(703) 354-8200
6497 Little River Turnpike | Alexandria, VA 22312
M - F: 7:00 Am - 6:00 Pm
Sat: 8:00 Am - 5:00 Pm
Sun: Closed
[GEOTITLE]
[GEOADDRESSONE]
[GEOADDRESSTWO]
[GEOPHONE]
Directions
Store Hours
[GEOHOURSMONDAY]
[GEOHOURSTUESDAY]
[GEOHOURSWEDNSDAY]
[GEOHOURSTHURSDAY]
[GEOHOURSFRIDAY]
[GEOHOURSSATURDAY]
[GEOHOURSSUNDAY]
Change Location
Current Location
[GEOTITLE]
[GEOADDRESSONE]
[GEOADDRESSTWO]
[GEOPHONE]
|
Directions
Store Hours
[GEOHOURSMONDAY]
[GEOHOURSTUESDAY]
[GEOHOURSWEDNSDAY]
[GEOHOURSTHURSDAY]
[GEOHOURSFRIDAY]
[GEOHOURSSATURDAY]
[GEOHOURSSUNDAY]
Change Location
Go
Use current location
Home
Tires
Car, Truck & SUV Tires
Michelin® Tires
BFGoodrich® Tires
Uniroyal® Tires
Tire Care Tips
Commercial Tires
Tires in Alexandria, VA
Services
Our Services
Auto Repair Shop in Alexandria va
AC Service
European Auto Services
Jasper Engines & Transmissions
Schedule a Repair
Car Care Tips
Vehicle Maintenance FAQs
Virginia State Inspections
Shuttle Service
Offers
Financing
Royalty Rewards
About
News
Careers
Our Staff
Read Our Reviews
Find Us
Contact
Schedule appointment
Request A quote
News
25
Things To Look For When Buying a Used Car
posted on
8/25/2016 8:47:25 AM
Buying a used car is somewhat less of a crapshoot than it was at one time. You can get detailed information on a vehicle's history via the CARFAX report, and a
technician can use onboard diagnostics to get a good picture of what's going on under the hood and what problems might be coming up.
It's always a good idea to get a mechanic to look over any prospective purchase, but there are things you can get a look at yourself before you spend the money for a professional inspection. These are things which will give you a pretty good idea of the kind of use and maintenance a vehicle has seen before you got it.
-- Put your head against a fender and sight down the side of the vehicle with one eye. Look out for ripples or irregularities in the sheet metal which could point to a collision and body work. Look closely for mismatched paint on body panels, or paint which has an orange-peel texture.
-- Closely look at the carpeting, upholstery, and pedals. The condition of these can tell you a lot about how a vehicle was cared for.
-- Pop the hood and look for leaks anywhere on the engine. Start the engine, let it warm up to operating temperature and sniff carefully for unusual smells such as burning oil, burning transmission fluid or leaking antifreeze (all of which have a distinctive smell).
-- With the engine running, vehicle on level ground and transmission in Park, pull the transmission dipstick and get a close look at the fluid. The fluid should be magenta colored with a slightly sweet smell. Fluid that's darker or has a burnt toast smell means that the transmission has been overheated, poorly maintained and/or run with a low fluid level. Avoid.
-- Take the vehicle for a test drive. Listen for clunks or thumps while going over bumps. Get a good feel for how it handles; a pull to one side on the highway or a tendency for the steering wheel to not center itself could mean front-end problems. Accelerate sharply and listen for any unusual noises. Does the vehicle have enough power and run smoothly when driven hard? Hit the brakes hard. Does the vehicle pull to one side while braking, lock up any of the wheels or have a pulsation through the brake pedal?
None of these constitute a detailed inspection, of course. They're all common-sense measures you can take, though, to pre-screen a prospective used car before calling a professional in for a thorough pre-purchase shakedown.
Categories:
Auto Repair 101
| View Count: (21) |
Return
Related
Common Auto Heating & Cooling Issues
12/14/2020
What to Do if You Have a Flat Tire
11/19/2020
What to Keep in Mind Before a Winter Oil Change
2/11/2020
How to Choose the Right Tire
12/14/2020
Why Would I Need an Engine Replacement?
8/19/2020
Maximizing Your Tire Life
5/26/2019
Tires
Michelin®
BFGoodrich®
Uniroyal®
Firestone
Other Brands
Services
Oil Changes
Brake Repair
Wheel Alignments
Tire Installation
Batteries
About
Home
Tires
Services
Shuttle Service
Offers
About
Find Us
Visit Our Shop
Community Car Care
Contact Us
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
(703) 354-8200
Fax:
Address:
6497 Little River Turnpike
Alexandria, VA 22312
.
Powered by Net Driven
Login
Community Car Care
6497 Little River Turnpike,
Alexandria, VA 22312
Phone:
(703) 354-8200
Fax:
22312
38.82076,-77.1571
Uh oh!
Page not found!
Sorry the page you are looking for may have been moved or deleted.
Please click anywhere to
continue browsing our site.