mts Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 Originally posted by "classic_martini" Hood Components 1. Hood release 2. Hood prop rod/gas struts; Engine Compartments 3. Valve cover gaskets 4. Cylinder heads & gaskets 5. Belts 6. Hoses 7. Oil change & new oil filter 8. Air filter 9. Starter 10. Engine idle speed 11. Engine pressure test 12. Engine diagnostic test 13. Engine mounts 14. Acceleration performance 15. Cruising performance Transmission Components 16. Fluid level 17. Operation 18. CV boots 19. Drive axles 20. Shift points 21. Brake/shift interlock/neutral safety switch (automatic)/clutch switch (manual) 22. Transfer case (4x4s) Exhaust System 23. Emissions 24. Muffler 25. Pipes and hangers Battery 26. Battery condition/charge Cooling System 27. Coolant level 28. Coolant condition (35°F or lower) 29. Radiator condition 30. Cooling fan blades 31. Coolant recovery system Braking System 32. Brake fluid 33. Parking brake 34. Rotors 35. Calipers 36. Drums 37. Pads/shoes (50 percent of life remaining) 38. Brake operations Steering System 39. Power steering fluid 40. Power steering pump 41. Rack and pinion assembly 42. Alignment Wipers/Washers 43. Washer fluid level 44. Wiper operation/wiper blades Seating Areas 45. Adjustments 46. Safety belts 47. Headrests 48. Carpet condition 49. Floor mat condition 50. Seat fabric condition 51. Door trim panel condition 52. Fold-down latches 53. Headliner condition Instrumentation and Controls 54. Instrument panel gauges 55. Horn 56. Lighters/power outlets 57. Cup holders 58. Ashtrays 59. Window controls 60. Mirrors 61. Door lock controls 62. Steering wheel controls 63. Glove box 64. Speed control 65. Heating/ventilation/air 66. Rear window defroster 67. Sun visors 68. Moonroof 69. Courtesy lights 70. Remote deck lid release 71. Remote fuel filler door release 72. Factory alarm system Suspension Components 73. Shock absorbers 74. Struts 75. Suspension mountings/Stabilizers 76. Chassis lubrication Fuel System 77. Fuel tank/fuel lines Lights 78. Headlamps (high, low, aim)/fog lamps (if equipped) 79. Parking lamps 80. Hazard lights 81. Brake lights 82. Backup lights 83. Turn signals Air Bag 84. Readiness/system condition Audio System 85. Radio/cassette/CD player/speakers 86. Antenna Exterior 87. Windshield and windows 88. Body side panel condition 89. Hood condition 90. Door condition 91. Deck lid condition 92. Grille condition 93. Bumper/fascia condition Luggage Compartment 94. Luggage compartment Weather-stripping 95. Luggage compartment trim 96. Luggage compartment lights Tires and Wheels 97. Tire condition (50 percent of tread remaining) 98. Spare tire condition 99. Wheel condition 100. Jack and wrench condition ALSO - this is from a Xedos 6 "how to prepare for buying guide" - so replace Xedos 6 specifics with Milly s or l: When ringing a seller I always ask the same questions, 1/ How long have you owned the car? this will tell you a lot, the longer the better and beware of anything under a year or wonder what has made them sell it so quick. 2/ Has the car had any accidents that they know of? this will put them on the spot and you normally will get a honest answer, if they say yes make the repair your first check to see how well it was done, walk away from bad repairs. 3/ Has the car a service history? if it hasn't got some sort of service record I would leave it, first cars need to be serviced and second you will have no way of confirming the mileage. 4/ Has the timing belt been changed? They need changing every 60,000 miles and don't break this rule. Straight after arranging the view, I logged on to http://www.hpicheck.com and for £12.00 I have a full check done on the car, it confirms the owners words, no record of serious accident damage, no mileage records and no finance owning, I can't recommend this check enough, this is my number 1 buyers guide piece of advise. The next day we travelled the 50 miles to a private seller, the first thing I notice was how dirty the car was, it was in Satalite Blue, a dark metalic blue that shows every single mark and I soon realized that this colour will be very hard to keep clean. I check the bodywork first making sure all the panels are the same colour and that they all have the same gaps between them, remember the bodywork is probably the most important part to check, because it will be the most expensive part to repair if it's not right and you want your new car to look good, don't you. Once happy with the body I move onto the mechanics. I get on my hands and knees and go around the car starting at the front and looking underneath for major oil leaks, then check the CV boots for splits and all looks well everywhere else. Then go to the sides, look under the sills for damage, big rocks, high kerbs or bad jacking up of the car can cause damage that can rust in no time and this also goes for the back of the car. Check tyre wear, make sure its even, this will confirm the car is driving straight. Now lift the bonnet. Hopefully the engine is cold, start her up and listen for any noises, a light tapping is nothing to worry about as this is only the hydraulic tappets which is normal on this engine and should disappear as the unit warms up. If they don't stop or there were any knocking noices, walk away. Also when starting, ask a friend to stand at the rear and look for blue smoke as this will tell if there is wear in the cylinder head, again, walk away if there is, I will keep saying this because unless you are buying the car very cheap because of a known fault you don't want to be caught with big bills straight after purchase as most major repairs on a Xedos will be big bills. The engine when warm should be very quite and very smooth, when sitting in the car you should barely be able to hear it, if this is all ok now take her for a drive. The car should drive like the engine, smooth and quite, it should feel quick and rev up to the red line easy. Turn full lock to the left and right and listen for clicking from the drive shafts, there shouldn't be any. When you arrive back and you are happy with the car, ask to see all the paperwork and service history for the car. Check that any old MOT's tie up with the mileage and the address you are buying the car from is the same address as on the log book. When you are happy with this make your offer, take her home and enjoy one of the best cars you will ever own. Now I have'nt obviously gone into everything, you must decide for yourself and if your not sure take a mechanic friend or even get the AA or RAC to check the car for you. This buyers guide is just about what I did to buy my car and now I can tell you, I have had the car a year now and haven't had to spend one penny on her, not one penny except petrol. She does 30+ to the gallon, everybody says what a nice car it is to travel in and there're rare, most drivers will tell you when you actually see another Xedos you nearly wave to them it's such a rare occasion. The Xedos is a fantastic 4 door saloon car that looks great, goes great and if you look in the Owners Cars section you will see just how good they can look with a new set of wheels and a bit of tinkering. Now below I have listed a few of the things people have had go wrong, this is not saying these are common faults, it's just saying that these things have been known to go wrong so it's worth checking. Rear calipers on pre 95 cars tend to sieze and I believe Mazda were charging labour only to replace them. I have also heard from people with later cars suffering siezed calipers on the front as well. Rear anti rollbar droplink's will be picked up by good Mazda garages as worn and will need changing. Automatic gearboxes have caused a few people problems. This can often be solved by changing the oil & filters but buying one with a bad box could be very expensive so check all is working well. Engines that have high miles (130,000+) can start to smoke, this is normally caused by worn valves guides, not the end of the world but remember this is a 24 valve engine so again not cheap to fix. Corrosion around the door mirror supports, this is not rust but corrosion causing the paint to flake. This is caused by the material used to make these brackets and can easily be touched in. Noisey tappets during warm up. This isn't a problem but is annoying. I know someone who used STP engine flush and then a good oil and it completely stopped, I will be trying this on mine soon and will let you know. http://www.xedos6.co.uk/buyersguide.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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