Car Down Payments: Are They Really Necessary?

A yearly vehicle inspection can come as quite a surprise to most of us. One morning you go outside to defrost your car and begin chiseling away at windshield ice when you notice that your inspection sticker is about to expire. Panic sets in as you wonder if those used tires you bought earlier this year in a pinch will pass. You don’t really have the budget right now to fix a lot on your vehicle. We at Airport Auto Sales have compiled a quick checkout list that could help you determine if you should be expecting a big bill or be able to pass your inspection with flying colors.

Inspecting your brakes are best done by putting the vehicle up on a lift or removing a tire, but a quick flash of light through your rim should be able to give you an idea of what to expect. If you can, take a look at the brake pads in your caliper. They need to have at least 2/32 inch left of padding. As a general rule; if you think they are too thin, they probably are. Next look at the rotors and see if they have any grooves in them or excessive rust. Some orange discoloration is normal wear from road chemicals. While you are inspecting the brakes, you can also make sure that all of your lug nuts are still on your rims and check the tread on your tires. A quick trick to ensure you have enough tread is to stick a penny upside down into one of the tire grooves. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head; your tires will not pass.

Checking your exhaust system for any leaks can also be tricky without putting your vehicle up on a lift like we have on our Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales. However; a quick check by placing your hand over the exhaust pipe will be able to tell you if the pipe is building enough pressure or if there is a leak somewhere. Be sure not to hold your hand over the pipe too long as to not burn yourself. A quick second should do.

Lights are extremely easy to check which is great since it will be the most obvious reason for a vehicle to fail an inspection. Grab a friend and have them check both your front and rear lights. When checking lights, the rule of the sith applies. There can only be two; no more, no less. All lights should be illuminated in pairs. For front lights, ask your friend to turn on the running lights. Next, check your right and left blinkers. Then ensure your high beams work. If you have any amber marker lights either both or neither should work. Then have your friend go to the rear of the vehicle and make sure you have both license plate lights illuminated (they should be above the plate). Check the running, signal, and brake lights. If the vehicle has a third brake light it will also need to illuminate. Check your reverse lights by throwing the vehicle in reverse and making sure not to run over your friend by keeping a foot on the brake. Any excessive moisture or cloudiness may cause the vehicle to fail.

If you feel like grappling on the ground and don’t happen to just have a lift conveniently at your house like ours on our Buy Here Pay Here lot you can quickly inspect the underside of the vehicle for any damage or excessive rust. Key parts to look at would be the frame, control arms, sway bars, wheel bearings, and rack and pinion. Since these items can be a pain to get to and may take a bit more of a mechanical savviness they might be best left to the inspector.

If you feel like your inner mechanic is shining and you know where to look, you can check to see if your motor mounts are broken or intact. All have to be in good condition. These mounts hold the engine to the vehicle and help control “jumping” movements from the throttle from the engine. While you are in under the hood; make sure your vehicle has a belt. It won’t lose its pants but it won’t start if it’s missing. Make sure it looks taught without any rips.

A car is much like a human body in that you run it out of fluids, it will deteriorate in health and do harmful damage. Make sure to check your power steering fluid, brake fluid, and oil level. A quick check on the windshield washer fluid never killed anyone either although you will not fail for that.

Another obvious way to fail an inspection is to have a windshield crack. If you do have a crack; do not panic quite yet about paying $300 for a new windshield. As long as the crack is out of the line of sight of the driver and does not exceed four inches it may be passable. Any spider cracks with multiple lines will not pass. Any rock cracks cannot exceed the size of a quarter.

Other quick checks are the windshield wipers, all mirrors, all airbags, and that the driver door and window open and close. While there are many more aspects to an inspection than what this list entails; this list should give you a good idea as to how likely your vehicle is to pass. If it does not pass an inspection you should not be too concerned. You will have fifteen days to address the failed items and bring the vehicle back for a reinspect for only a dollar. We complete all of these pre checks on our vehicles at Airport Auto Sales on our Buy Here Pay Here lot before we send them to inspection and every time they come in for an oil change to ensure our customer’s vehicles are as safe as possible.