What kinds of things should I look for when examining the body of a potential used car/truck purchase?
There are several things to watch out for. First, make sure you look at the vehicle during the day. Darkness has a way of hiding problems. Examine around moldings, window moldings, wheelwells and other areas where rust might be creeping out from hidden places. “Bubbling” paint is an almost sure sign of rust and/or repairs. Pay special attention to the trunk floor and interior floorboards. Pull up the carpeting, look at the bottom of the doors, trunklid and hood. Take a magnet and a piece of paper with you. Place the sheet of paper flat on suspect areas and see how well the magnet sticks to the body through the paper. Wherever the magnet doesn’t stick (or sticks weakly), there’s probably filler underneath, or fibreglass. Next, look carefully at the gaps between body panels, doors, trunks, moldings, hoods, etc. The gaps should be fairly evenly spaced, and the panels centred (even gaps on both sides). Uneven gaps could indicate that the vehicle has been in an accident, and has been repair
Related Questions
- Can you please explain how the deductible on the new and used car extended service contracts, as well as the extended SUV service contracts and truck service contracts work?
- What kinds of things should I look for when examining the body of a potential used car/truck purchase?
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