Buying a used car - how not to be fooled. Guide

Finding a serviceable and trouble-free car is not easy. A common practice is to flip counters and hide defects. Check out how not to be deceived.

"Hello. Selling beautiful Volkswagen Passat B5. Year of release 2001, facelifted version. The 1,9 TDI engine is very dry and runs very smoothly. Mileage 105 thousand, the car is like new, Imported from Germany from the first owner. The old man rode it occasionally, in October he replaced the clutch, timing, all brake discs and pads. Highly recommend!!!".

Vehicle check by VIN

It had to be so pretty

There is no shortage of such ads on car portals. At first glance, the proposal is excellent. After all, who wouldn't want to get such a machine first hand and in such good condition? A non-specialist will follow him even to the other end of Poland. A connoisseur of the subject will immediately take into account several facts.

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— First, the replacement of the clutch. In this class, the car must withstand 200-250 thousand kilometers. If the mileage is genuine, then someone has worked hard. If retracted, then at least 100 kilometers. Distribution? The instruction manual says to replace after 150-160 thousand kilometers. Here I see the second snag, warns Stanisław Plonka, an auto mechanic from Rzeszów.

We call the owner. He cannot rationally explain the replacement of parts, but declares honesty and names the VIN number. The site states that the last inspection at a run of 83. km at the trade wind in 2004. How is it possible that over the next eight years the same owner only made 22 XNUMX? Not confused, we go to the place.

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From the outside, the car looks perfect. Unlike other Passats we've seen, it has no scuffs, scratches or paint loss. The perfect condition of the front bumper and hood, which inevitably bounces off small pebbles, is striking. Why? The answer to this question is given by the paint thickness gauge. There is much more of it on the hood and left fender than on the rest of the car. The windshield has also been replaced. Opening the hood, you can see that someone has unscrewed the fender.  

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The inside of the car looks brand new. But upon closer inspection, it turns out that someone replaced the steering wheel. The rest of the gear knob does not match either. Rubber pedals are new. “This is probably for the last check in Germany,” the salesman says shyly.

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However, there are no documents to replace the brakes, and the discs do not look new at all. We won't buy this car.

How to avoid scammers? Slavomir Jamroz of the Honda Sigma Car dealership in Rzeszow advises to ignore cars with incompletely documented history.

– The surest choice is a car that is regularly serviced at an authorized service station. Regardless of whether the owner did it at home or abroad, we make sure that all repairs are carried out using professional tools and original spare parts. Of course, without delaying the deadlines, the seller convinces.

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Although such a car is usually several thousand zlotys more expensive, it is not worth saving on it. This is perfectly confirmed by the example of the mentioned Volkswagen Passat. – Four discs and brake pads front and rear about PLN 1000. A complete timing kit with a replacement - even 1500 zł. Clutch, bearing and dual-mass wheel - about PLN 2500. So we have about 5 for a good day, Stanislav Plonka lists.

Not only the price of the car

A car whose past is unknown, in addition to the new timing, will also need fresh oil and filters. In the case of a D-segment car, these are expenses in the amount of PLN 500-700. Other expenses are the cost of registering and insuring the car. Assuming the driver has full discounts, for an AC, OC and NW package for a car costing approx. PLN will pay about 20 PLN. Registration of a car bought in the country costs about PLN 1500. Additional costs are 170 percent. tax calculated by the tax office on the value of the car. We don't pay unless we buy a car on a bill. To avoid additional costs and problems, it is worth checking the legal status of the vehicle.

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- First of all, I propose to make sure that there are no bank commissions on the car. If it was bought on credit, the registration certificate and vehicle card may contain a mark on joint ownership with the bank. The owner who paid off the debt should take care of removing the entry from the documents. The best thing to do is to check if the car was stolen by the police, adds Slavomir Jamroz.

If we buy a car imported from abroad, just like in the country, you must have a registration certificate and a contract or invoice. On the example of a car from Germany: a German registration certificate, the so-called. brief (two parts, small and large). The car must have a German exit, which must be stamped on the brief. A sales contract, bill or invoice is also required. These documents must be translated into Polish by a sworn translator.

If the seller claims that the imported car is ready for registration, he must also provide confirmation of payment of excise duty from customs and a certificate from the tax office for exemption from stamp duty (cars imported from the European Union). Registration will also require a technical inspection at the cost of PLN 99 at the inspection station.

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Before buying a car:

1. Pay attention to the pedals. If their texture is worn or leaking, this is a sign that the car has traveled many miles. A worn clutch pedal pad is an additional hint that the car must have been driven around the city a lot. Combinations can also suggest new rubber bands in a car that is several years old.

2. Pay attention to the gear shift knob. If it is factory, then you can judge its condition. Slippery, shiny may indicate a high mileage. If its structure is porous, it can be assumed that a small run is plausible.

3. Assess the condition of the seats. Most often in cars with high mileage, the driver's seat is damaged, worn and dented. It happens that its insert is simply disconnected from the structure. Holes due to frequent use most often appear on the edge facing the door. If someone convinces you that they have driven a car for 100 kilometers, but their seat is dented and dented, they should not be trusted.

4. Take a close look at the steering wheel. Grab the top of it and try to move it. If the skin is torn from the structure, it is unlikely that the car will have less than 200 cu. km of run. The slippery structure of its lining should also be in doubt. It happens that sellers change the old steering wheel for another, used, but in better condition. Therefore, if the color of the steering wheel differs from the color of the cabin elements, one can suspect that an old, worn-out “steering wheel” has been replaced here.

5. A statistical Polish driver drives an average of about 20 kilometers a year. kilometers. In Western Europe, the annual mileage reaches 30-50 thousand. km. If the seller claims that a ten-year-old car from Germany has traveled 150-180 thousand so far. km rather trying to deceive you. In Germany, find a car of this age with an honest mileage of no more than 300-400 thousand. km is a whole art. Oddly enough, in Poland most of them have 140.

6. Raising the saber or unscrewing the oil filler cap with the engine running, check for impacts. With heavy smoke in these places, the engine may require major repairs. These types of problems are usually a sign of high mileage.

7. The original muffler can be a confirmation of a decent mileage. During normal operation, this element in modern cars can easily withstand about 200 thousand. km.

8. Examine the chassis of the car. Look at suspension components, pads and brake discs. Turn the wheels on the jack. Buzzing bearings, worn discs, or worn shock absorbers can indicate high mileage.

9. When buying a used car, carefully look at the service stickers under the hood, on the racks near the door, where the services enter the date and course of the last inspection.

10 Before you buy a car, check the mileage on the site. By providing the VIN number (from the data sheet), you can check in the service base when and at what mileage repairs and inspections were made. Missing data most often means that someone has tampered with the computer and may have intentionally removed it to mask the signal.

11 A ten year old car used every day shouldn't look like new. Small chips on the hood or front bumper, caused by impacts from rocks, door trim, or even slightly matte paintwork, are normal. If the car you're about to buy is in perfect condition, it's a sign that someone may have fixed the paint, or maybe even repaired the car after a major collision.

12 In a car without accidents, the gaps between the individual parts of the body must be equal. For example, if the slats on the door and fender don't line up, it could mean that some of the pieces weren't properly straightened and installed by a locksmith.

13 Look for traces of paint on the door sills, A-pillars, wheel arches, and black plastic parts adjacent to the sheet metal. Each varnish stain, as well as non-factory seam and seam, should be a concern.

14 Check the front apron by lifting the hood. If it shows traces of painting or other repairs, you can suspect that the car was hit from the front. Also note the reinforcement under the bumper. In a car without an accident, they will be simple and you will not find welding marks on them.

15 Check the condition of the car floor by opening the trunk and lifting the floor covering. Any non-manufacturer welds or joints indicate that the vehicle has been hit from behind.

16 Careless painters when painting body parts often leave traces of clear varnish, for example, on gaskets. Therefore, it is worth taking a closer look at each of them. The rubber should be black and not show signs of tarnishing. Also, a worn seal around the glass may indicate that the glass has been pulled out of the lacquering frame.

17 Uneven "cut" tire tread may indicate problems with the convergence of the car. When the car has no geometry problems, the tires should wear evenly. Such troubles most often begin after accidents, mostly more serious ones. A damaged car structure cannot be repaired even by the best painters.

18 All traces of welding, joints and repairs on the stringers indicate a serious collision.

19 Always check a used car with a mechanic on the channel. Traces of major repairs are often clearly visible from below. Mileage can also be estimated by the wear of suspension parts and other components visible from below.

20 In a non-accident vehicle, all windows must have the same marking of the year of manufacture and manufacturer.

21 The airbag indicator should turn off independently of the others. It often happens that "specialists" on a car with deployed airbags associate a "dead" indicator with another (for example, ABS). So if you notice that the headlights go out together, you may suspect that the car has been hit hard.

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photo by Bartosz Guberna