Transcript
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
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(SINGING) 1, 2, 3, 4.
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Rev up your engines!
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[ENGINE REVVING]
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It’s time for ScottyKilmer.com.
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If you were thinking about buying a used car then
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stay tuned, because today I’m going
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to show you how to quickly check out a used car for purchase.
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Now, all modern cars are computerized,
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so if you have one of these OBD2 readers, plug it into the car
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and you’ll learn a lot.
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And realize that these OBD2 scanners will fit any car
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from 1996 to the present.
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So if you don’t have one, it’s a good idea to get one.
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Some are as cheap as 40 bucks.
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Now, in this Toyota, you go under the dash.
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And here’s the plug that in plugs into right here.
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You just plug the code reader right in.
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It snaps in, then start the car.
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[ENGINE STARTING]
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Then the first thing you want to do is see if there’s any codes.
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So we’ll choose Read Codes.
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Well, there is no code, so that’s good.
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Now, if there were any trouble codes,
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that means there’s a problem with the car.
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There aren’t any, so we know that at least there’s
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no solid trouble codes.
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Then you also want to check a thing that’s
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called drive cycle monitor.
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And in this case, you can say it says all monitors are OK.
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And that’s really important to check also,
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because sometimes the owner will have the computer reset
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and it will have problems.
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Then it would say some of the monitors weren’t OK yet.
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You wouldn’t want to buy the car then.
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Now, the next thing to do is to park on a nice, flat surface,
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and then look under it to see if there’s any kind of oil leakage
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that’s dripping down on the ground.
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And in this case, it’s dry as a bone.
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But we’re going to jack up the front end
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anyways to check things.
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You can learn a lot by jacking up a car
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and looking at the underside.
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You want to look at the CV joints
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to make sure they’re not ripped or torn.
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And you can check the bottom of the engine and transmission.
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And in this case, they’re bone dry,
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so they’re not leaking at all.
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While you have it jacked up in the air,
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you can pull on the tires to see if there’s
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any suspension where the tire would wobble back and forth.
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Now, this car is pretty new.
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It’s only about a year old.
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So I know that it runs pretty good.
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We’re mainly going to be looking for body damage
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to see if the car’s been wrecked or flooded.
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So you slam the hood, and then see if it’s aligned correctly
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the whole way around.
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Look at the seam on one side of the hood
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and compare it with the seam on the other side of the hood.
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And in this case, the right seam and the left seam
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look exactly the same, so the hood hasn’t been crumpled in.
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And do the same thing on all the door seams
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to make sure they look the same front to back and side to side.
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So we’re going to the other side.
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And they all match, so it wasn’t whacked one side or the other.
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Now we’ll pop the trunk open and look inside
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to see if it’s been rear ended.
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Well, the seams inside are clean and they’re all
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factory-looking.
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And now we’ll pick up the rugs and look inside.
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And sure, a little cardboard stuff is ripped.
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But more importantly, all these factory seams
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are still exactly as the car was built.
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They haven’t been touched and done over,
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so it hasn’t been rear ended.
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Then you want to go up and down the car looking at the paint.
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And look at the reflections, because that way
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you can see if there’s any little dings.
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As we walk down the car here, you
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can see, hey, this looks strange.
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There’s a little ding in the door right here.
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You’re only going to see it when you look at the reflections,
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though, so look closely.
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Now, of course, you don’t buy a car
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just because it has a few dings but you knock some money
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off the price.
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And the last thing you want to do in this quick check
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is look at all four tires.
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Make sure they’re not [? cupped ?] or have gouges
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in them, showing that there’s a problem.
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These are flat and evenly worn.
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And then, of course, take it for a good road test.
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Drive it for a good 10 minutes in town
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and 10 miles on the highway.
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Listen for buzzing noise, humming noise, clicking noises,
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and see how the vehicle tracks at highway speeds,
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if the steering wheel goes straight
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and whether it shakes or not.
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And then if you’re real serious about the car,
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do like my customer did, bring a car to a mechanic like me
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to do the final check.
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Because you’re going to be saving thousands of dollars
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buying a used car, so spend 80 or 90 bucks
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to have a pro check it out before you buy.
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And aside from a little dent on the side of the door
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and some cracked cardboard in the trunk,
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this Toyota passed with flying colors.
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And remember, if you have any car questions, just
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visit ScottyKilmer.com.
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
