Feb 22
adminCar Check Bodywork, Bonnet, Buyers, Buying A Used Car, Car City, Checks, city, Colour Differences, Coolant, Corrosion, Gears, Mechanical Knowledge, Necessary Brake, Nosie, Oil Filler Cap, Oil Leaks, Paintwork, Paying Attention, PrePurchase, Radiator, Roadworthy, Smart, Smart Car, Steering And Suspension, Steering Wheel
If you’re buying a used car in Melbourne, doing a few pre-purchase checks is essential – especially if you have chosen the private sale route. However, it simply isn’t practical or cost effective to have a full mechanic’s check done on every vehicle you consider buying. Today some of the car city’s experts take you through 30 pre-purchase checks that anyone can do before buying a used car in Melbourne.
Bodywork checks
You can check most of these without even putting the key in the ignition:
• Look for bubbles or colour differences in paintwork, which could indicate patching after cutting out rust or after an accident
• If doors, the bonnet or boot don’t open or close easily, the car may have been in an accident. Take it to a mechanic for a proper roadworthy inspection.
• Look for oil leaks (or a suspiciously clean underbody!)
• Check the tyres for even wearing to ensure good steering and suspension
Pop the bonnet
Even without mechanical knowledge, you can check the following quite easily:
• Look for milky or grey coloured oil (indicates serious engine problems)
• Check that the coolant is bright and clean, without oil (indicates serious engine problems)
• Look for corrosion or damage on the radiator cooling fins or battery mount (could indicate prior collision)
Then, once you’ve started the car:
• Listen with the bonnet open for irregular running noises or excessive nosie from the exhaust
• Look for signs of leakage
• Open the oil filler cap to see that there are no fumes coming out
• Watch the exhaust for smoke
When you’re driving
• Accelerate, decelerate and cruise, paying attention to the engine
• Check whether gears change smoothly
• Check the amount of play in the steering wheel (should be 5cm or less, ideally)
• Loosen your grip on the steering wheel when traffic dies off, and see whether the car pulls to one side.
Some simple steering or suspension fixes may be necessary
• Brake, both softly and harder, and check whether the car keep driving straight when you do so.
• Drive over a few speed humps if possible, and listen for rattles.
Legal checks for private sales
These checks are always recommended if you’re buying a car through a Trading Post ad or other private sale route, like eBay. If you’re buying through a car city or Melbourne used car dealer, you only need to check that they have a license number displayed in order to be assured that the seller has gone through all the necessary legal checks.
For private sales, though, you should record the VIN number from the compliance plate and the registration details from the papers. Then:
• Match the details on the compliance plate with the registration papers
• Check the engine number from the engine itself against the registration papers
• Check with REVS whether there is money owing on the car
Remember not all problems you may turn up during a pre-purchase inspection will be dealbreakers. Used cars Melbourne aren’t supposed to be perfect … and if a perfect model exists, it would be a lot closer in pricing to a new car than a used one! Know that you’ll have some niggles and some fixes – but also know that the car you’re buying is safe, and worth what you are paying.
Apr 22
adminArticles Accelerator, Acura Mdx, Air Bags, Apparent Failure, Driver Error, Electrical Problems, Emergency Services, Ford Focus, Headlights, Importers, Insurance Premium, Insurance Providers, Last Ten Years, Mdx, Passenger Safety, Paying Attention, Plague, Protectionism, Safety Record, Sudden Acceleration
There have been hundreds of newpapers headlines over the apparent failure of Toyota to deal with what is called sudden acceleration syndrome. This is where you are just sitting in your vehicle with the engine running or driving it on the road and, without warning, it suddenly accelerates. If you believe the stories, we have had people unable to stop on the highways even with helpful emergency services telling the drivers to switch off the engine.
It seems some drivers are really determined to experience uncontrolled acceleration, and their experiences may make it more likely driver error is one of the main causes of the syndrome. Indeed, if you listen to the manufacturers, they all sing the same tune. With the accelerator and brake being next to each other, it’s easy for the driver to make a mistake and press the wrong pedal. In reality, the syndrome has affected almost every make of vehicle on the road over the last ten years. It was because of the scale of the problem that manufacturers introduced the shift interlock system which makes it impossible to engage drive unless you have your foot on the brake.
Let’s put Toyota’s problems in context. Every major manufacturer has had recalls with problems affecting driver and passenger safety. The air bags in the Acura MDX were defective, and a plague of electrical problems affected the headlights in the Ford Focus. One of the reasons why Toyota has attracted more attention than the others this year is a type of protectionism. You attack the safety record of foreign importers to boost the sales of locally produced vehicles. Taking the statistics overall, Toyota actually has a better safety record than most other manufacturers, i.e. fewer people are injured per mile driven. With virtually every make and model recalled, the manufacturers show they are paying attention. Your safety is important to them. But what happens to your insurance premium if your vehicle is recalled?
Insurance providers find any possible excuse to raise their premiums but it’s very unusual for rates to rise following a recall. That would be penalizing you for the manufacturer’s design defects, and most states have regulations in place to prevent increases solely based on a recall. If you think you have been victimized in this way, report the facts to your local Department of Insurance. Should you prefer to change insurers, make sure you follow the terms and conditions for cancelling the policy. Many companies impose penalties for early cancellation.
One word of warning – do not ignore a recall notice. Auto insurance companies like to find reasons to avoid paying out on claims. If you do not have your vehicle repaired and the defect causes an accident, that will be your fault and your claim will be reduced or refused. Even if there is no accident, the insurer can impose a surcharge or refuse to renew the insurance. It would be good if auto insurance companies always showed themselves in the best possible light. Unfortunately, the drive to make the maximum profit often makes them seem vicious and cold-hearted. There is no compassion in business. So always approach insurance like every other service. Shop around to find the best make and model of vehicle – one that does well in crash tests and is not popular with thieves. Then get auto insurance quotes from as many companies as possible and find the best deal. Rest assured. Recalls are the least of your problems and do not affect the premium rate over the short term.
Jul 05
adminUncategorized Break, Breaking, Couples, Do The Right Thing, Faith, Fishing Trips, Fun, Happy Feelings, Hurdles, Interests And Hobbies, Lack Of Trust, LEARN, Partnership, Paying Attention, People, Reason, Recognise, Relationship, Same Wavelength, Signs, Squabbling, Stages, Surprise, Warning, Warning Sign, Warning Signs
As we know very few people abruptly break up. There is usually a series of stages of breaking up that all couples go through. If it comes as a surprise, you probably have the reason why you were discarded. You weren’t paying attention to what was happening between you and your partner. Otherwise you would have spotted that they weren’t happy, was ignoring you and doing their best not to spend time with you.
We all get bogged down in our own thing from time to time and this isn’t usually a problem. But when your partner sees less of you than your friends and other family, it can underline an issue in your relationship. If you do spend time together but are always squabbling, you need to stop and break that sequence. Constant arguing achieves nothing and although initially it is fun making up, it can come to a point where you don’t bother trying.
Does your partner trust you? Do you trust them? Lack of trust is also a warning sign of a partnership in trouble.
If you always second guess your lover or expect to know where they are all the time, they will soon see that this isn’t love and may move on. If you are behaving like this, you need to stop immediately. Unless your spouse has given you reason not to trust them, you should believe in them and have faith that they will do the right thing.
Are you on the same wavelength as your other half? Do they share your happy feelings and sympathize when you are down or feeling low? Couples, who automatically, know how the other is feeling, will overcome most of the hurdles that life can fling at us.
Does your lover share your interests and hobbies? If she has made an effort to get involved, this is a sign that she really cares about you.
No-one expects her to join you for your 5am fishing trips but if she seems interested in listening to your stories about what you caught, what size it was that is a good indication.
Your partner may have asked for a trial parting. Ok, so sometimes this is just an easy way of saying “you are dumped but I can’t say that!” But it doesn’t always have to signify this. Things can go wrong between two people and only time apart will help them to resolve the issues.
So if your lover does propose this, agree but ask that they come to counselling with you. Show them that you do not want the relationship to end as they mean too much to you. Try not to put pressure on them and do not resort to emotional blackmail. You cannot force someone to love you but you can turn a bad situation into something a lot worse by appearing fraught or scheming.
True love is based on love and admiration. Showing your partner that you know this is a great way to avoid the final stages of breaking up.
Feb 10
adminUncategorized Appointment, Brakes, Care, Contact, from, Mechanic Shops, Money, Paying Attention, Rain, Signs, Sorts, Squeak, Take, Tires, Vehicle, Warning, Warning Signs
Your owning car is something like your child or your pet. It’s good because when you spend enough time in your vehicle, you will become attuned to how it handles and more importantly, you will know whether there is something off with your vehicle. You need to make sure that you take care of your car, making sure that it has enough fuel, and oil and that the tires are properly inflated, etc. All of this will help you to realize when something is slightly off.
Recently, I noticed that whenever I would start to slow down, my brakes would occasionally squeak. At first, I thought that this was just due to the fact that the car was wet from rain, etc. However, over time, the brakes were not only squeaking, they were grinding whenever I would come to a full and complete stop. Concerned, I eventually made an appointment to bring my car into the dealership to have it looked at by a certified specialist.
When it comes to the brakes in your vehicle, you don’t want to take any chances, and as frustrating as it can be to have to know that you may have to spend money on your vehicle for repairs, you are better off being safe than sorry.
If I hadn’t been so attuned to how my car functions, I may have not noticed the squeaking, and I may not have even thought anything about the grinding sound whenever I stopped. However, because I had been paying attention to how the car sounded while I was driving, I knew automatically that the sounds it was now making were not sounds that were customarily made by it when I had first purchased it only a few months before. If you notice any sorts of problems with your vehicle, make sure that you take note of when you first notice the problems, what the issue is and then make it a point to contact your dealership or mechanic.
For certain vehicles, replacing parts or having things fixed can be pretty pricey, which is why it may be worth it to check around with other mechanic shops in the area where you live. Call around and explain what the problem is and then try to get an estimate for how long it would take to diagnose. If you already know what the problem is with your vehicle, then you can call around and explain what the problem is. Then make sure that you ask how much it would cost to have the problem fixed with the labor included as a part of the price quote.
To have your vehicle fixed or repaired at a dealership shop, it is going to cost you more money out of pocket simply due to the labor costs. However, on the positive side, it may be worth it to take your vehicle to a dealership to have it looked at because then you know that that dealer knows your vehicle inside and out. Not only this, but all mechanics that work out of dealership shops are certified. Whatever the problem with your vehicle, heed the warning signs ahead of time to prevent further problems or complications.
Jan 26
adminUncategorized Clash, Commitments, Different Lives, First, First Warning, Husband And Wife, Indignation, Marital Concerns, Marital Relationship, Marriage Problems, Miscalculation, Misunderstanding, Paying Attention, Quality Time, Reciprocation, Relationship, Relationship Issues, Relationship Marriage, Signs, Spousal, Spousal Relationship, Time Periods, Unhappy, Viewpoint, Warning, Warning Signs
Marriage problems will certainly come about in a spousal relationship. No husband and wife should be duped in to imagining there will not be any difficulty and things are certain to get better each day. It will not. A couple residing in the same house hold will mean a clash of personalities no matter if blatant or subtle.
Obviously having an alternative viewpoint and ideals to the marriage is essential. It’s very difficult to make any life together if one person is basically always getting their way. There must always be a healthy and balanced amount of reciprocation coming from the two parties. That’s a means of exhibiting regard.
But whenever things like that are out of balance marital concerns grow from being minor stumbling-blocks to major obstacles in remaining happy with each other. A lot of couples unfortunately make the miscalculation of brushing these signs away or possibly ignoring them completely.
Once they at long last comprehend what is going on their own marital relationship is headed toward a split with the two parties helpless and loath to cure the fall.
1. Moving Your Own Way
It’s possible work is actually taking over a lot more of your time and energy than you would like. Or household commitments happen to be making the quality time periods the pair of you used to spend with each other just about impossible. No matter what caused it the two of you rationalize this growing apart to yourselves as well as one another. Before long it hits you that you’re leading different lives.
2. No more Matched
Relationship issues likewise happen when you cease paying attention to your spouse’s feedback. Where as previously the both of you had been amenable to one another’s views it is replaced with both of you thinking the other individual doesn’t have any clue as to what they are going on about. So you set about setting one another straight as it were. That only leads to indignation
3. From Misunderstanding To All Out Battle.
It’s a minor thing or so it appears nevertheless it can bring about serious marriage problems. Someone left that top off the toothpaste again. It wasn’t done deliberately but you really are fed up with reminding your significant other about it. Which means this time you get upset and inform them in a very disagreeable fashion to not do it again. Your mate does not like your manner and the next thing you realize the fight is on. These disputes tend to be occurring way more frequently lately.
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