What do you check on a new car?

[Wilbur]

Hi all,

In a couple of weeks I hope to collect my first ever new car, a 2.7 D4.:) I expect I will have to sign some sort of paper saying that it is in perfect condition as collected.

What sort of things should I be looking for before signing? Also, I live 600 k's from the dealer, so taking it back for little fixes would be a pain.

So any suggestions of what to look for on delivery will be very welcome.

Cheers,

Paul

[Disco4SE]

Hi all,

In a couple of weeks I hope to collect my first ever new car, a 2.7 D4.:) I expect I will have to sign some sort of paper saying that it is in perfect condition as collected.

What sort of things should I be looking for before signing? Also, I live 600 k's from the dealer, so taking it back for little fixes would be a pain.

So any suggestions of what to look for on delivery will be very welcome.

Cheers,

Paul
Hi Paul,
First thing I did when I arrived home after picking up my D4, was check the oil level.
Had a nasty experience about 25 years ago whereas I picked up my new 4WD ute only to find out later that the pre-delivery check wasn't carried out properly, resulting in a new transfer box & I suspect some engine wear (due to very low oil levels). It was all fixed under warranty, but was a pain to have to go through.
Cheers, Craig

[Wilbur]

Hi Paul,
First thing I did when I arrived home after picking up my D4, was check the oil level.
Had a nasty experience about 25 years ago whereas I picked up my new 4WD ute only to find out later that the pre-delivery check wasn't carried out properly, resulting in a new transfer box & I suspect some engine wear (due to very low oil levels). It was all fixed under warranty, but was a pain to have to go through.
Cheers, Craig

Ouch!! That's nasty, hard to conceive how anyone could be so slack about a pre-delivery. Thanks, I will check everything I can before I head for home.

Cheers,

Paul

[Pedro_The_Swift]

There was a test procedure for D3's around somewhere,,
Driving off the boat's gotta be a good start!:D

[irondoc]

Sounds like your D4 is on the same boat as mine....can't wait

cheers
Lucas
Nearly a D4 owner

[Wilbur]

Sounds like your D4 is on the same boat as mine....can't wait

cheers
Lucas
Nearly a D4 owner

Likewise, it's a long impatient wait!! Won't be long now......

Looking forward to comparing notes.

Cheers,

Paul

[Dahai]

I think I would check the wheel nuts, to ensure that they are tight. While at it, look at the wheel brace with the view of is it good/strong enough? Then raise the jack to make sure that it raises the vehicle sufficiently, bearing in mind that if you have to use it, the vehicle could be on a slight camber on the road or on an angle. Possibly a bigger slope but you can not have a massive jack just in case.
Look at the fuel gauge. One car I puchased I am sure had enough fuel to just make it to the first service station.
Have champagne at home being chilled for when you arrive home.

[Wilbur]

................
Have champagne at home being chilled for when you arrive home.

Now you're talking! Can't believe I hadn't thought of that, but I hadn't!

My main concern was really what I should check on the car before signing off on it as being in good condition and driving away.

Has anyone had any problems from the start? For me it is a 600 kilometre trip back if I find anything wrong when I get home.

[Disco4SE]

Paul, a couple of other things (from experience).
Spare keys and check that the service books etc are in the glovebox.
Cheers, Craig

[roamer]

If you are going to drive 600ks, check tyre pressure, mine were 52psi,have heard of others similar, apparently they over inflate for boat ride over.

You will not be disappointed. :D

Cheers Ken

[Basil135]

Firstly, considering the distance you have to travel, make sure you can inspect the car in the daylight. Under lights, little things can be hidden.

Check for problems with the paint, like being uneven or even missing in places. Check ALL the fluids, tyre pressure, including the spare, under the seats for loose connections etc. Also check to make sure the roadside assistance details are there. Take it for a drive around the block and check for any noises etc before you sign.

Also, any factory fitted options need to be checked that they actually work. Trust me, I have been thru this with another car.

You will look a bit of a goose, but better that than having a problem 500kms down the road.

[Wilbur]

Thanks Ken, Craig and Basil for the suggestions. Starting to get very excited now, only a couple of weeks to go!

Cheers,

Paul

[Neil P]

Ouch!! That's nasty, hard to conceive how anyone could be so slack about a pre-delivery.
........ Which World have you been living in all these decades ? ;)

[Neil P]

If you are going to drive 600ks, check tyre pressure, mine were 52psi,have heard of others similar, apparently they over inflate for boat ride over.

Mine were 58 front left , mid forties the rest ....... next no one
gives a toss in the vehicle game.

[101RRS]

I picked up my D1 when it was new and all looked OK. Took it home and the next day noticed some stone chips on the side of the front guards most likely from when the car was on the delivery truck.

Took it back to the dealer who said tough luck - must have happened after I took delivery. Those stone chips annoyed me for the 11 years I owned it.

Garry

[petera]

Wilbur,
the things that were wrong with my D4 my 11 were as follows
1. rear parking sensor defective (still wating for module to be replaced)
2. uneven panels (fixed)
3. flat battery
4. bubbles in tinting
5. failed turbos (picked up by dealer pre delivery)

Cheers,
Peter

[RoverLander]

Hi Wilber,

Just to balance it up. I picked up my D4 one year ago. Walked in. The guys showed me around the car for an hour and were still going. I was so keen to get to drive it that I had to lie and tell them I had a dinner appointment and had to leave. I had to remind my guys that I wanted the iPod cable but that was all. The fuel tank was chocha full. Not one problem even after 25K and one long outback trip included.

Enjoy but take your time to satisfy yourself that all is ok. Good luck.

Peter

[DI5CO]

Most of the stuff are warranty issues that while are annoying, they can get fixed. I would be spending my time looking for the non warranty items. Like a few sugestions before, the paintwork is a biggie. Check & double check the paint especially the sides for small dints & scratches. As most dealers have limited space, check for door knocks like in a shopping centre, those type of dings. The other is have a look at the windows, they come covered with stickers & when the detailers scrape them off, they can sometimes scratch the glass. Check for grease marks on the roof lining & the A & B pillars. (Prepsol will get any grease off without leaving marks anyway). If you have had tint, check that the doors open from the inside, as sometimes when the tinters take the door lining off, they don't engage the mechanism back properly.
Dave.

[Graeme]

For me it is a 600 kilometre trip back if I find anything wrong when I get home.
My 600 kms trip home was from interstate on an unregistered vehicle permit, having been told by the salesman that I had 28 days to register the vehicle. A few days later after having driven around a bit, I read the permit: for use for 1 day using the most direct route but excluding freeways! It was a permit to move farm equipment etc. I then had to wait 2 weeks due to Christmas to get a blue-slip to get the vehicle registered.

[Wilbur]

........ Which World have you been living in all these decades ? ;)

I think one of our politicians a few years back called it "Cloud Cuckoo Land".

[Wilbur]

My 600 kms trip home was from interstate on an unregistered vehicle permit, having been told by the salesman that I had 28 days to register the vehicle. A few days later after having driven around a bit, I read the permit: for use for 1 day using the most direct route but excluding freeways! It was a permit to move farm equipment etc. I then had to wait 2 weeks due to Christmas to get a blue-slip to get the vehicle registered.

Now THAT would be soooo heart-breaking! Two weeks over Christmas and the car sitting there unregistered.....

[Wilbur]

Hi Wilber,

Just to balance it up. I picked up my D4 one year ago. Walked in. The guys showed me around the car for an hour and were still going. I was so keen to get to drive it that I had to lie and tell them I had a dinner appointment and had to leave. I had to remind my guys that I wanted the iPod cable but that was all. The fuel tank was chocha full. Not one problem even after 25K and one long outback trip included.

Enjoy but take your time to satisfy yourself that all is ok. Good luck.

Peter

Very nice to get a good news story, I guess forums are often bad news places as people with problems seek help. I look forward to being another good newser! Errr... touch wood!

[Wilbur]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Seems that a really good check on paintwork is the big one, but lots of other things to look at too.

Cheers all,

Paul

[Redback]

I know I'll be checking ours when we get it, although I can't see a real problem as it will be checked by a friend as well.

Our experience with a new car was back in 1998 when we took delivery of a new Falcon Wagon, we were going away that afternoon it was rainning and it was late and dark and I couldn't look at it properly, the dealer assured me it was all OK:twisted:

Next day at our camping location we got to look at the car properly:twisted::twisted::twisted: firstly the rear panels between the rear window and rear doors were not painted properly, there was water in the bottom of the rear panels (you could hear it sloshing around)and water leaking into the rear cargo area, the front windscreen was leaking quite badly (when checked it was leaking in 7 places) 2 of the door locks were faulty causing it to unlock for no reason:eek: apon inspection it had 4 different locks out of the 5 from 4 different model Falcons:twisted:

So the only windows that didn't leak were the 4 passenger door windows:eek: so we had it for the weekend and it was back to the dealers for 2 weeks to be fixed, back a day, only to be back again to have the panels done(they forgot) and then again because they weren't done properly:twisted: the rear door done again and again and again:twisted::twisted: I love Ford dealers:vampire::2up::2up::rocket:

Anyway that's the short story:Thump:

Baz.

[Neil P]

2. uneven panels (fixed)
........... :o What was that about ?

[petera]

........... :o What was that about ?

Hi Neil,
the rear wheel arch passenger side did not meet evenly with it's neighbour. There was a step of about 5mm. Pretty small, but enough to send me round the twist every morning when i looked at it before driving to work.
Cheers,
Peter

[sniegy]

My 600 kms trip home was from interstate on an unregistered vehicle permit, having been told by the salesman that I had 28 days to register the vehicle. A few days later after having driven around a bit, I read the permit: for use for 1 day using the most direct route but excluding freeways! It was a permit to move farm equipment etc. I then had to wait 2 weeks due to Christmas to get a blue-slip to get the vehicle registered.
YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT !!!!!!

[Graeme]

Nope!