* Tires- Check for weathering (cracks or sidewall wear) and tread depth. Overly worn out tires will cost you money out of pocket right away and are a huge safety risk.
* Belts- Open up the hood & look for obvious cracks and wear on any belts including the engine belt, serpentine belt, v belt.
* Fluid levels & Condition- Check the engine oil after the car has had a moment to sit, make sure there is enough oil & it has good viscosity, no grit, carbon or dirt. Engine oil is best if it is on the lighter colored side. Transmission coolant should not smell or look “burned”. Radiator fluid should be properly filled & mixed.
* Cosmetic & Body condition- Check the condition of the body & the paint. Make sure all the lights, blinkers & windows work properly. Check the trunk & gas door releases. Make sure you know where these items are.
* Maintenance Records- Even a backyard mechanic can keep receipts from the auto parts store for oil & battery. Ask to see them. As a plus, some warranties are transferable with a vehicle.
* Air Conditioning System- Are there visible leaks? Is there noise when you run the air conditioner? Is it blowing cold?
* Brakes & Suspension- Visibly look at the rotors. Does the car pull to the left or to the right? Pulling is a bad sign. Does the car stop easily? It should. The brake pedal should be firm not spongy.

With so many systems on a car or truck obviously a professional inspection is a great idea. But if you are on your own looking for a used car print the above information and I hope it helps you to make a better used car decision, and helps to save you money in the long run.

Andrew Dale King has been taking things apart and putting them back together long enough to know that if you fix it right the first time it saves a lot of money, effort, and time. A second generation union heavy equipment mechanic he currently operates a mobile mechanic service based in the Henderson & Las Vegas area when he is not working on his wife’s Mustang or fixing the things his children have broken, or his dog chews. His website is http://www.kingautohenderson.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_D_King

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What do we mean here by “Safety”?

There are two types of safety involved here: safety when actually doing the job and the safety of the vehicle once the job is done. This article addresses both of these. The bottom line is that, whilst fixng your vehicle yourself can be rewarding in terms of both money and enjoyment, getting it wrong can be painful – or worse. Working safely not only keeps you, your friends and your loved ones safe, it will often save you money!

Use the right tool for the job

Using make-do tools frequently ends up in tears because you hurt yourself, break a piece of the car or – more frequently – both.

Use a solid support

If you have to jack the car up, put a solid support – such as axle stands – under it. Gently lower the car on the jack until most of the weight is resting on the stands. You can leave the jack there to take some of the weight, thereby subjecting all the supports to less stress. Whilst we’re here, make sure the jack has sufficient oil in it and if not, only top it up with oil meant for the job – car engine oil will not do.

Know what you’re doing

For all but the simplest jobs, before you start, get the workshop manual and read through the details of what you’re going to do. Make sure you have the right tools. Have a look at the bits you’re going to be working on before even picking up a tool and make sure it matches what’s in the manual. Those books aren’t infallible and your car may not exactly match the book.

Make sure you can see

Especially if you’re working under the car, use a powerful light but make sure you aren’t going to get a hot piece of worklight dripping on your head! Eve in bright sunlight, it can be very dark working under a car or behind an engine. The sunlight makes your eyes’ pupils close down, letting less light into your eyes and so you can’t see the dark parts as well as you expect to. So you need the worklight! Wear eye protection when working under the vehicle (or upside down in a footwell) – dirty, gritty oil in your eye stings and can cause blindness.

Don’t force things

If a fixing won’t move when you try and remove it with the right tool, check the torque that should be used to tighten it. Mostly, the torque to undo it won’t exceed two or two and a half times that (those figures are from my experience and there may be better ones out there somewhere). Use WD40 or a similar unlocking fluid before you try and undo what may be an obstinate nut or bolt. Leave it on for at least an hour – overnight is better – and apply some more before actually attacking it with the tool.

Beware of putting so much force on a tool that you break the fastener. The suddenly-released force when the fixing breaks can cause you to hit something hard with a part of your hand or arm. This can result in nasty gashes, perhaps needing stitches, and even broken fingers and limbs. It’s more common than you may think. In some cases, you can put a folded towel where you might hit your hand if the fixing “lets go”, or wrap it around your hand. Wear work gloves as well.

Use barrier cream and work gloves or rubber gloves

Many of the oils used in motor vehicles are very bad for your skin – they can cause all sorts of unpleasant reactions and, in extreme cases, cancer. A good barrier cream will pretty much prevent such effects. Wear rubber gloves as well when doing precision work, heavy leather work gloves for the brute force stuff.

Use the right fasteners

If you need to replace a nut or bolt – or any other fixing – make sure you use the right one. This is particularly true of highly stressed bolts such as those used on cylinder heads or some suspension components. If the manual says that new fixings should always be used then put the old ones in the recycling bin and get the new ones. Ignoring this will probably lead to expensive damage and can be fatal – especially true of disc brake calliper bolts!

Use a torque wrench

If you over-tighten a nut or bolt then it may fracture under the stress of normal use. Again, this can be expensive but can also be fatal. It is imperative that, for most fixings on a motor vehicle, they are tightened to the correct torque. Buy or rent a torque wrench and get the correct settings for the fixings you are dealing with.

When tightening some bolts, such as on a cylinder head, not only must they be tightened in the correct sequence but it often has to be done in stages. That will sometimes involve not only a torque specification but also turning the bolt through a particular angle at some stage. Failure to observe such instructions when working on modern high-performance engines can easily lead to expensive damage. If you get an engine blowout in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre, for example, the results are generally not pleasant!

Use thread sealant

This is especially true when dealing with safety-critical fixings and those subject to high levels of vibration. Examples are brake fixing bolts, engine Main Bearing bolts and some major suspension components. It can also be used even when not specified to give an added margin of safety – but be careful as the manual may specify that, in some places, it must not be used.

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Car maintenance, even in its most basic form is something that all car owners should be aware of. You need to be able to perform tasks such as checking the engine oil, the pressure of the tyres and the condition of your brakes. You also need to take your car in for regular service sessions and wash it on a regular basis in other to protect it from extreme weather conditions such as rain and snow. All of these represent the usual steps that all car lovers should take in order to maintain vehicles.

Being able to do aspects such as the above can save you money as you don’t have to rely on the skills of a mechanic to do everything for you. All you will need is some basic tools to do the job and a bit of free time in which to do it in. So to help you achieve this see some of the maintenance facts and advice below:

Brakes

In regards to safety these are one of the most important aspects of your car. It is compulsory that your brakes are kept in the best condition possible. However it is important to remember most brake problems develop gradually and do not rise to serious levels suddenly. Some of the main ways to spot potential problems within your brakes are through looking for aspects such as if there is a lot of pedal movement before the brakes begin to bite then they possibly need adjusting or if the brakes feel spongy or lack sharpness then it could be an indication of air in the system. Also if you pull on your handbrake and it takes more than a few clicks before it will hold the car on the hill then you need to get it checked out.

If you do feel there is a problem with your brakes it is important that you don’t use the car until you get them fixed.

Oil

If you are driving your car without the right amount of oil then it could be significantly damaging to your vehicle. To stop this potential problem you should check your oil on a regular basis, between every two or three weeks if possible. The best way to do this is when the engine is cool and when the car is on a flat surface.

The way you go about doing this is with the dipstick, which usually sticks out from one side of the engine. You should pull the dipstick out and wipe it clean then return it and pull it out again. When you take it out again you need to check that the oil mark is between the upper and lower limits.

Tyres

Your tyres have a legal minimum tread depth. If you drive on tyres that are in poor condition or that are incorrectly inflated it is dangerous and could potential cause you to have an accident, which is why it is important that you check the pressure of your tyres.

The right amount of pressure for your tyres should be listed in your manual. It is also common that your front and back tyres would be different amounts. When you are checking the pressure on your tyres you should ensure the tyres are cold otherwise you could get a falsely high reading. If the amount shown on the pressure gauge is below the amount mentioned in your owner’s manual then you will have to inflate the tyres. If by mistake you put too much air in your tyres then you should depress the pin in the centre of the valve to let some out.

Coolant

The cooling system within your car protects your engine from overheating. It is vital that you check and top-up your coolant at least once every two or three weeks, however during the hot summer months it is important that you check it more frequently.

These are just a few of the basic aspects associated with car maintenance. Ensuring all of the above will increase the life of your car and keep it running more smoothly. None of the above will take up too much of your time so make sure you fit these maintenance steps into your life and the life of your car.

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