For many people, buying a used car is a cost-saving solution. However, if you only observe the exterior and interior and ignore the chassis system, buyers may have to spend a large amount of money to repair it immediately after receiving the car.
According to shares from technicians at the Ninety Eight Auto Repair, Maintenance and Care Center (Cat Lai ward, Ho Chi Minh City), most customers only have time to look at the exterior when buying a used car. Meanwhile, to accurately assess the condition of the chassis system, the car needs to be lifted onto an elevated bridge and directly checked for every detail.
In fact, many people only test drive for a short time, so it is very difficult to accurately determine the cause if the chassis system shows signs of abnormality. Even when noise or unstable driving sensation is detected, diagnosis also needs to remove and check the related parts.
According to the experience of technicians, many cases of used cars brought by customers after purchase must be repaired or replaced with some details in the chassis system. This is a fairly common situation because details such as rollers, rubber, shock absorbers or joints are worn down over time and distance of use.
To limit risks, buyers should test drive the car on roads with deceleration bends or rough road surfaces. If the chassis system emits a "cộc cộc" sound, a collision sound, or if the car oscillates many times after passing through the deceleration bend or potholes, the shock reduction capability has been reduced in efficiency, it is very likely that some suspension details have deteriorated and need to be checked more carefully.
In addition, steering wheel feel is also an important factor reflecting the condition of the steering system. When the car is running at a stable speed, if the steering wheel makes a sound when steering, the self-steering ability is poor, or the car feels a loose steering wheel, users should not rush to conclude that the steering ruler is broken.
According to the technician, in fact, the steering ruler is a part with quite high durability and rarely damaged if the car is not hit hard. Most phenomena such as the "cộc cộc" sound when steering often originate from the steering rotor, joints or some details of the front suspension system. Only after excluding these causes is it necessary to check the steering ruler.
It should be noted that before deciding to buy a used car, buyers should take the car to a reputable garage to check the overall chassis system. The initial inspection cost is not large but can help avoid incurring repair costs of up to tens of millions of VND after receiving the car, and is also a basis for negotiating a suitable selling price.
