Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/838705
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 JUNE 2017 Motoring V indicating so, but it won't explain which one isn't working. The inside of the car While you're going with your visual inspection of the car and before you get it out onto the road, look around the interior. Depending on the age of the car, you'll want to look for signs of excessive wear and tear. Have a look at the foot-well carpets and if there's a mat lift it up and look at the condition of the carpet under the pedals. Look at the seatbelts and make sure they're not frayed or damaged and that they all work as they should. Check the seats levers and knobs work as they should, that the air-con and infotain- ment system fires up, and that the mirrors adjust without any clicking in the mecha- nism. Check the engine You don't need to be a mechanic to get a feel for whether the engine in the car you're looking to buy is any good. There are a lot of 'surface' issues that will hint at problems, like leaks and the colour of the oils and fluids in the thing. As well as the colour of the smoke it belches, or doesn't, preferably. Unless the engine has been detailed, and that's a possibility with someone trying to put their car's best tyre forward, you should be able to see, if there is one, an oil leak either on the ground underneath the car, or sludge on the underneath of the en- gine. But, engine oil isn't the only stuff that can leak out of the car, there's also power steering fluid and coolant. If it's hot and the air-con has been running, it's common for the car to leak a bit of water, so don't be alarmed if you get out and see a puddle appear under the car. No, it's the oily stuff you want to look out for and if you do spy any then you can either walk away, as oil leaks are symp- tomatic of something serious and we'd suggest walking away. Trying to negotiate the seller has the issue fixed or that you have the vehicle inspected by a workshop to get an idea of the issue and cost to fix it are possibilities, but you're probably better off just walking away. On modern engines, there are usually bright yellow lids indicating where fluids go; these are a good place to give you an indication about the health of the engine. Starting with the dipstick, you'll want to remove it and check that the oil is reading at the correct level and that it's looking clean and brown rather than black (which would indicate the oil is old). It's possible to check the health of the head gasket by removing the oil cap from the top of the engine (make sure the engine is cool before you do this) and then look inside. You might need a torch. If the oil looks creamy then quietly replace the lid and run as fast as you can away from the thing… creamy looking oil in the engine is a tell-tale sign the head gasket has failed. Standing around at the back of the car get someone to start it up and look at the smoke coming out of the tail pipe; a small puff of smoke is normal, but a sustained billow of blue smoke indicates there's oil getting into the cylinders; black smoke suggests the engine is using too much fuel; and white smoke could suggest head gasket failure. Walk away. Going for a drive Once you've had a good look around the car and made a note of any issues you've found, then ask to take the car for a test drive. What you'll be testing on the drive is, how the car feels, how the gearbox behaves and whether you like driving the thing. If the car you're testing has an automatic then make sure it moves through the gears smoothly and that the kickdown function works; kickdown is activated when you press the throttle right to the floor. If there are paddle shifters then flick the gearbox into Manual mode and try them out. If you're testing a manual car, then it's the clutch you'll be getting a feel for and, specifically, the biting point; this is the mo- ment when as you release the clutch pedal the car starts to move ahead. This point is usually around the middle of the pedal's travel. Try the vehicle at a range of speeds, if possible, and make sure your test drive route involves turns to the left and right. And try using reverse gear and the brakes too. If there are any odd vibrations or noises then there could be something major wrong with the car and you'll need a mechanic to check it over before proceed- ing with the purchase. Or, just walk away… you don't want to be lumbered with some- one else's problem; there really are plenty more fish in the sea. when buying second-hand