How to check car parts - car engine

ever wondered how to check certain car parts when buying a car, well here is our new section and its all about how to check car parts so you know your getting your moneys worth.

Our first post is on checking a car engine. This is a much needed post because a salesman can make up a nice looking car, but you don’t know whats underneath the hood.

Firstly you could get the car engine and the entire car checked by a specialist. but if not then here are a few simple rules.

Firstly check the car engine levels e.g. oil, and water. The oil should be dark black for a diesel and a yellow/orange color for petrol. If the oil level is low then you can suspect lack of maintenance and possible damage in the future. It may also represent a leak so check for those.

Try as much as you can to look at the internal car engine parts. These hidden parts can give allot away. What you should look for in the car engine parts is sludge from the oil. If there is a buildup of oil sludge it suggests that the oil has not been changed in a while and bad maintenance has occurred.

If you can check the oil pressure then do so because low oil pressure means the engine is on the way out. Other checks should be on any repairs made to the vehicle. are they hiding bad parts?

Many people check the car engine oil levels and water levels of their washer but never the engine water which contains water and antifreeze. If this is low or you find oil in it it may suggest a engine radiator problem. It should be clean and transparent and within the min and max levels, else you don’t buy the vehicle or get it fixed immediately.

One obvious test is to drive it. From this you can tell some errors such as lights coming on and increased emissions (e.g. smoke) from the exhaust. Note there should be no smoke at all. You can also listen to the car engine, does it sound normal? does it feel right?

Finally a often forgotten rule, check the millage and if it has loads of millage (over 100 000 miles) then think about what your going to use the car for, if its anything major then get a lower millage vehicle.

Remember if the car engine is damaged the car wont last long and you will have have thrown your money away