Choosing a used car (Honda CR-V 1)

Whatever car you buy, be prepared to carry out repair and maintenance work to return it to its former youth, make it attractive and individual, and also adapt it for practical use, so as not to be distracted from your daily concerns. We will divide such work into several stages.

Don't believe your eyes

First, evaluate the technical condition of the car: what kind of "beast" did you drive under the window. Start with the engine and chassis: after all, when you bought it, you probably paid a lot of attention to the body and made sure that it was not bad. It is difficult to pass off something rotten and worn out as good, no matter how hard the seller tries. But many domestic units often leave a good impression only thanks to... modern auto chemistry - then not every specialist will immediately determine what is what. For example, a complex of additives was poured into a mercilessly smoking and knocking engine, which practically eliminated the visible signs of wear. True, its effect will last for 300-1000 km... A cooling system that was leaking before sale may contain a lot of sealant or even mustard. There are also medicines for a "dead" battery. If oil was leaking from the gearbox or reduction gear, imagine pouring some miracle liquid in there and... no, the oil won't stop leaking, but even when it all leaks out, you won't notice it - the gears will still shift easily, and the reduction gear won't hum (two months, until complete death).



Do you think that all of the above is a unique case? Not at all. A car with such a "set" costs nothing to buy from an ad, and even more so, at the car market. At the same time, its body may be in relatively good condition, and the interior may be simply magnificent... So, in order to avoid having to return by train when you go out of town in such a beauty for the first time, it is better to carry out diagnostics of all units in the first few days.

Is the engine healthy?

Let's start with the engine. After warming it up, we pour in liquid for a five-minute flush of the lubrication system. We drain the oil and remove the filter. Having installed a new one (can I get a cheap one?), we fill in domestic flushing oil and run the engine at idle speed for half an hour. If the oil drained after this is black, the operation can be repeated (without changing the filter), because the packaging is designed for two uses. The sound of the running engine should remain the same as it was before your manipulations. If there is a knocking and clicking sound in the cylinder head, then, after filling the engine oil (and once again changing the filter, this time to an expensive imported one), drive to the service station on your own to adjust the valves and tighten the chain. But if tractor-like sounds are heard in the lower part of the engine, changing their intensity depending on the speed, then things are bad. Turn off the engine and, without adding fresh oil, tow it to the mechanics to inspect the main and connecting rod bearings.



And your engine didn't make any strange sounds? Great - then wash it and, after wiping it dry, go for a test drive. While driving, record any unusual sounds and noises coming from under the hood, as well as (subjectively) power upon purchase. These indicators of the engine's "health" should not change compared to the test drive when purchasing. After about a hundred kilometers, inspect the engine to check for oil leaks. If there is, then perhaps the crankcase ventilation hose is clogged or, worse, you will have to change the gaskets and seals. What if, a few days after flushing, blue smoke appears from the muffler? Get ready to replace the oil seals, since you probably "washed out" the anti-smoke additive... To check, remove the crankcase ventilation hose - barely noticeable smoke is allowed from it. If whitish smoke billows out in clouds and the revs have increased, the oil scraper rings require replacement. Measure the compression to figure out whether to change only the rings or to bore the cylinders with an inspection of the liners, as well as the crankshaft and camshaft.

We hope that your engine does not show any of these symptoms - then there is reason to be confident that it will not bother the owner for 30-40 thousand kilometers, or even more.

The cooling system is treated in the same way as the lubrication system: flushing fluid is poured into the radiator of a warmed-up engine, and then, after running the engine, all the "swill" is poured out without a trace. Then add clean water and, starting the engine again, carefully observe the radiator, hoses, and heater tap. You can even travel on water for several days (in summer, of course!) and if the level in the expansion tank has not dropped, feel free to fill it with "Tosol".



The ignition system, most likely, should not present any surprises: before sale, it, as well as the carburetor, is given special attention. After all, the car should start at half a turn and accelerate briskly, without dips - otherwise who will buy it?! Therefore, change the spark plugs, high-voltage wires and air filter (in the author's opinion, imported ones are better) -if the previous owner did not do it himself.

Electrical equipment is least susceptible to wear and tear, and therefore to the seller's "experiments". Your task is to check the serviceability of all lighting devices, be sure to replace the "bugs" with standard fuses and also check the voltage in the on-board network (13.6-14.5 V).

Pay special attention to the brakes

Let's move on to the braking system. It is not worth sparing money for its proper functioning, because it is (along with steering) - sacred: your life and the safety of others depend on the proper functioning of your brakes. After removing the plugs, look into the brake and clutch hydraulic reservoirs (if its drive is not cable) - the bottom of the tank should be visible through the liquid. Its dark brown color indicates the need for immediate replacement, and it happens that with old contaminated fluid the brakes leak, but after a good flush of the system and filling with fresh fluid the leak stops. Next, after removing the wheels and brake drums (from the rear) one by one, inspect the brake pads, the wear of which should be uniform and not exceed half of the permissible amount, otherwise the pads are replaced. Then they check the brakes on a deserted highway, making sure that the car does not pull to the side when braking at any intensity, and also that after sharp braking from a speed of 40-60 km/h all four wheels lock, leaving a black and uniform mark on the asphalt (this, of course, does not apply to cars with ABS). And finally, regularly check the fluid level in the tanks, which should remain constant, and keep a bottle of brake fluid in the trunk.



Next you will need an inspection pit or overpass. After warming up the car, change the oil in the gearbox and rear axle. Then examine the chassis units, paying attention to the integrity of the steering rod boots, ball joints, and CV joints. Ask an assistant to vigorously rotate the steering wheel at a small angle and check the play in the steering linkage joints. If there is a lot of play, replace the rods - it is easy and inexpensive, and the role of a serviceable trapezoid in the safety and stability of control is difficult to overestimate! There is nothing else for you to do under the car.

"But excuse me," the reader will exclaim, "what if I see holes in the bottom, cracked levers, a burnt-out muffler, a side member that has come off the body..." Well, excuse me! I meant that you saw the bottom of this car for the second time in your life, not the first. That is, the car was inspected and examined thoroughly upon purchase (although perhaps in an amateurish way), and not just sit down in the salon and shake hands. In a word, you should have looked earlier!

Don't skimp on shampoo

Now let's move on to the second stage, the purpose of which is to give your "swallow" an individual look, and also try to "erase" from the machine's memory (and yours too) memories that it was used before you. On a clear day, wash it thoroughly from the outside with car shampoo, using a soapy brush in hard-to-reach places. If the chrome parts have become dull or rusty spots have appeared on them, no problem. Rub the affected areas generously with a paste of baking soda using a toothbrush. A bit labor-intensive, but the result is excellent! It's not a bad idea to change the faded rear light and side light lenses; they cost pennies, but the effect is obvious. On wheel disks (they're probably rusty) put on the plastic caps. Finally, polish the body and move on to the interior.



Sit in the back seat with a bucket of water, laundry soap, a rag, and a shaving brush or brush. Then, soap the back of the ceiling with a brush and, after waiting a little, collect the soap with a strongly wrung-out cloth. After repeating the procedure, do the same with the rest of the ceiling. Perform a similar operation with the door trim.

Wipe the inside of the glass with window cleaning liquid. It is better to throw away old seat covers, or at the very least wash them well and re-tighten them tightly. On the rear shelf (in sedans), lay a piece of carpet that matches the color of the seat covers and put the first aid kit there, having first sorted out its contents. Wipe the instrument panel ("dashboard") and steering wheel with the switch with alcohol and rub with "555" sponge polish. Remove the rubber mats (they need to be washed separately), vacuum the synthetic carpet thoroughly, ideally with a wet vacuum cleaner. If people smoked in the car and you don't plan to, hang up an air freshener. If necessary, install new rear-view mirrors - two side mirrors and a magnifying mirror - in the passenger compartment. Tidy up the trunk and... have a nice trip!

[The original is located on the website «HondaBook.ru»]