Pop quiz hotshot - you just bought a car...

...and you have no idea whats going on in there. So, whats your maintenance checklist for a new to you car? Oil change, Fuel filter, air filter, plugs, wires? Thats normal stuff, but what other bits get attention?

If it's a used car I bought off of a person (not a dealer) I generally check brakes. Usually change them so I know where they start. Generally not expensive unless rotors/drums get involved then it needed it anyway. Followed by a quick bleed. Peace of mind then.

Depending on how long the car has been sitting... Fuel Lines, filter, tank. Might be in your best interest to at least pull valve cover and possibly head to check for any damage.

i check: control arms, bushings, wheel bearings, ect..

A good deep down cleaning. Makes it look better but gives you a chance to go over every nook and cranny of the car to look for trouble spots.

If there is an aftermarket stereo, trace the wires. Chances are the PO wasn't an electrical engineer and there could be a short lurking.

-Rob

I usually disassemble the brakes. If everything looks good, I just clean, lube and reassemble everything. That's not often the case.

usually timing belt/water pump (present car excluded, of course)...even on non-interference engines. b/c getting stranded sucks only a little bit less than getting stranded with a broken engine.

and brakes.

Change all fluids, check brakes, front end, and 'common' wearables(belts, bearings, etc). The older/higher mileage, the more things I look at.

Oil/filter, check the tires, AAA card.

If I just bought a used car it's either nearly new and so I don't worry about it or it's an old beater so I don't worry about it. I check the basics (fluids, tires, etc.) before I buy.

rev it to redline, hold for 5 minutes, if it blows it wasn't meant to be...

I typically check fluids, then go over the brake lines, hard and soft, give the wheel bearings and tie rods a good tech inspection jiggle, pump the tires up(no used car I ever bought had more than 26psi), jack it up and go at the ball joints with a pry bar, then poke around for rust, this being New England after all.

Usually it's a ll tune up and repair goodies at that point. Common sense tells me I should change the timing belt and the "while you're in there"s, but my cars are often VERY cheap beaters.:)

Get a Hayes manual and go through the checklist in that.

4cylndrfury wrote: ...and you have no idea whats going on in there. So, whats your maintenance checklist for a new to you car? Oil change, Fuel filter, air filter, plugs, wires? Thats normal stuff, but what other bits get attention?

For me, it was an engine swap. .....but the rebuild was almost done on the spare, so I just completed it. Does that count?

Plugs, wires, cap/rotor, air filter, oil & filter, fuel filter; brake fluid; tranny fluid; check belts, timing, tires, brakes, shocks.

If it's a Toyota engine, especially an R-block, I'll pull the valve cover, replace the valve cover gasket and half-moon seals (always leaking), and check the valve clearance. It it's high enough mileage, I'll replace those little pads in the tips of the rocker arms that the valves ride on.

Basically, anything that has any sort of scheduled replacement schedule at least gets checked.

Usually a really good clean - the cars in my price range are usually filthy plus it gives me a chance check over everything.

the pan under the back seat cushion. usually tells you a lot about the p.o.

use up two cans of aerosol engine degreaser under the hood. blow it all off at the do it urself carwash. spend the next couple weeks watching for anything fresh.

Pull the spare and the jack out and verify they are still functional if they aren't missing.
Check and fill or replace fluids, check brakes, exhaust, lights and fuses, basic electronics, bearings, tire tread and pressure, shock leaks, filter, and throttle return spring. Plugs, wires, timing belt if old enough. Then I hit the road and check stopping distance and verify that the ABS functions like it should. No funny noises over bumps and around corners or around bumpy corners. Verify fuel fill cap and oil fill cap come off without excessive use of tools.

Then fix it.

Drive it home, make notes on what it needs.

Or: trailer it home, add all new fluids after swapping the engine/trans/rearend. Sometimes. I've been cheap and re-used coolant. It always bites me in the ass when a pebble sticks the thermostat open.

Shoot the hostage.

Screwdriver transfer, drive it like you stole it.