Things Transmission King Inc. Wants You To Know Before Buying That Back To School Car

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) August 19, 2010 -- "Let The Buyer Beware."
A new car would be nice, but not too many of us can afford that. So the answer is a used car. When buying a used car the catch word is "Let the buyer beware." There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there waiting to dump a clunker on an inexperienced, unknowing buyer.
Look At The Car.

Okay, you found a car in the classifieds or at a used car dealer and you like it. It looks to be in good shape and it's the color you like. The first thing to do is look at the car; I mean really look at it. Sometimes a person will do some quick bodywork and slap on a cheap paint job to get rid of a junker. Cars that have been totaled have been fixed up to be resold. You'll be able to spot this by looking closely at the sheet metal.
Look At The Paint.
Paint is hard to match and gets even harder as the car gets older. If the paint looks "different" on a fender or hood, then it was probably repaired and repainted. Again, there may be hidden damage. Other things to look for are rust and corrosion. Little spots of rust or bubbles in the paint can very quickly turn into a major repair down the road.
How many miles are on the car?

People have been known to turn back the odometer to reflect fewer miles than are actually on the vehicle. This is almost impossible to detect. The only way to determine if an odometer has been turned back is by using a used car history service like CarFax.com. In fact, you should submit the 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of any car you're interested in to a used car history service. This will tell you if the car has been flooded or totaled out by an insurance company.
Take the car to YOUR mechanic. Have him check the car from bumper to bumper, list everything that is wrong with the car and how much it will cost to fix. Have him do a compression test and see if it's good. While the spark plugs are out, look to see what story they have to tell. If the porcelain around the center electrode is an even light brown color, that indicates a normal running engine. If it's wet looking and black, this indicates oil burning and is not something you want. Look for any oil leaks around the engine and transmission.

Take a valve cover off The best way to get a general idea of how well an engine has been maintained is to remove a valve cover. If it's clean, then oil changes were performed fairly regularly. If there's sludge, the car was not well maintained and should be avoided.
Check All The Fluids. Check the fluids and see if they are fresh looking. Transmission fluid should be red, or brown if it's a little older, but never black or burnt smelling. Oil should be a honey to light black color. Power steering fluid should be light brown and should not smell burnt.
Make Sure All The Lights work. Check the head lights, tail lights, brake lights, parking and marker lights. Look for cracked lenses.

Look Under The Car. Go over the brakes with a fine-toothed comb. Look at the calipers and wheel cylinders and see if they are leaking. Look at the rubber hoses and if they have any cracks or cuts, they need to be replaced. See if the steel brake lines, and fuel lines, are heavily rusted. See if the brake pads and shoes are wearing evenly. This is a good sign of a properly operating brake system. Look at the brake fluid; it should be a light honey color. If it's milky or there is a lot of sediment in the reservoir, it needs to be changed.
Look At The Frame. If there is excessive rust or rot, forget about the car. The front end should be tight with no excessive play. CV boots should not be cracked or ripped. If they are, chances are good that there is dirt in the CV joints and they are ready for replacement.

Keep in mind that your son or daughter is going to be driving this car. You want to get them something safe and reliable. If they are going to college this fall, it will bring you peace of mind to know that they will make the trip safely. Don't buy the car if it needs work just because it looks nice or has a nice stereo. Get one that's mechanically sound and buy a nice stereo for it or get it a decent paint job. You have enough to worry about with kids today; their car should not be one of those worries.

More information can be found online at http://www.transmissionkingusa.com

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