• Both the ABS (anti-skid braking) and airbag
warning lights should go on and then off
when you first start the vehicle. If this does
not happen, the vehicle may require a major,
extremely expensive repair immediately (if
either the ABS or airbag warning lights do not
go on at all, someone’s probably disconnected
them to hide the fact that the ABS or airbag
system is faulty). If either warning light comes
on while you are driving, this may mean a
serious malfunction in the vehicle’s safety
systems, and the vehicle should not be driven,
let alone purchased.
Modern engines work hard. Because of this, they tend to
get hot and frequently ‘blow their top’, especially if the engine
has been overheated or run without fresh antifreeze. Head
gaskets may be very expensive to fix and if left unfixed you’ll
probably end up broken down at the side of the road. Worse,
blown head gaskets sometimes lead to total engine failure.
The symptoms of a blown head gasket are mysterious
coolant loss, sometimes accompanied by rough running and
overheating, clouds of white steam coming from the exhaust,
oil in the water, water in the oil, and/or white goo under the
oil filler cap (see picture opposite). You should also lift out
the oil dipstick. If the oil is the colour of the white goo in the
middle of the oil filler cap in the picture, you have a cracked
cylinder head and/or blown head gasket. You should also be
suspicious about any vehicle with a heater that leaks coolant
into the interior of the car. A leaking heater is sometimes a
symptom of a head gasket problem. So is a blown or leaking
radiator or its hoses.
Blown head gasket
warning
ABS & airbag warning
Automatic transmission warning
• Automatic transmissions that do not shift smoothly during a test drive are probably
not long of this earth. Also, with the vehicle at normal operating temperature (so
that the engine is not idling too fast) put the handbrake on and try switching the gear
selector between forward and reverse – this should happen quickly and smoothly
without any clunk – if not, suspect big repair bills in the near future.
Note: the advice below may not apply on some modern cars, because there may
be no dipstick to check. For further information, see our articles on automatic trans-
missions and CVT transmissions in the links page (one page back).
With the transmission in neutral and the engine running at normal operating
temperature, lift out the transmission dipstick, wipe it clean, put it back in and then
remove it again. The automatic transmission fluid should be a happy cherry red colour
& should be within the marked area on the transmission dipstick – if it’s not, abuse
and/or neglect is pretty likely and the vehicle should be avoided!
