by Eric L. Haschert

Created on: March 30, 2009   Last Updated: April 06, 2009

I am a licensed Auto Mechanic, which means that I have an Safety Inspection License to inspect cars in my home state. My home state has mandatory vehicle safety inspections on a yearly basis. Once your vehicle is inspected you get a special sticker that proves your vehicle passed inspection. You cannot drive on the road or get tags or insurance without a valid inspection sticker. Not all states or countries have mandatory inspections. Not all inspected cars are worthy of their sticker. There's alot of time in between inspections. That is why I am writing this article to tell you the buyer how to inspect a car before you buy it.

First, you want to check the fluids. Starting with the oil first. Is the oil up to below or past the full mark. It should be dead on. What color is the oil anything from dark brown or black to golden yellow is acceptable. The golden yellow is new oil so you know the oil has just been changed but a good question to ask is why has it just been changed? The owner may be attempting to hide something. Black or brown is well used oil ready to be changed. What you do not want to see is oil that is milky or looks like a milk shake this oil has water and antifreeze in it. This means that the engine is leaking internally. Usually in these cases, it's a cracked head or blown head gasket. That can be expensive to repair. Also the engine could be damaged for having contaminated oil running through it because it does not lubricate as well when contaminated.

Second look at your transmission fluid if the car has a dipstick for it. The dipstick will usually be colored red. When you examine the fluid is it up to the full mark past it or below it? If past it this is bad because this can overload the pump in the transmission and cause bubbles to be created in the fluid which will not lubricate the transmission properly. If it is below this could also be a problem because the pump will run out of fluid to lubricate the trans with. Dead on is what you need for a no worry level. Now is the fluid Cherry red or is it brown and gritty? If it is brown and gritty the grit is from the clutch disks and bands in the trans and this means they are abnormally worn. The trans may fail within the next 6 months or so if not rebuilt before then. The clutch disks and bands are worn because the trans wasn't lubricated properly either over or under will do it. The reason the fluid is brown is because it is burnt. You should smell it if it is brown it should have an unpleasant

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