a hill, then it's the rings, and when you engine brake down a hill and then you blip the throttle if it smokes it's the valve stem seals.
@@JayDee-xj9lu great info. How did you figure it out ? I'm learning little by little so anything is appreciated 👍
I have seen videos about the UK equivalent to the Nissan Frontier breaking in two due to frame rust. This was due to a plant in Spain not building the frames correctly. As far as I know, this is not a problem in the US.
It's always easier to say no to a vehicle. Expanding on #4, in addition to looking inside the oil fill for sludge, reach in a scoop out a sample from the underside of the valve cover. If your finger comes out with sludge, skip all other tests and walk.
That's a good tip!
My dad told me that one
I get attached to every car I look at, so I usually end up buying them as long as they. Got five right now
Same with the radiator.
hgpo27 Got money, too...sigh
What is a "Good long drive" according to you? 5 miles, 10miles, 15 miles?
I guess long enough for it to warm up, and long enough to include a variety of roads (ie motorway / highway driving). 20 mins at least I reckon. You’re spending a lot of your hard earned money - the seller should understand if they’re genuine.
Turn the radio off and drive it and listen to everything while driving if you can take it on highway and floor it.......✌🏾
One of my coworkers recently took a test drive in a used F150 being sold by the owner... who refused to let him take any left turns or look under the front of the truck! Yeah sure buddy, you're totally hiding your catastrophic suspension damage XD
The suspention needs replacing? Nah just don't turn right, you'll get used to it eventually
Those same signs could apply dating women.
Lol ‘after that nice long test drive’
But it depends on which kind of liquids are leaking if it's a good or a bad sign
Definitely avoid any with a lot of rust around the exhaust.
Wipe that back bumper
Is there an OBDII scanner for women?
"Didn't quite judge it right" that's how I totaled my first car
I've done that myself, but never totaled my car. A guy who didn't care to clean his car of snow properly didbthat job for me...
I don't know anyone that wrinkled a yellow S2000 while exiting their garage.
Heh, ditched my vehicle a few times, never totaled. Once because I didn't quite judge _what_ was crossing the road, I just saw movement. It was icy, and I slid. Turned out, it was just some turkeys. Wouldn't have been good, but probably wouldn't have been worth the risks I took if I had known what it was crossing the road.
As it turns out, didn't hit a single turkey, and no damage to the vehicle, so it worked out the best for everyone, including the turkeys.
Years ago, I learned that when you put tractor in a stall with an
overhead door the ROPS might be just a tiny bit taller than you
might have thought!!!
So THAT'S why it can fold down....D'oh.....
SAME
I walk away if a car has different tyres on the same axle, it says a lot about the previous owner.
Exactly.
I had a matching set of 4 Tires on my truck, my girlfriend got a flat borrowing it for work and her boss bought me a brand new tire of a different brand that day. I didn't say no because tires aren't cheap, that's what it says about me.
@@saintsarecoming13 no But IT says enough if You love Cars or not
Good observation. I usually check down at the floorboard to inspect the brake pedal and clutch (if applicable). If the ribbed pattern is worn down to a smooth surface it's usually a good indication of how the car was treated by the previous owner(s).
This is why my number 1 priority when selling trash cars that have had no maintenence whatsoever, is to just buy a set of matching tyres for them before selling. People don't suspect a thing.
Start with the rust first,under the car only.
Frame,shock mounts,gas tank area.
Car can look mint on the outside,but if it’s totally rusted out underneath,it’s unsafe.
Most of the issues he explained will show up after a good 15-20mins of driving mixed with slow and hard pulls. Remember any seller who really has nothing to hide will have that patience and understanding. But more importantly is to do a recheck after the test
Very detailed, specific advice man. Thank you. This is one of the most in depth videos on this topic I’ve seen! Keep up the good work! 👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
"Perhaps someone bumped into the side of the garage when they were parking; didn't quite judge it right"
Nice.
LGwasherFan this comment is not for everyone
A big lesson I learned recently. If there a musty odor, make damn sure the AC is working!
When I bought my used car I propped it up on a curb to make it a lot easier to crawl under to look for rust/suspension problems. Great video, did not know about the exhaust one, I'll have to use it next time.
9 dislikes from sleazy used car dealers.
Up to 51 sneaky dealers
They’re not that bad👀
Promise you private sellers are the ones selling shitboxes
This is why the five star rating is better.
Nah, just couldn't stand the monotone voice + he did not show examples of what he was saying.
Would take advice but I buy 400 dollar cars with lots of issues and drive them until they explode. I bought a 1990 Geo Prizm for 550 and have been driving it 100 miles a day, already put 8k miles and nothing has broke
On my channel I have a video on a Lincoln I got for 400 and made a grill and headlights for it. Still have that one but haven't done any work. Will make a video for the Geo eventually.
Geo Prizm aka Rebadged Toyota Corollas are great little cars especially the lightweight, fuel economy, vehicle simplicity, and affordable replacement parts due to worldly abundance of the model. After having newer vehicles, i decided to go back to the 90's era Corolla because it met many of the criterion that i wanted in a daily driver car especially living where vehicles tend to rust. After having a newer car that got flooded out and another car with many other expensive issues like dealer only PCM updates and recalls and such led me to this decision. No regrets.
@@xochiltepetzalailhuicamina2322 Hell yeah. Except my thermostat got stuck today and it is in the worst spot to fix it. Thought it was at the front but it is under the distributor.
hgpo27 sounds like your daily life sucks
@@Wyttt95 How do you figure? I haven't even told you about the shitty relationship I am in with this girl yet.
This goes up a week after I buy my first car, smh. It doesn't have any of these problems but damn that timing 😂
Bro I just bought a used car like 5 days ago and then this video pops up in my feed 🤦♂️😂😂
A couple odd ball comments. Listen to the engine when you start it, when its warmed up, and when you turn it off. Clattering, clunking, crackling, = leave.
If you are a mechanic or have been exposed to folks working on cars, smell various engine compartments in for repair. I saw a vid of a mechanic who was blind. But he could do pretty good diagnostics from the sounds and smells from an engine compartment. Overheated coolants, electrical insulation, burnt oil, etc..
once again, fantastic video! just as a side note regarding the scan tool, if you're using your own obd2 unit it's best to scan it first, then again after the test drive. reason being, a clever dealer has potentially also spent the $5 on a cheap OBD2 unit and has cleared any codes that where on it.
my grandmother recently purchased a 2014 Toyota Aurion and i made a point of scanning it during it's maiden voyage, and again after she had owned it for a week or 2 just to be sure that it wasn't harboring any cleared codes
lol at number 4.. I'm sure that's fine in California but in the North East you won't find a car without rust under it unless its brand new. They heavily salt the roads in Pennsylvania and all the cars undersides have rust
That's why "excessive" rust was mentioned. Some rust is expected on the underside, how much obviously depends on location (climate) and vehicle age. Still, up to about 10 years old vehicles should have next to no rust. Manufacturers usually put 12 years of anti-rust warranty on cars (at least here in EU), so if it's rusted after 5 there's something wrong.
@@kenkalajdzic But (usually) that warranty only covers rusting though the metal from inside to out. So it really doesn’t cover any rust on the underside of the car. If you drive on the salted roads underside of 10 year old car will be rusty.
Ken Kalajdžič
Not everyone drives a BMW or Toyota.
Made in USA is not always an advantage.
STDrepository sucks to not be from California huh
@@krayzie281 Yes I am so jealous of you and your 4 dollar gas and homeless feces and syringe covered streets.
Won't buy any used car soon but still was looking for something like this video
And how much have you lost in value since you drove off the lot? Excluding subaru's, toyota 4runners and ford Raptors?
Thanks for all the hard work you put into these videos.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoy them! :)
I was so focused on engine and body damage, missed tiny crack on windshield on my GX, so checking glass thoroughly is a good idea too
always be suspicious if you open the hood and the engine is completely clean
Not necessarily. I change the fluids on my vehicle religiously, and keep up with all the standard maintenance. Wash and wax regularly, and once a year I clean everything under the hood. The engine, panels, hoses, wire harnesses, blow out and hose down the radiator, everything. My truck is 12 years old now with 130k miles but still looks brand new.
Agreed. I do not like seeing a freshly cleaned engine bay in a car for sale. Cleaning engines is such a rare thing to do, it's suspicious to do so when selling. It might be innocent, but it might have been done to hide problems. I like to see an engine bay that is clean because there have been no leaks, but shows no evidence of having been deliberately cleaned.
blackwolf2497 my engine is always clean
I keep my underhood clean, as it makes it easier to spot a leak and servicing is much easier also
@@Bennysol it's suspicious when the dealer opens the hood and tell you: look everything is clean and shiny
I see you are using the BlueDriver! It’s an awesome tool. I was having an intermittent cooling fan issue on a Mustang GT this summer past and that tool was instrumental in allowing me to monitor the temperature as I drove to avoid ruining the engine. I changed the thermostat, radiator cap, had the radiator out and tested (good) and even replaced the cooling fan assembly with a new one from Ford. But the issue persisted. I was told it could be a head gasket but I had no symptoms for that. I was getting no codes for anything either. A ford tech looked at it with a Ford computer and was baffled. I was fixing to replace the PCM when I decided to disassemble the BEC (bussed electrical center) in the engine bay. Lo and behold there was my issue, a short in the connector to the high speed fan relay. I got a salvage BEC and a new connector and repinned the wires from the old connector into it and problem solved! Right before I had disassembled the
BEC the BlueDriver had started giving me an open fan circuit code. Worst issue I ever had to troubleshoot on a car but now it’s working great, well was, it’s winter stored now. Even the stereo sounds way louder and clearer and I was having an intermittent transmission flare issue that has gone away too. I had an issue in that BEC for a while that was interfering with voltages needed for other things like the transmission operation. It progressively got worst with the cooling fan issue. I put a lot of time into troubleshooting it, working on it myself, reading stuff online, etc. So glad I solved it and that the car did not catch fire!!
"perhaps someone bumped into the side of the garage" LOL
and he said it with a straight face which makes it more funny.
I wondering if he was referring to anything in particular. Someone from another automotive channel actually did this with one of their long term vehicles.
1. Fiat
2. BMW
3. GM
4. Chrysler
5. Mercedes
The 5 signs of a bad car.
Ford Transit Connect or Ram Promaster City ??
Why do u say bmw?
Tyreke Jenkins bmw unreliable af that’s why
Also honda's automatic transmissions!.
Кайена Арельяно they’re getting better at least
after 2 of my family members went against my advice and purchased the used vehicle they wanted anyway. i came up with one sign you shouldnt buy a used car.
1. get on craigslist and find the highest mileage of the same model you are considering. if you are excited because this car only has 80k miles but you can only find 4 of them for sale, the highest with 110k miles. high and low miles is relative to the car you are considering. i would actually say that for THIS car, 80k is really high miles.
When scanning for codes , if you find none , check to see if all the " Monitors " are ready and able to send a code .
Many people disconnect and reconnect the battery right before you show up to
buy their car . This will temporarily clear off all the codes but only until the Monitors reset . Then the codes will pop up again .
Shut up I'm trying to sell my broken alfa romeo with a jumped timing chain here!
Dead af lol
does it have rust and leaks too?
My 159 has an appetite for timing chains too.
Christopher O'Grady TH-cam seriously needs a LMMFAO option. That’s hilarious 🤣
So it's just like every other Alfa Romeo after it lleaves the dealership...
As of right now, I see that 52 used car dealers have seen this.
Veterans will know it was Jason himself who "didn't quite judge it right" 😁
Shhhh!!! 😂😂
@@EngineeringExplained I'm thinking of buying 2014 GX460, even though some ppl suggested Equus or Genesis (I dont know anything about Hyundai :() but I'm familiar with RX which I had in the past and now with ES, but then I see this: "You shouldn't buy used car"! And it's true I hate headaches and frequent visits to mechanic ripoffs!!! Any suggestions? I am looking for a reliable SUV, crossover or similar high which can handle too many bumps, dips, cracks and poor maintained rough roads in Houston and sometimes major floods or even stagnant rain water lol!, at the same time a vehicle with safety features, very quiet and comfortable for my eldelry parents who ride with me most of the time. Thnx
@@seekfactsnotfiction9056 do your own research
@@seekfactsnotfiction9056 Im sorry im 1 year late😅.
But I do have some advice.
Being a used car doesnt neccessarily mean the car has problems, especially if the car has a low mileage. The gx460 is a solid choice, those things are bulletproof, along with their toyota counterpart: the prado.
I would also consider a 2011-2014 cadillac escalade. Since it has the same engine as a yukon denali, which isnt that problematic and is fairly cheap to fix. In addition to being literally being as floaty and comfortable as a yacht.
A wierd but real choice would be a w126-w140 s class.
Those things are so reliable they make toyotas seem like a joke.
my father literally made a profit selling one after more than a year of heavy use.
They are as luxurious as they can be.
Other honorable mentions include the ford explorer 2016, expedition 2015, land cruiser gxr 2013,
Nissan patrol platinum from around 2014, dodge durango of any model year, and a kia sorento/mohave/telluride. In addition to the hyundai santa fe or pallisade. I know I have alot of knowledge for a 15 year old. 😂
@@gram. rude
Good idea on the codes and stopping at a car parts place for a scan...might have to try that one.
Right!
This was helpful. sometimes the mistakes we make when buying a car we feel like we being rush by the salesperson. And we forget to inspect important parts of the vehicle!
I’m buying an s2000 this weekend. This video will come in handy, thank you!
Congrats on the new ride, s2k is good fun!
Lucky. Lol
If buying a classic car it might be normal for it to bellow out a big white cloud of smoke when its very cold outside and the engine is still cold. Also a few small leaks are common. But you still dont want to see gushing fluid or smoking very heavily even after its warmed up.
Car chem trails!!
Only Joking.
Lol at the throwback to the garage incident.
I also like to check for bubbles in the oil, particularly if the seller changed the oil. A good diagnostic/preventative action if you buy the car is to change all fluids, yes including diff/transaxle, ones too before deciding what to go in depth on if needed. The more mileage on the car the more you can expect to have to repair sooner than later.
I use that same hand lamp, it's magnetized from the bottom so you can place it anywhere that is made out of metal. Thumbs up!
Rev up your used car... oh wait wrong video😂
No cat pillow here.
😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂
@Sona Falk Don't do clean. Don't do unoffensive either.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
If you don't live in the rust belt maybe you can be that picky about rust on suspension bits, but if you live in the snowbelt states, you're going to have to accept some rust on suspension components. In a dream world, DOT's the world over would quit using salt, just use sand and everyone would buy snow tires, but since that is bound to never happen, we must make a compromise, haha.
Yeah, it’s a shame we still use corrosive ingredients for snow. Snow tires and sand/dirt works great!
Colorado uses lots of mag chloride. It melts the snow and ice beautifully, but it's every bit as corrosive as salt, and it puts a layer of crud on everything it touches: windshield, paint and headlights included. Under no circumstances run out of windshield washer fluid when the roads have been treated with that stuff. You will be driving blind in 5 minutes or less. In fact, I've always suspected that it was actually the people who make windshield washer fluid who first came up with the idea of using mag chloride for de-icing. It must have tripled their sales.
I used to put my vehicles in the garage, crank up the heater, and flush underneath with hot water every time they ran through salt. It slows rusting, but nothing will stop it since they would have sat all day at work or school marinating. I did keep them rust free for a long time though. Long enough that comparable cars were rusted away or in the junkyard.
Good luck not seeing any rust underneath when living in the North-East!! Always love when all these car experts live in none winter areas.
Tom M
Pretty sure that’s why he said “excessive”. Meaning to the point it’s compromising the integrity of the parts
Or near the bay. Cars rust so quick if you live near the ocean 😂
@@blakew5672 - It may have been titled "Excessive Rust" but if you listen to him talk his standards would never pass any Northeastern cars. You put a camera under a NE car you are going to see TONS of rust. And you won't be able to tell what is severe rust vs mostly surface rust unless you get under there and feel, poke and lightly hammer areas. So sorry, you;re incorrect. Most of these TH-camr's doing car videos live in areas where rust in not an issue. I have rarely seen videos where they had to torch a rusted bolt for 7 minutes just to get it lose, etc etc.
@@kaitlynnderry2414 - Yes, I know if you are close that will happen. But isn't that mostly in the body? Not underneath in the frame? Even if so, nothing compare to the NE part of the country were they have to salt the roads.
These are excellent tips. Many of the newer cars no longer have dip sticks for checking the oil in the engine and or transmission. It would be a good idea to have a proper quality scan tool and go through the readings to view for any error codes. If the person is not proficient to properly check out a vehicle it is best for them to pay a qualified mechanic to check out the vehicle. If you can have access to a lift it is a good idea to check for loose ball joints, loose suspension parts, condition of the tie rods, struts, springs and shocks.
also watch out for plaid smoke from the exhaust, a sure sign of blinker fluid getting into the fuel.
lol
Get a very good mechanic to do a checkup. Then take care of the damn car.
Keep in mind that every used car has some problems. What is important is that they are not major and that you can fix them without spending lots of time and money. Plenty of a-holes that lie and want to scam someone into buying their poorly maintained car.
Agreed!
This is why I always change my oil every 3000 miles, and filter every six. Coolant changed every five. Have yet to reach the 10,000 for my transmission fluid in my newer car. Just keeping up on those things is a good way to make sure your car goes over 300,000 miles. Had a Toyota Solara with over 300,000 miles, and the only thing that failed was the Manifold 1 cat. converter.
@@joehutchcraft1675 I think you can get away with "normal" mantainance that is 7kmi for oil and filters. My dsg requires oil and filters every 40kmi. If you do it more often then great!
@@Gandalf721 I keep it as "factory" as I can. It is the 177hp so plenty of power for me. I also do little city driving so the standard interval is ok for me.
@@joehutchcraft1675
In all of the Mazda Rotary (The final being a series 2 RX7, the oil and filter were changed every 10,000 Km. The cooling system was straight coolant . No water. Gearbox oil was changed every 2 years. Over its life all the car needed was one universal joint. Exhaust system and Disk pads. No oil leaks whatsoever. I would use shoe polish even to keep door seals in good condition.
I admit I just take it to a 3rd party testing garage... It's quite standard round here.
I dodged a few bad ones this way
Man: *trying to sell used car*
This nerd: Im about to end this mans whole career
dont know about ending his career, but he aint gonna be eatin' a nice chicken dinner tonight, that for sure!
I bought a 1997 Pontiac Trans Am with 7,800 original miles. I took it on 2 test drives without any problems. The next day after purchasing it I put new tires and changed all the fluids. It drives like a brand new car, and the engine bay is immaculate as well as the inside/outside of the car. There are some great used cars out there and you just have to do your homework properly. Thanks!
When buying from a private party , I also judge a car by its owner .
More meticulous people take care of their investments . I also want to see if the car has the service records and the Original Owners Manual .
If you are buying a car with a rubber timing belt and there is no history of it ever being replaced , you could be on borrowed time if its an interference motor because if it breaks , you now have a 3,500 lb lawn Ornament.
Most rubber timing belts need replacing after about 70 k miles and every 70k afterwards.
So true. All the used cars I have purchased for myself, family, and friends, were from males over 50 years old. Never had a problem.
My dad is a mechanic, so I learned most of this growing up, but awesome video! Lots of good information!
Awesome that he passed down the knowledge to you, great way to learn!
@@EngineeringExplained Yes sir! I love to learn anything I can about cars lol
I have to disagree on a certain level. Minor engine problems or issues can be a bargaining chip in your favor and could mean big savings.
kanukster absolutely
Yeah,i bought a 2000s suburban that had a bad head on the 5.3l lm7, i told my wife i just needed to get a pair of heads,turns out i "accidentally" bought a bigger head
+97 hp
Another 150 with a fairly moderate cam
I also got a car that just needed a new gasket
I got my first car for 1500 and all it needed was a new timing belt. Normal Blue book for that car was 4500 or higher at the time. Dealer didn't know what was wrong with it as it was running off half power and wouldn't pass Emissions. He didn't want to take the time to look at it because of it's age. After looking at it myself, Found it only needed a timing belt. Paid my reliable mechanic to do it. Cost $700. So 2200 for a 4500 car. And it ran amazing for all the years I had it. Ran like new! Bargain!
that engine bay clean af ,,,good stuff
One thing you can use to check for rust is take a small magnet with you. If bondo has been used to hide rust, the magnet will not stick to it. In my younger days, I knew a fellow who moved from Michigan to Texas(where I live), bringing his 1969 Buick. This car had rust where you would not think a car could rust. After he got a new car, he bondoed the Buick up, had a cheap paint job put on it and sold it. Another person I know caught a body shop in a lie with a magnet. He had a truck he needed some paint work on and the body shop claimed the hood was aluminum and would cost more to paint. He stuck a small magnet to it. Magnets do not stick to aluminum.
One thing to know about OBDII codes: not only do you want to check if there are any codes stored or codes being displayed, but you want to see if there are any pending codes and Not Ready statuses. If someone is trying to sell a car that has been throwing up codes and showing a check engine light, they may try to fudge it by clearing the codes themselves to make it appear to the buyer that there are no problems. There’s an easy way to tell if this is the case: plug in your scanner and check the I/M readiness section. If anything reads NOT READY or PENDING, it can absolutely mean that the owner is trying to hide something!
You forgot to mention about the transmission if it shifts badly than walk away
Darn, nothing with a manual for me then....
Jake Garrett - You're bad at shifting?
@@Ck87JF Yep! At least I haven't downshifted on the highway by accident in a while... (I did that in town a couple days ago, that was fun... But that's still not technically on the highway!)
Jake Garrett I decided to test drive a manual 2015 Mazda3 I was considering buying. Stalled it several times in the parking lot, but finally found my groove with the clutch. Stalled it on the way back, because the dealer was trying to fiddle with buttons on the steering wheel at the same time I was trying to turn onto a new road. >_<
Last I drove manual was an eighties Ford Pinto. :D
@@Ck87JF I probably stalled my RX-8 the same amount or more when I test drove it (the owner was staring at me like "wow, when this kid says he can't shift, he really can't shift!").
At least it sounds like you're better than my dad. I made a "grasscar" (lawn mower that does 40+ mph, still with the original super wobbly 1970's worn out steering...). It has the clutch and throttle on opposite sides of a normal car (clutch on right, throttle on left). My dad, no joke could be heard 1/4 mile away flooring it and grinding gears (for a solid 4 minutes before I could run over to him), because somehow he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't go into gear... Now, you would think, well maybe if this engine is revved to max shooting flames out the side, well maybe, just maybe, that's not the clutch? That transmission died shortly after. Sad part is he knew it was backwards, but really the worst part is not stopping and thinking, hmmmm.... maybe something is wrong....
So maybe I'm better at shifting than my dad, but I'm not exactly sure that's much of an achievement, LOL!
Great vid,thanks a lot! Gonna make a list of what you said as I’m looking for a secondhand car right now. Great timing for the vid. 👍🏼 Keep up the good work,thanks a lot.
After all this, buddy wouldn't know if I am potentially buying or servicing their ride! Lol
Old car guy here. Old cars/trucks for old guy. Lots of very cool rides that all needed brakes, wheel bearings, transfer case, fuel pump/lines, fuel injectors, TPS, EGR, PCV, Coil driver, plugs & wires, synthetic oil when it even looks dirty and plenty of rust. They all made plenty of 100,000 mile odometer rollovers.
I love bass, no treble, but it's all about the oil, no trouble.
p.s. Love that 420 code. My repair procedure is personal, however. (O2 spacer and full bowl).
My '79 Z28 has 420 mechanical logic...windows automatically roll down some, depending on severity.
The part about using the camera on your phone to video underneath is genius. I never would have thought to do that. Thanks!
Factory forced induction cars run rich (to very rich) while being driven hard, causing soot to accumulate on the exhaust tip/bumper also.
Steven D a friend had an old Honda that had an almost completely black bumper. So gross.
Sign 6: (Listing): Built Motor, really fast
(Responds To Question): No, I don’t have receipts or dyno sheets, but I put 3x the value of the car into the motor and it was done by (such and such) shop.
God I was gullible at 16.
F for respects. One question, how/where did you get the money at 16 to buy a car making 3x the factory output? Or was it really cheap?
Paul Citti , I meant the owner claimed he spent 3x the money the car was worth on the engine/tranny, around 12k. Car was a high mileage ‘91 firebird with a stroker engine and a hacked up wiring job. I wasted 7k and a lot of hours trying to get that POS reliable. Couple years later I’ve got a turbo Miata on MegaSquirt and I can actually tune well haha.
that's why in Germany we can go 300kph plus, because every car has to get inspection every two years, providing some basic level of road worthiness/safety. Also checking the service history might be a good tip?
cuteshadowKIA same in the us. Some states it’s every year. But if you “know a guy” or the shop is lazy, they can pass a car that shouldn’t be on the road.
@@Gandalf721 Not sure how "some" means a blanket statement but ok.
My 206 passed the inspection, that doesn't mean it can go 300kph plus... xD
@@asmoth360 We are talking about cars, to be fair, you got a Peugeot: :) +You should probably Upgrade then. 300kph is a minimum :D
@@cuteshadow I'm french, so I couldn't go to 300 anyway... Just wanted to highlight the fact that an inspection doesn't relate to the quality or performance of the car, it only means it's not a wreck 😂
Alot of people in Victoria Australia are buying Holden V8 Highway Patrol cars from Auctions.
A smart move on their part.
Smell the exhaust and check the oil cap and coolant cap,Also check under the car for rust holes and how bad the rust got too.And check the tire wear.Don'y forget to bring a Ob2 scanner too.Take it for a hour testdrive! Been there done it with the owner.
8:50 "P0420"
Basically happens when there's cannabis particles in the fuel tank.
your telling me you dont get high with your car
Ah yes finally found somebody noticing 420
We wish! The P0420 family (0420, 0421, 0430, 0431) are troublemakers. 0420/0430 are often exhaust leaks ahead of the converters (or even really dirty injectors) but could also be a bad converter. 0421/0431 seem to always be bad pre-converters. Trying to fix a P0420 or P0430 by blindly replacing the converter can take the car up a very dark alley. The code goes away because the new converter is just enough better to clear the code, but it comes back six months later when the new wears off and the problem gets worse. A second replacement lasts a month or two as the problem gets even worse.
I fixed the last P0420 in the family - my daughter's 2002 Sienna - by instructing her to use top tier gas. I cleared the code a week later and it didn't come back for nearly a year. She had gone back to random gas.
Get out $500 dollars my friend, you ready for a new "cat"!
He needs pictures of what he's talking about. His idea of a lot of smoke, a dirty engine bay and other points are too subjective. Show us a video of the type cars you are talking about.
Blue smoke coming from the exhaust is my #1 no-no.
For an auto trans if the left side of the brake pedal is worn that means its been driven 2 footed constantly dragging the brakes.
This wears everything prematurely.
Left foot wear walk away.
Uneven tire wear was one that got me. I purchased a used vehicle with a bad half axle. Fortunately for me, that was the only issue.
"perhaps someone bumped into the side of the garage..." Hmm I wonder who could have done that?? 😂
Love your channel Jason!
Thank you so much, appreciate you watching!
Water dripping is normal if the AC is running too
Another easy check for bad head gasket is removing the coolant fill cap and putting you hand tight over it, if there is pressure building up there might be exhaust leaking into the coolant. Do this when the engine is cold, coolant gets hot.
Also check the colour of the coolant, if it's brown there is either plenty of rust, or they've used some coolant leak repair fluid rather than finding and fixing it.
This could also be a bad head gasket they've tried fixing. These repair fluids can work anywhere between not at all and several years, but it's a gamble.
I agree with most of what he said besides oil and fluid leaks, depending on what is leaking and from where, you might be able to use that to negotiate a better price and fix it quickly and easily yourself and end up getting a better deal than expected
I love your videos man! You explain everything so detailed and easy to understand as well, keep it up!
Thanks Mathias, I appreciate you watching! :)
Do make sure that you check the codes on the engine because scammers will reset the check engine codes sell a vehicle and then about the next day check engine light will come on and it can be big issues
Also check the transmission fluid if it doesn't look pink or looks like strawberry cream or Looks black don't buy it I mean the transmission repairs coming your way the cheapest transmission repair is $2,000
No service history...just walk away... battery flat but not charging after 10 mile run, be very concerned!
Condition of interior, if interior looks abused, dirty storage bins or fast food wrappers or worn carpets the car probably has not been driven carefully or maintained that well ...
Make sure to look very carefully at all the body panels and at the spacing between panels. If the paint is wonky, or the gaps vary a lot, there's a good chance it's been in a collision and salvaged.
Old Head gasket cracks Issues Solved with Ground pepper poured into the Coolant stopped the leak if the leak remains keep adding Ground pepper until it stops then drive Works every time good doing it for 5 years cast iron heads love it