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The idea behind this document is to create a guide to buying a used car in Sri Lanka. This is just my preliminary draft, and if it's useful I hope the experts here will add/edit it, and create a final detailed guide, which maybe could be posted somewhere in autolanka (if they think its useful) Buying a used vehicle in Sri Lanka (This applies to purchase of a used car regardless of the price/age, and applies to all registered and 'reconditioned' vehicles.) 1. tests you can perform: ================ Engine ==== Before starting: - check the engine oil. Is it at the correct level? Yes: OK/Owner topped up No: Owner does not top up, engine burning oil, etc Color of oil - Light brown/colorless - engine is running reasonably good/recent service - black - engine running bad/never serviced Note: diesels tend to have dark/black engine oil After starting Did it start easily? Yes: OK No: problems in engine/battery/starter motor/tune/etc. does the exhaust show visible smoke (white, black, bluish or grey smoke)? this coud indicate engine problems such as oil burning, worn engine etc. -- note: diesels do occationally smoke a bit, especially under acceleration does it maintain operating temperature? - listen to the engine in idle - do you hear clattering, rattling, or any odd sounds? they could indicate various problems ranging from bent valves to broken mounts? note: diesels are somewhat louder than normal gasoline engines Test drive =========== Lets say you decide to go for a test drive.. .. Step out of the vehicle, and ask the owner to get it out of his driveway/car sale etc. As he does this observe the vehicle, and see if it smokes or struggles during the procedure. Look at the place where the vehicle was parked. If there is visible engine oil/coolant, etc this could indicate problems in the vehicle. (water may be visible from the car's A/C, this is normal). Ask the owner to drive you: 1. Along a rough road (so you can test the suspension) 2. On a good road, ask the owner to drive up to at least 56km/h (or whatever local speed limit) so you can see how the vehicle performs at high speed. Turn OFF the radio and A/C and listen to the car for rattles/hums Tip: a hum from front/rear may indicate need to replace wheel bearings (or what our people refer to as razors) - Stop the car and ask the owner to back up a small hill, and observe the car exhaust for smoke, this is a good test of the clutch/etc. Actual test drive: - First make sure the vehicle has insurance and road licence which are valid. Ask to see them. Then test drive the vehicle very carefully. Make sure you have a good flat road and there is very little traffic. Remember its an unfamiliar vehicle and proceed with caution. First, test the clutch and brakes. The clutch should engage neatly before releasing the pedal fully. If it engages very late, it could mean a blown clutch plate. If there are clutch/brake problems, don't drive any further, and ask the owner to resume driving. And ask yourself whether you are sure you want to buy this car, from someone who couldnt even do basic maintenance. Reviewing the owner How the owner behaves during the test drive can give you a clue of how s/he uses the vehicle in real life. For example: - Does he roll down the window and drive (even though there is an A/C) - this may indicate that the A/C rarely worked. - Does he drive like a rally driver (in which case you can buy the car if you are willing to buy an extra engine, transmission and suspension) How has s/he spent on the car? If he has spent a lot on cosmetics while ignoring real existing mechanical problems, then you should probably consider another car. Is s/he straightforward and honest? Does what the owner says match up to what you see? For example, if the owner said the car had 2 owners in total and the log book copy shows 4 owners, then they could be lying about other things, and you should be cautious. Sometimes owners make mistakes, or simply don't know an answer, but overall if the owner appears to be honest and straightforward, that is a positive sign. [Ask Questions As you review the car, ask questions from the owner. If you see anything odd, ask about it. If the owner is honest and straightforward, its a positive sign. Try to gauge how much of what the owner is telling is the truth. A good way to do this is to pretend you don't know something and ask a question. After the test drive ============ After you return to the owners house/car sale, ask the owner to pop the hood and inspect the engine. - check temperature management. The gauge inside the car should be half or less. Aside from the gage, the engine should be reasonably managing temperature and the fans should be working properly. - Carefully tap the radiator cap with the tip of your finger. If it burns your finger off, the temperature management isnt good. Similarly the engine bay should not be boiling hot (unless it's a Nissan ) Physical inspection of vehicle ===================== 1. Visual inspection: simply look at the car - see if the lines are straight. Look at the paint. Uneven areas could indicate repainting. - look at the wheel arches. Look at the brakes. Look under the car (front/rear) If possible, take the car to a service station and inspect the underneath. If this is not possible, try to look under the car and see what is visible at least - (carry a flashlight with you when you go to see the car). - look for rust, damage, etc. - look at the engine compartment. Are there odd wires and do things look as if they have been messed with? Sometimes legitimate mods (e.g. alarm systems, aftermarket headlamps) require new wiring but if you see a mess inside, it probably means the wiring has been messed up by local mechanics in which case you should think carefully whether you really want this car. - (If the vehicle is cold) carefully open the radiator cap - check if it contains coolant, and if there is any signs of oil (could indicate a head leak) Look at the engine. If it has a slight layer of dust its OK. If it is shiny and has a layer of oil that means it has been washed at a service station. I prefer a car which has a normal slightly dusty engine vs one that has been washed and scrubbed to 'look' new. - look for leaks in radiator pipes. (with the engine off) remove the engine oil cover - if you can see nice clean silver metal with perhaps yellow brown color (engine oil) this is a positive sign. (note: diesels do tend to have dark/black engine interior, this refers to gasoline vehicles only). - Look at the fluid levels of the various fluids (power steering, brake fluid, auto transmission if auto) - if they are not up to level it could indicate leaks or careless owner. - if the vehicle is hot you may be able to open the radiator overflow tank (be careful) and check if he uses coolant. Not using coolant indicates: 1. Owner is an idiot 2. Radiator has leak and owner is topping it up with ordinary water. Either case, don't buy the car. 2. Tap test gently tap the body of the car, with a fingernail (dont rap it loudly) as you walk around. Check the hood, front left and right side and back carefully, also doors (as these are the main accident prone areas). Other general ideas: - Ask the owner what maintenance was performed. If he tells you a list of things replaced/repaired, this is usually a good sign and means the owner took some effort to look after car. - check the mileage? Mileage can be modified - but if it corresponds with the appearance of the vehicle then it could be accurate. - ask for receipts particularly for the timing belt/clutch etc HAS THE VEHICLE BEEN SERVICED/WASHED? If the owner was so cheap that he couldn't service the vehicle before he sold it, then do you really want to buy a car from him/her? *Exception*: Sometimes the owner may be actively using the car in which case it may be a bit dusty but all the same he/she should have washed/serviced/detailed the car within a few days of deciding to sell it. Now Consider the actual condition of the vehicle and make a list of all problems you encountered: Scenario 1: vehicle has major problems which can be fixed ===================================== for example: - Clutch plate gone. - brakes not too good. -minor suspension probs (e.g. weak shocks). - minor engine probs (e.g. poor tune up). Indicates that the seller was a cheap idiot (or typical local) Verdict: Buy with caution, knowing there could be other existing problems, and repair BEFORE YOU DRIVE said vehicle. Scenario 2: Vehicle has minor problems which can be fixed later ========================================= - A/C not running cold enough. - Minor dings, dents, scratches. - Minor cosmetic issues. Verdict: Buy the car, but set aside money to fix those problems later on. Scenario 3: Vehicle has major problems which can't be fixed easily =========================================== - Chassis problems (cracks/bent chassis) - major engine problems (e.g. grey/white/black smoke, burning oil, head gasket leaks) - major suspension/mechanical problems - gearbox problems which would necessitate replacing gear box... so on. Verdict: don't buy the car, unless you own a garage, have a million to spare, or are plain crazy. Other costs Aside from the above, there are a number of things you usually have to do, when purchasing ANY used car. These usually include: - Insurance & road licence. - 4 tires. - full service/oil change/air filter etc. - brake pads/etc - New battery (if existing battery not too good). - Timing belt (if close to 100k km's or multiples of that). Many people will say they replaced the belt, they could be lying. It's easier to spend 10k and replace it than to undergo a broken belt and engine rebuild. If they have replaced the belt, you can get a good garage to visually inspect it. signs of a good vehicle: - Vehicle is clean. (As in, the owner has washed, cleaned, and serviced it.) - is in good mechanical condition (good engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, body) - owner has focused on maintaining the mechanical condition of the vehicle - Vehicle has been maintained properly and scheduled maintenance has been done, e.g. brakes, clutch, timing, etc have been replaced at the proper intervals as necessary. - owner cares about vehicle, services regularly, engine oil is not dirty - owner is upfront and honest about any flaws. - owner uses a good garage for maintenance, and used original/quality components Suggestion 1: To all the experts here, can you please add your comments/suggestions tips on buying a used car. Suggestion 2: Would it be possible for Autolanka readers/Admins to set up a car pricing guide? This could be something updated regularly to show average true market values (like edmunds.com) and be useful to people looking to purchase a car. If any Autolanka readers have suggestions on what they check when buying a used car, please add them here. Update: Top gear have some excellent tips here:

Hi AL, Thought I'd share photos of my KE72V. Technically it's my father's but unofficially it's mine A little history on this- my father imported this KE72V DX in 1989 with 40,000kms on the ODO. It's been with us ever since! The milage now is a little over 141,000kms and it still purrs along without any issues. I'm in the process of restoring it to factory original specification but I'd love to replace the stock K40 transmission with a k50 (5speed) transmission. I would if I could find one for cheap! I've even got the original seat covers! (I'm looking for another set, let me know if any of you good KE72 owners want to sell yours!) Instrument cluster- Future plans- I've already wet-sanded the entire body with 1500grit sandpaper in anticipation of a cut/polish job. Sadly that was a few months back and I spent all the money I had on another project! I'm hoping to cut/polish the paint soon. Both rear lamp lenses are cracked and missing bits so I'm searching for new lenses. My car is missing the fan shroud (better known as the 'radiator cover') that is essential for the factory AirCon to work. I've given up looking for an original so I'm going to try and get one scratch built. That's about it, hope you enjoyed my ride as much as I do! Thanks for stopping by and regards, Jay. EDIT: I moved all my photos of the '72 to a separate album in Photobucket so had to repost the direct links. Hope they turn up!

Only JS4 models considers as VTEC. http://www.honda.co....o-archive/hr-v/

you are one cheap bA$#rD!!! You're probably the biggest cheapskate of them all so far.. not just stingy on the fuel but on the brake pads too... DO you lay a newspaper on the seat to keep it from wearing out due to the friction caused by your cheap a$$?

Reluctantly admit that Vettel drove a super GP and surely the driver of the day. RBR camp got loads of tactics. Vettel maybe a double world champion, but he should know how to respect F1 veterans and use his language infront of millions of live audience. He should know the diffrence between a WWE wrestlers and an F1 driver. MINIACE

Or you can buy a used radiator, won't cost more than 10K.

Dear Members, Sorry for the late update, hence I was too busy with last couple of weeks. I found the problem!!! As I mentioned on my last post I’ve slowly studied the mechanism of the Carb and the internal lines going here and there, you’ll might remember that I’ve mentioned a hole on my previous post which is sucking out fuel from bottom of the floating chamber. Actually what that hole really does is to supply fuel to “secondary manual” pump based on Carb body to spray out fuel in to intake manifold for quick pickup when sudden paddling the accelerator. According to the design of this, the secondary fuel line coming from fuel pump and return line going to tank both are inter connecting through the body of this. (I don’t know why the hell this Japanese has put this on such a way) What happen is due to corrosion or some odd reason, this body of the “secondary manual” pump based on Carb has wear off and the pump is leaking fuel on to the line back to tank. So once the engine stops it sucks out entire thing including fuel on floating chamber. Initially what I’ve done was to apply some glue and closed that hole on the floating chamber to stop leaking fuel through the pump. I cleaned everything with kerosene and fixed properly. I was half away successful, engine started without any issues and I’ve tuned it well. But due to unavailability of the secondary pump on Carb, I cannot quickly pickup, engine gets stall when I push the pedal fast. Other than that everything is alright. It just starts in one turn after keep stop for even two or more days. I’m planning to takeoff the Carb again and burnout glue on hole. Then take off of both secondary fuel line and return line from Car body and apply alternative way of interconnecting both. Will update the status soon after I’ve done. Thanks for all the support guidance given by everyone in many ways. Cheers!!!! LancerL

Hi Rupasinghe. This forum is worst than the officials who send you from one office to another. The forum is dominated by owners of Trad Sunnys, Corolla AE100, Civic eg8 and alike. They can't understand what advice you require and do not have the mental capacity to do so. The response you got from most is what I see here everyday. Few jobless folks (a mafia as someone called once?) living in the forum and attacking the rest. It seems that they are more interested in knowing what your vehicle is rather than even attempting to understand what you need. So it is still better to go from one office to another until you sort out the matter and then you can educate these poor soles by posting how you did it. Wish you all the best.

*Nostalgia*

Awesome..!! Now this is the kind of thread that I enjoy..! One might say that it`s just an old/boring Jap wagon, but that exactly is the beauty of it I reckon..! Anybody who`s got enough dough can pick up a new car, but only a few are dedicated enough to keep these old machines on the road. Kudos to you mate. If this is your first car, don’t ever sell it, you should be able to earn more money and upgrade later in life, but you might regret big time if your first car is gone forever..! I can still remember the noise that the viscus fan makes on these engines at high revs, you can barely hear the engine but the noise of the fan blowing.

I agree on Kushan's comments regarding the valve cleaning. As he has also mentioned it is a very satisfying vehicle - Unless the CVT issue is in a severe condition don't worry about it too much.. Every vehicle would have few flaws after running for 100,000 + KM - as long as it could be repaired with a reasonable amount and effort it should be OK (Thats my personal opinion)

Hi, Like to share some of my experiences on this issue. My HR-V is JS4 - GH4 (4WD) I also had that same vibration issue, you can get rid of this from doing a transmission valve body cleaning, You can find 2 oil filters once you open it. One can be cleaned and other can be replaced, and the oil has to be refilled to ensure the condition. For your reference I got this done at Stafford. Now my vehicle runs smoothly , I advice all of HR-V owners to clean the transmission valve body for every 50000KM. (Because I have done this same service 50000KM before too) When talking about the vehicle, Its a very satisfying vehicle, Im getting around 9.5 to 10Km/L. and you can get help from people at www.hondasuv.com and for parts www.hondaoriginalparts.com Wish you all the best with your HR-V

Many thanks to your replies. I think I need to clarify a few points. First to Crosswind, no, it not illegal and that is not the advice I am looking for. I have already been offered illegal methods by various touts to do this but I am not interested in that. I have written to the Carnet issuing authority and they have given me official confirmation that they have 'no objection' to registering the vehicle here upon payment of the necessary levies. Then to Priyanka: First and foremost, this vehicle was indeed bought with my hard earned money earned abroad and has been my loving car which is now 9 years old. It has sentimental values to me so I hate to part with it. Customs have quoted me over 4 million in taxes which I am willing pay, so this is certainly not a cheap method of obtaining a car. People are too quick to jump the gun and to assume that everyone is trying to do something illegal or use a short cut. Also, this is not a luxury car and even if it was, I would have to pay an additional luxury tax on top too. But as Priyanka mentioned, there is apparently a large scale racket where people bring down vehicles on Carnets and get a local plate using illegal methods thereby cheating on the revenue due to the state. But I am seeking permission to PAY the relevant levies applicable and keep the vehicle and not to go through the illegal touts. But this seems to be a grey area and my application is being ball-passed from one authority to another: Customs, Import Controller, RMV etc. Yet no one has declined my request. That is why I approached this forum to find out if anyone could throw some light. I will update the forum if I hear any news.

oh god why are u polluting server space like this..

Infiniti M35h Hybrid - 360hp hybrid V6 returns 12+ km/l in everyday driving. - V8 power and 4 cylinder fuel economy. Photos by Californikan

Lexus CT200h Hybrid - Based on the Prius - Sportier and more luxurious version of the Prius Photos by Californikan

Grate. how about fuel mileage?

Dam, this car is so bloody clean! Nice to see one like this in Sri Lanka. But I would really like it for you to do this to yours!

So who put a gun to your head and forced you to come to the forum? If you want all the (and only the) information you need, hire a car broker/consultant to help you go buy you a car. But clearly you're too much of a cheapskate to do that... If you come here looking for free advice given by members who owe you nothing be prepared to take whatever they give you (good or bad).. we're not your mommies to love you unconditionally.

well, i usually do the service every 10000km and thats double of what i run in the 121. book says to do every 8000 but even at 10000, the oil is just a dull brown. in the 121 after 5500 itll be black. ..and the oil filter is also not clogged. so i guess sometimes we can stick out of the rules in sri lanka we usually run a vehicle as much as we can without causing damaging, like i dont think anyone checks the drive train, suspension, joints , etc every 16000km like in the book

For the benefit of the general public mind sharing your plate number? I'd rather get run over by a Bullock cart!

Unit#d Mot#rs Stopped Issuing Performa Invoices for Montero from 12 Noon today.. Congrats to the people who have ordered this vehicle already...