I made a video on buying a used car with check engine light the other day which I posted in Utube. Basically I discussed 2 quick ways to test a used car or truck before buying them from the car lots, auctions and even used car dealers. This is important specially when you need a quick decision if you can proceed to the transaction further.

Common scenario when buying a used car with check engine light is during auctions. If you have been to one before, it does not allow for road testing of vehicles before you buy it. Most of the sales is on “as is” basis and if there is something wrong with the car later, then it is your problem.

Here are 2 quick tests that you can do before you hand your hard earned money:

1.) Check engine light indicator in the dash panel:

By simply turning the key on engine off, watch the check engine light to come on and disappear after starting it. If the light is not there then that car has been tampered to hide a serious electrical problem. If the light stays on after starting the car, then again it has an electrical problem which must be fixed and the downside of this is, the car won’t pass emission test from the government.

2.) Engine power brake test:

The test allows you to check the performance of the vehicle by applying full power of the engine without the car going anywhere. Here, the vehicle is shifted in drive while both brake and gas pedals are applied. The former to avoid moving the vehicle and the later to apply full rpm. This test will check the settings and limits of engine performance because if the carburator, throttle body or engine sensors are not operating properly, something will happen like:

poor acceleration
misfiring
engine quitting

All of these indicate a problem which you can use to reject the offer or get a bigger discount to allow you to fix the problem later.

Here is the video showing the test I did:

Of course it is understood that this procedure of buying a used car with check engine light only applies to 1996 or newer models and it should have an automatic transmission. Otherwise, ask for a road test to get a closer look.

Thanks,

Richard