Best tools you need to quickly evaluate a used car

Lately, the demand for used cars has significantly increased. As vehicles with six figures on the odometer are sold for record prices, buying a used car could be a minefield. Ideally, when you’ve found a car from a dealer or a private seller at the price that you want, you should know what to look for.

Making sure a car is in good condition is an important part of the buying process. If you only give a vehicle a quick check before buying, it opens you up to a lot of risks and potential expenses down the track.

Before going to a car inspection, you should make sure you have the necessary tools that can help make the inspection process more thorough and easier. Here we’ve put together a vehicle checkup list to help evaluate a used car.

The Best Tools for a Car Inspection

Headlight or LED work light

One of the most important tools you need for a car inspection is a quality flashlight.

Ideally, you can inspect the car outdoors on a sunny day on flat ground. However, sometimes that’s not possible, and you have to creep through the dirt in the back of a barn in fading twilight. While you can use your phone’s light to brighten up dark areas, a quality USB rechargeable LED flashlight is a much better tool to have. Since can bring a more powerful white floodlight that brightens a large area.  A good flashlight can help for checking belts for cracks and examining seepage around that oil filter buried in the guts of the bay. The flashlights allow you to get a deep look down from the top of the engine to see what fluids might be accumulating on the upper side of the aero panel.

Inspection mirror

A good quality telescoping mirror is the perfect partner to the flashlight. A LED Mirror will allow you to see areas of a car that you wouldn’t normally be able to view with the naked eye. You want a good look at that dark spot behind the A/C compressor, as well as the backside of the wheels and engine bay.

Safety glasses and gloves

You want to wear an outfit that you are not getting dirty during the inspection. When you want to give a tire a shake or a chassis component, these mechanics’ gloves will keep your hands happy. It’s recommended that wear plain-colored disposable exam gloves or anything that is in light color. Since when you dip a gloved finger into fluid reservoirs or scrape the underside of the oil filler cap, you need to know the fluid color.

Napkins or paper towels

It is always a great idea to have some paper towels, tissues, or even toilet paper with you when you go to a car inspection. When inspecting a car that still has dipsticks, you’ll also need a swab to clear them with. They can be used to wipe away oil on the dipstick, clean areas of the car to reveal what is underneath. These are also good to clear engine grubbiness off parts so you can see component numbers or specs. And, of course, you need them to clean your hands when they get dirty and more.

Voltmeter or multimeter

A voltmeter or multimeter will let you know if the vehicle’s battery and alternator are in good shape. If you need to measure voltage, a voltmeter is sufficient. But if you want to measure voltage and other things such as resistance and current, then you will have to go with a multimeter. If you’ve never used one before, it’s easy to learn how to take voltage measurements and learn which measurements to take in minutes.

OBDII reader or scanner

An OBD2 scanner is a very useful tool for car evaluation. It can help you determine the condition of a vehicle and whether or not it is suffering from any problems in a few minutes. Scanners can monitor engine activity while the engine is running and provide useful data. Readers are simpler and easier to use. However, you should know well about how to use your reader or scanner and understand the information it provides. You can look up this information as well preparation before you go for a car evaluation. Keep in mind scanners and readers are invasive tools, so you will need to ask permission from the car owner to go ahead.

Smartphone

Your smartphone will be an excellent tool to have during a car evaluation. Since you will be able to look up information or any problems you may encounter during an inspection or a test drive. It’s better to note down these issues then check what may be the cause later. In addition, you can use your phone to find a“VIN” checkup report for verifying if the car has been in an accident or written off.

Another useful tool on a modern smartphone is the camera.  You can take photos of the areas of interest or concern. Then you can look up information or get someone who has the knowledge to take a look at these photos and guide you through.

Learn more about the benefits of buying from Carnex. We believe that all clients deserve to know the good and bad of what they’re buying. Because we wanted to know these when we bought cars. That’s why at Carnex.ca, we will proudly display every detail every step of the way. Browse all the best cars, automobile buying tips, auto insurance, young drivers, driving techniques, auto industry trends from Carnex Blog.