We have been working professionally for nearly 10 years Check used cars before buying. The purpose of the service is to give mainly individuals, regular buyers, as complete a picture of the current condition of the selected vehicle as possible.
Here, in the Mesél a képertá section, we have already published nearly 170 case studies, including very funny stories. Today, Seat Hungary red Pre-purchase inspection We will tell you the result.
It was fine until the test drive
Readers often tell us that our stories are all fit for a horror movie, let us even write about cases where we encountered a normal situation. We would also like to do this, since there are stories like this almost every day, except that they are of little use, and in vain, they only watch when they bleed.
This seat was also very promising in the beginning. the In pre-purchase inspections First, we look at the car in a static situation: the condition and damage of the bodywork, of course the thickness of the paint layer, the aesthetic appearance of the passenger compartment, wear, defects, deficiencies, the engine compartment oil leaks are searched for, fluid levels are checked, we check the condition of the brake components, tires Wheels, tires, we carry out computer diagnostics, read error codes and analyze initial data.
The driving test comes only after that, because it may not be necessary anymore for a million reasons. It was no different with the Alhambra. The car with the 2.0 CRTDi engine and manual transmission started well, and the carburetor values showed adequate condition. Only the pressure difference of the particulate filter was approaching the limit value to be indicated, but it was not dangerous either.
We also noticed that the mirror selector button for power mirror adjustment was faulty, and the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel didn’t want to work properly either. It is certainly not that these are faults that can be fixed inexpensively, but they directly jeopardize traffic operation or safety.
The bodywork was also in very good shape despite almost 160,000 km covered. There were some signs of ice damage(?) on the hood, two doors at the edge and scratches and gravel marks. Previous damage and repairs could only be detected on the left front fender and door, that’s all it took, and the highest measured value was 290 micrometers, so we can talk more about a paint job than repairing serious damage.
It was already noticeable at the beginning of the test round
Since we found everything in order, a test drive could follow, where already in the first meters you could feel that the point of pressing the clutch pedal was not right, it was too low. From that, he took gears and could drive off.
Then – when we were already quite far from the starting point – the clutch pedal suddenly came off and there was no more. The good old clutch master cylinder failed, which of course immediately made the car immobile.
It’s rare that the interior of a nearly 10-year-old family car can be salvaged
However, he was not kicked or flogged, he simply came to doomsday. The car was pulled back in front of the house where we started and now the miracle:
The seller offered to correct the error, of course!
Well, he didn’t have much other options then and there, because he wanted to sell the car, so it would be very difficult, but it’s rare that he immediately called the dealership (!) to set up an appointment. By the way, the car still completes all mileage with the original factory clutch parts, that’s approx. That’s all he knows.
Better to know before buying
This is not an entirely unique case. We actually drove it (using the Focus RS) when the car wasn’t on a test drive yet, but then gave the same error a few days later at the customer’s place. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about it, because apparently this expected failure cannot be deduced from anything when the car is still running.
Now it can be said that this is a lucky case, because if the customer does not ask Pre-purchase inspectionThis error may occur again only days after the purchase and the coveted “new car” holiday.
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