I just sent this link to my daughter. She is looking to get her first vehicle. I would help her, but she is 700 miles away. This is a big help. Thank you for your informative videos
There's two things that I always do and recommend doing with anyone who's buying a used car from anyone including a car dealer..,....1) run a scan on diagnostic specifically the mode 6 file which gives the history of the number of trouble codes and how many times they were reset and 2) take it to a frame shop where the chassis can be inspected and they can visually see if any repairs have been made and if they were done correctly
Kenny, I noticed something you didn’t mention…..there’s a small section of pinstripe on the back of the cab on the drivers side. It’s NOWHERE else. THATS also a red flag for me. Have a good one. Peace
Really liked your explanation of Torque Management. The amount of work the designers went to to prevent engine and transmission damage is amazing. I’ve disabled most of my torque management via HP Tuners.
Great video Kenny. Over here in the UK all vehicles have to do a compulsory annual MOT test where they basically do this to register it as ‘ Road Worthy’.Good tip, I never thought to take my little OBD2 scanner. I tell people I know that the 3 Golden Rules are - 1, ALWAYS take someone with you that knows cars really well. 2, Assume your going to be walking away and not buying this car so you have no regrets about it. 3, If it doesn’t look or sound right there’s a good chance it isn’t so walk away. Could I suggest some add ons? If it’s a manual ‘stick’ shift move it through all the gears, including reverse and work the clutch pedal a few times. Shift the gears in order and randomly with the engine OFF and again with the clutch in and the engine ON before you pull away. check for odd noises, tight shifts and grinding sounds. If your Brave enough do a reasonably hard Emergency stop to see if the brake pedal dances under your foot as the Antilock Braking System kicks in.
Excellent as always. The last comment about being over anxious is essential, sellers count on buyers deciding to buy before they even show up. Don’t talk yourself into the buy and be prepared to walk away.
This is one of the best pre purchase used vehicle guideline videos on RU-vid. Your truck would be considered MINT if the rust had not rotted the body and frame. Because here in Upstate New York, that year truck would be in the crusher already. The rust would have eaten the entire truck from the bottom up! I owned an 03 Ram that the hood was starting to rust from the inside out from the brined, calcium, and mega-salted New York State Thruway. My cruise control servo, located under the battery actually rusted completely through!
Great job informing your average person and also mechanic, that may not have thought of some of the checks you just showed? While inspecting a vehicle for sale? I was also taught by my father, at a very young age, to never look at a vehicle in the evening and especially at night? What you may not see, can really bite you after the sale? Asking the owner why they are selling that particular vehicle, will put them on the spot, and give you an idea of things purposely not disclosed, possibly? Last item I'm sure Kenny would recommend doing, at least, is make sure the check engine light is actually there, in the cluster, and luminating while in the run position? Awesome video, Kenny, as usual.
I test drove an old Plymouth years ago . Manual steering . It had a bad idler arm . My friend was in the passenger seat , the owner in back . I mentioned the steering , which pulled when I was coming to a stop . Not a brake pull . The guy actually leaned over the seat and grabbed the steering wheel as it pulled . " I don't recall any problems " ! Or the car " just painted " - with a BRUSH ! Or the " shop " in Brooklyn straightening a Cadillac chassis - with a blow torch and a sledgehammer ! Or the " rebuilt " engine . AKA valve cover gaskets and spray paint . Over spray EVERYWHERE ! Endless ! Buyer beware .
Great advise. Also ask the seller why they are selling it, the history of the car (how long they had it, how many owners, and the type of use), and what if anything is wrong or not working before your inspection. It is a yellow or red flag when you find things they did not tell you about. On test drive, do not let the seller distract you with the great sound system which could cover noises you should listen for. If it seems wrong, walk away. There are more cars out there. Most important, if you find it was in a flood or has water damage, don't walk, run away.
Don't forget to look at simple things like the brake pedal, steering wheel, inside drivers door handle and panel, and the windshield for wear. If they seem to be more worn than the mileage on the cluster, it was probably rolled back. Yes, all of those things can be changed but when you start looking at carpet and seat wear along with other things you can get a pretty good idea. Even if some of those things were changed, chances are they probably overlooked something. Good luck and God bless.
Not only look for smoke on start up, I cup my hands at the exaust and smell my hands. Then wash them and do it again at operating temp. Also smell the antifreeze for fuel.
Thanks for such a great video for buying a used vehicle. I use a lot of this content for buying a new car also. It's a great idea to check the lines of the vehicle and everything else you said before leaving the car lot. This lets you know how well the car was assembled at the manufacturer. Let's the dealer know what needs to be fixed before you buy the car. If they agree to fix the problems, this is great. If they don't go somewhere else! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone!!!
I consider myself somewhat car savvy. I bought a 2year old Ram 1500 5.7 with only 27k miles on it. I did check off many of the things you outlined in your video. However I didn’t remove the radiator cap and peek inside. I bought the truck and drove it home. All was well for a week and I noticed some coolant on the ground. I checked the radiator and found a ton of stop leak. I replaced the radiator, thermostat and in short order… the water pump… all because I didn’t look in the radiator.
Everything you said and did in this viseo is good advice Kenny. Just keep in mind that most people with car for sale hasn't a clue either. They are just people like we are. When you buy a car, it is your responsibility to check it out or have a pro do it. Also remember when a friend borrowed your car and told you about something that wasn't quiet right about your vehicle? You drive everyday, and don't notice things others would.
Great stuff Kenny ! I laughed several times when you showed your logo upping the value and when you were self deprecating and called the owner a slob ! 😅
My local newspaper has a $500 or less section. I was in need of a vehicle and a 1998 Mitsubishi Diamante appeared in the $500 or less section - they had $500 on it which they said they would pay transfer fees at the county clerk's office. I was in a need for a vehicle fast. I was the first to call about it. I looked it over. Tires were brand new and the battery was brаnd new. All the electronics worked. With the engine off there wasn't any leaks however when the engine was there was oil leaking out of the fill cap. It was cause by blow-by. Knowing this I bought the car any how. I always made sure that engine had plenty of oil. A friend who was able to fabricate things designed something to protect the alternator and the AC from the oil. The car finally after about 6 and a half years blew the engine. My fabrication friend cut the catalytic converter out and I scrapped the car. For the car I got $575 and $150 for the catalytic converter.
What an informative video. Things people need to know. One thing, use the back of your hand to check the wheels. Maybe you could rent a roll off and clean it out.
Kenny, all fantastic advice. If I'm buying a diesel I want to see it when it's cold and not run that day. Diesels once started will usually start OK but first thing when the oil has drained from the cylinders and piston rings it'll show up low compression OR if nothing else it'll let you know if the glow plugs are working. OK, if it's a private seller that may be a problemo, but if its a dealer and they won't let you see it cold don't bother even going to see it.
Hope your having a good Sunday Kenny. Just found your channel very recently and I just commented on a different video about an hour ago and then you post one again! Keep wrenching
Great information. My daughters would have greatly benefitted from this video if they were buying used cars now. Most low information car buyers wouldnt know where to start in sizing up a used car.
In regards to the part of the video that discusses clearing codes right before selling the vehicle, there are some new developments. First, you can't reset a hard fault. It will always come back, even if you clear them. For emissions related DTC's like EVAP codes, modern vehicles will set what's called permeate DTC's. Permeate DTC's are actually temporary codes that only the PCM can turn off. They mean codes were cleared, and the PCM isn't sure if the problem is fixed or not. Once enough information is gathered by the PCM, it will clear permanent codes if the system is performing normally. Otherwise, it stays. So, if you have some permanent DTC's listed on your scanner, don't do anything and wait to see if the PCM clears them. If not, the issue isn't fixed.
Kenny, my ancient (almost 20 year old) Innova scanner shows "miles since DTC cleared" which I think is a great indicator to how truthful the customer is. I connected it to my daily driver a few weeks ago and it was almost 25000 miles since I put a new battery in it and had cleared everything. Just my 5 cents (Bidenflation). Thank you!
Thats awesome !! Some vehicles keep that info in memory , and I think it's a great tool to have access to . We had that info at the dealer also which was an awesome way to tell if a customer was full of BS !! Thanks for watching !!
all the inflation near me happened literally after DJT was elected and thru his four years. For real, and THAT four years was also when supply chain started choking, where we saw things like Toyota production having its first issues EVER including major quality issues!! That's econ reality. I enjoy facing real facts. Whereas inflation during past three yrs was entirely global as u can well learn by googling for a few seconds. As the captain in NCIS New Orleans says (played by Scott Bakula), "learn things!"
Really cheap one is around $10, which will read codes, read monitor readiness, and show live data. Monochrome LCD, and sold by a good number of places, and a good enough unit that you can leave in the car all the time. But yes a really good set of procedures, which are applicable to all vehicles, even worth doing if all you are doing is renting it for a week from one of the rental companies, to at least make sure you are getting a vehicle that is functional, and where you will not be dinged for damage when returning it, that was there, but not noticed, or noted on the sheet, when you signed for it.
New Jersey state inspection only checks for check engine light and absolutely nothing else. You can drive in with engine cradle k-frame rusted out, calipers that leak, no windshield wiper blades and bald tires and still pass & get 2 sticker
Kenny this is a very helpful video. I would like to add some more; after acceleration let the gas pedal loose to have the car braking on the engine, then again continue to drive and look in the rear window to see if there is (blue)smoke. Notoriuos for BMW's seeping oil at the valve seals.
Never buy at night & always check underside with flashlight.. I live in New Jersey but will only buy used cars from Connecticut because they must be inspected by State before sale so everything must be fixed before released to buyer.
Another thing is, if the car saw severe use in its past, such as taxi or police car duty, walk away. Those cars are almost invariably used up. Also be wary of former rentals as they are also often abused.
check registration date on title----recent registration date could be a red flag---also check what is was registered as ---used / salvage /auction /stolen / ect. Many states have different blanks to fill in , check them all /last but not least make sure driver license matches the title
have a couple of my own from over the years as well...especially after 16 vehicles (and every ONE of which, including the OBD1's, had a check engine on). for rustbelt vehicles, look underneath FIRST. PA vehicles especially, as we have an almost draconian inspection when it comes to that. a single pinhole can fail an otherwise lovely low-mileage vehicle. also, look for "coverups" I recently lost a low-mileage Honda to a hidden pinhole in a subframe. check the wipers immediately...if they've deteriorated, the vehicle has been sitting in place for at least 3 months. many times, a private seller or small lot will have never looked at the vehicle themselves. both a dealership and myself were conjobbed by a small SUV that was rotted IN HALF...and since the dealership itself didn't look...(they've since gone out of business) one item, minimum, out of the following is usually missing in this area; Jack, Jack tools, spare, spare keys (including fobs), floormats (for some cockamamy reason), manual. inspect the bulbs not just for working conditions, but for sheer old age. a lot of the time, the original bulbs are still in the sockets, and they're blacker than the inside of a mineshaft on the first day of winter. there also may be mismatches; some people only replace one bulb when it goes out, not both, or use the wrong type. I found a brake light bulb replaced with an amber replacement, for example. ambers often give themselves away as old as well...the coating peels off or it is a really pale yellow.
The first thing I do is look underneath the car (for rust, leaks), then check fluids, and then drive it like I stole it. I mean drive it hard. If you're gonna have any trouble with it, it'll be when you drive it hard, at good speeds (60mph plus of possible). I had an Ford Expedition have transmission issues, just before pulling back onto the dealer, and a Ford Explorer died on me in one of the busiest intersections in my state. I dodged two bullets just by test driving them hard. I also looked at a Toyota T100 from back east. The pickup bed was rusted all the way through. That's why it was so cheap. NOPE!
Learned a lot. Rip offs are no fun. Best to buy new if you can. However can get some really good deals buying used if you know what to look for. Thanks
35:38 I remember older cars had either a rod or a cable that ran from the carb or Tb down to the tranny to control the line pressure. In my old 85 grand marquis you could always tell when it shifted.
Little bit of white is fine, short trip and engine did not get hot to boil off the water. But if it is like a glob of hand cream inside, not a thin film, yes water leaking into the oil.
A couple years ago my wife and I were looking at used vans for our farmers market business. We saw a van in Craig's list in our price range and drove to take a look at it. It looked pretty clean, but I said to her "let me inspect the wheels", so I got on the ground with a small flashlight and eyeballed the wheels. I found 2 wheels where brake fluid was leaking from brake cylinders. Needless to say, we didn't buy the van.
Way off topic but Kenny...please do a video on the scanner tools. We are heading to where a shade tree mechanic needs that. Try and cover a few scanners ranging in price from harbor freight to snap-on. Should you buy a scanner specific to what youre going to.work on?
Cheap vs mid/ expensive scanners can behave so much differently on different years and models. My 01 Yukon I used a cheap Autel scanner it worked fine except it couldn't read SRS codes, then I purchased a 12 Ram 2500 Cummins , that old scanner was useless, so I purchased a $400 scanner when I got my first CEL because the old one couldn't read it, it was The PVC filter and a upstream O2 sensor, I tried the new scanner on the 01 Yukon and it gave me all kinds of codes that were not there??? The codes I got 16 in total it would be impossible for it to run with all the issues the scanner said it had!! I had the year, make, model and engine correct but it still said it was a complete mess. Point is not all scanners will work.
Yes that is true but some vehicles will set codes if you changw the battery & don't scan it afterwards doesn' mean all those things are wrong they just need to be reset then you will know what hard codes are left.Cheers.
Having a scan tool is one thing, but knowing what to do with the information it gives you is something else altogether. A bunch of codes, in most cases, isn't that big of a deal. You have to know what type of codes they are which ones are the most important. You start your diagnosis going by whatever the primary DTC is. In your case, there's probably nothing wrong with your old scanner, its just that as vehicles are constantly getting more complicated, new codes are needed. You need a newer scan tool more than an expensive one. Next time you use your scanner, look at the first letter on each of the DTC's. They will either start with a P, B, C, or U. Disregard all of the ones that start with a U (In almost all cases, where you have a lot of codes, most of them will start with a U. If any start with a P, look at those first. Those are the most important ones. Then B, then C. After the first letter, focus on the first number that comes after it. If it starts with a 0, its an OBD code that means the same thing on all cars. You should always be able to get all of them on any modern scan tool. Any number other than a 0 is manufacturer specific. Your scanner may, or may not read them. "The codes I got 16 in total it would be impossible for it to run with all the issues the scanner said it had!!" Maybe. Disregard all the U codes. If the ones that are left over will prevent the vehicle from running, Your PCM may go into an open loop condition. Open loop disregards a lot of the information the PCM needs to set your fuel trims, and instead uses a different fuel delivery strategy to keep the engine running. Look at the data stream on your scanner. When you first start the car, it runs in open loop. Once the engine reaches a certain operating temperature, it drops into closed loop. You should see this happen in real time on your scanner. If not, that's a problem. This info is very important when trying to diag a problem.
Great super informative video. Thank You for sharing this video with us. Much Love and Hugs P.S. I can’t believe you caught me with my not folding, driver side mirror, fixed with epoxy…ha ha ha ha
Some states,check the title good.Reason is some states have laws putting child support liens on the title.With that lien on the title,cannot put the title in your name
With a dodge of your year. It won't lock with keys in the ignition. My last truck was a year older then yours. An the truck before that was a 2003. Lol
Hi it's Mrs Wrenching, sorry to hear your having problems. Kenny is still at work. You should go on Facebook Wrenching with Kenny. Input all the info about your vehicle & what you have done to fix the issue. There are a lot of techs and automotive people that may be able to help. You can try our FB group, Backyard Mechanics (3.8K members) they can help too. Be sure to answer all the questions to join the groups. Let us know what you come up with. Keep wrenching!
