Important checklist for second-hand cars

I love tinkering with my cars. I spend an inordinately large amount of time tinkering, poking, probing and seemingly improving stuff. I also look forward to maintenance time because it gives me the opportunity to fix, improve or repair things which I deem necessary. A well-maintained car is a better, safer, faster and more enjoyable car to drive, which is why I always urge all people to take driving and maintaining their cars much more seriously, whether they drive a beater car, a tuner car, an exotic one or even a passenger bus. It doesn’t matter as well if you’re a sporty, aggressive driver or a slowly but surely safety-minded driver. Always keep checking your car’s condition because many lives, not just yours, depend on it being safe and sound.

With more and more people buying and keeping second-hand cars and using them every day, it’s of paramount importance to keep our cars in tip-top shape all the time. Here are some things you should always look at in your car:

1.) The battery. When looking at your battery, the first thing you should check is if the battery is properly secured. Weighing anywhere between 10 and 30 lbs. each, a battery, if unsecured, can cause havoc when your vehicle figures into an accident. Buy a proper battery tie-down bar or strap, make sure the nuts and bolts securing your battery are tight and rust free, and that your battery isn’t wiggling, is held as firmly as possible nor are the terminals touching any other part of the chassis. Buy battery terminal covers made of plastic or rubber at your local auto supply store. Another thing to check is corrosion build-up on the battery terminals. An old toothbrush with dab of distilled water, a water-based lubricant or better yet, electric contact point-cleaner to remove all corrosion build-up and improve electrical flow, reduce heat build-up and ensure that your battery lasts as long as can be. And since you’re looking into the battery terminals, make sure the terminals are tight. Loose terminal connections give poor electrical flow, causing poor engine and vehicle performance.

2.) The wires. So your car is old, and the wires running in and out of your engine bay, firewall, headlights, horns and all other engine bay electrical have frayed, stripped or are simply worn and old. It’s a good idea to have a trusted electrician to replace all the wires that need replacing with properly sized and color-coded wires, then hide all of them inside a wire-conduit, tape up the ends properly, even applying shrink-wrap tubing on wire to terminal or connector junctions and finally zip-tying the wires all together and away from heat sources like the radiator or the exhaust manifold of your engine. Your engine bay will look cleaner, neater and your wires will last longer. And while you’re at it, check to make sure all the lights (headlights, foglights, turn signal lights, brake lights etc.) are working properly, and the front lights in particular are pointing in the proper direction and height.

3.) The tires. Our tires are the only things that are in contact with the ground so they need utmost care and attention. Check for uneven wear or surface deformations, cracks or cuts. Uneven wear means you need a proper wheel-alignment. Cracks on the rubber surface, especially the sidewall, means your tires are old, the rubber has cured and needs replacing as continued use can cause tire delaminating i.e. the rubber layers start separating. Cuts might mean you’ve been going over uneven terrain with underinflated tires which are more prone to tire damage. Check tire pressure as well. If you’re losing more than 3 psi weekly, you might have a slow leak or puncture which can leave you stranded. Check your tires and air them up as needed weekly.

4.) The wipers. When was the last time you checked your car’s wipers? Last time it rained cats and dogs I’ll bet. Most car owners never bother to check the condition of their vehicle’s wipers, only realizing that these are completely past their service life and inoperable during a downpour. Check your wiper blades. The wiper should feel slightly oily, which is normal as rubber or silicone used in wiper blades are self-lubricating, i.e. they give off mild lubricants to ensure that they remain soft and pliable for use, prevent hardening and cracking which causes poor wiping ability and can scratch your windshield. If the wiper blades are only mildly dried up, try applying a little silicone spray to help rejuvenate the wiper blades. If conditions don’t improve, it’s time to replace the wiper blades. It’s also a good time to have your windshield cleaned with solvents made specifically for cleaning glass, scraping off water marks and light scratches. Lastly, fill up your windshield washer reservoir with water and detergent specifically for cleaning windshields. Using generic detergents can clog up your windshield washers due to large particles in the detergents.

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