Buying A Car - Internal Checks
In Part one of this series of articles we looked at the exteranl checks to be carried out on a car when looking to buy it and how they could effect the cost of car insurance for that particular vehicle. In part two we are going to do exactly the same but look at the checks that should be carried out internally.
When we looked at the external features of the car the first thing we took into acount was the first impression of the car, the same is true for the interior of the vehicle. Are your eyes drawn to any obvious problems such as tears or does the car have an unpleasant odour? The odour in the car may not seem like a massive problem but remember that smells from smoking and pets can be stuborn and difficult to get rid of.
Upholstery - Take a good look over all the upholstery, check for small tears or holes that could have been caused by things such as ciggarettes. If the interior is leather then check for condition and any tears as repairing leather upholstery can be expensive. if the leather interior is not standard then remember that this should be disclosed to your car insurance company.
Heater/Air Conditioning - Make sure that when you are looking over the car that you check the heater, especially in the summer as people often don't realise that it doesn't work until the cold winter months. If the car has air con then make sure you chesck that it works, especially in the winter as the reverse is opposite to the heater. Also air con units are notoriuosly expensive to fix if they are faulty.
Electrics - A basic rule to follow is that if something has a switch use it. This is to make sure that all the electrical appliances in the car work such as windows and sunroofs. Make sure all interior lights work, the car horn and that the ciggarette lighter is operational. This can save a lot of inconvienience at a latter date but may also show up any under lying electrical problems. If something doesn't work talk to the owner and check the fuses as it may be simple to fix.
Security Devices - Just because a car is advertised with an alarm and imobiliser it doesn't mean to say that they are functioning. Check that the alarm sounds when triggered and that the imobiliser stops you from starting the engine when activated. These products will help to lower your car insurance premiums but not if they aren't in working order. It should also be noted that some car insurance companies may require a fitting certificate from a registered fitter so check the owner has this or the alarm and imobiliser may be worth nothing to your or your car insurance company.
Seats - Check that when you sit in the drivers seat that the driving position can be changed to suit your needs. Make sure all the seat adjustment levers work, this is especially important for electric seat controls as they can be costly to fix.
Pedals - When sat in the drivers seat also check all of the pedals. Make sure that the accelerator pedal moves back and fourth in a smooth manor with no stickyness. The same is true for the clutch pedal as a clutch pedal that has abnormal movement or stickyness can tell you of underlying faults. Finally the break pedal should be checked for excessive travel.
Gears - Whilst the car is stationary sit in the drivers seat and check that the gears are easy to use, put the clutch down and put the car into each gear amking sure they do so in a smooth manor. This can also be checked on the test drive which will be discussed in a later article.
Footwells - When looking around the car careful attention should be shown to the footwells, check for any dampness which could show leaks in the car. This could be a case of seals needing replaced , which in itself isn't too expensive but the dampness could have caused internal rust that could pose a massive problem.
Rust and Paintwork - Check the interior of the car for rust, the most common place to find rust internally is under the carpets and around the door hinges. Also check that the internal paint matches the coulour of the outer paint as this could show the car has been resprayed, which could mean the car has been resprayed. If a respray has occured then for what reason? stolen cars are often resprayed to conceal their identity. Written off repaired cars often need a respray and these cars can prove hard to insure with your car insurance company. Talk to the owner about the colour discrepencies they may be able to give you a satisfactory explanation.
The Boot - Finally have a good look around the boot, check for damp which will show signs of a leak. Lift the carpet in the boot and check that the tool kit is there as if its not there when you need it you will wish you had checked. Look at the spare tyre to make sure that it is in a good condition as tyre with less than 1.6mm tread are illegal and could earn you penalty points on your licence not to mention the inflated car insurance costs as a result of the penalty points. While you have the carpet up look at the colour of the car under here, this will again tell you if the car has had a reaspray. This is also a good place to see any rear accident damage.
In closing, these checks can help the buyer to get the best car for their money as well as a safe one. Be sure when looking around the interior to check the chassis no. which can be located under the carpet against the number on the registration documents. Be extra vidulent as the interior of the car can be a good place to pick up problems which could cost you money in repair or even problems which could lead to higher car insurance.
