When it comes to buying a used car there are some common issues to look out for. Some of the major issues that arise with vehicles that have been driven a lot are; transmission, rust, fuel line, gasket and seals, and oil leaks. When possible its best to have a used vehicle inspected by a trusted auto repair shop in the St. Paul MN area. Signal Garage can help diagnose potential problems with a vehicle and inspect common problematic areas. For older cars, especially high mileage vehicles, the problems are the same, and often include breaks as a potential problematic area. In some cases, if you purchase a used car and not long after the check engine light comes on, the previous owner may have had an issue that was troublesome to diagnose and so just had the computer reset before selling it. The check engine light is tied into many different systems of the vehicle, such as the emissions and fuel systems.

Two common and major issues to look out for.

Transmission: One of the most costly repairs is having to replace or fix the transmission in a vehicle. The repair costs can easily reach the thousands and sometimes is more than what was paid for the used car, or what could be paid for a used car. At Signal Garage Auto Repair St. Paul MN, they can diagnose and repair transmission problems. If the car doesn’t not seem to want to change gears easily, both for automatic and manual, it can be major sign of transmission problems. It is easier to feel this “sticking” with manuals. In an automatic transmission, if you are having to put more gas into and it feels slow to climb in speed and then sudden jumps when it does, it is a sign of transmission issues. There are signs such as the smell of burning transmission fluid and certain sounds often associated with transmission problems, but those can be harder to describe unless you know what to smell and listen for. When you purchase a used vehicle the transmission issues could be just starting, so the signs may not always be present.

Head Gasket: A leaking or broken head gasket can cause a wide array of issues. One of the biggest one is leaking oil. If you find your oil light coming on more frequently than should be, or if you notice a lot of oil on the ground where you park the car, these are telltale signs something is amiss. The head gasket is another common issue that arises with used and older vehicles. At times the previous owner may not of bothered to full diagnose the issue of its leaking oil and before it become too serious to ignore, simply decided to sell it. Issues with the head gasket can lead to loss of coolant as well as oil and result in overheating issues and white smoke leaking from the exhaust pipe as the excess oil is sometimes burned off.