Jeep Inspection

[Guest]

Let me start off by saying that I am by no means mechanically inclined. I’ve never changed the oil in my car and while I’ve helped friends with various car projects, I’ve never completed anything on my own. That said I’ve found a jeep in Chillicothe that I’m interested in. It’s at Woody’s automotive and while I feel a bit better buying something from what appears to be a respective dealership, I’m leery of buying a 10+ year old car without a second opinion or a good working knowledge of the red flags to look for. Any assistance you can provide in terms of a “checklist” would be greatly appreciated.

[JeepN4kc]

I would look the Jeep over inside and out. Engine bay, check fluids, smell the tranny fluid, look to see that the oil filter and air filter have evidence of recent change. Look under the vehicle especially. Look for rust, worn bushings, check the brake rotors and pads.

Not trying to speak ill of the place but wife and I drove all the way out there to check out a truck. Seemed cherry from pics and in person from the outside. Found a number of issues inside and out and especially underneath. Was not impressed and they weren't willing to even negotiate doing any of the things that I found it needed immediately, to include bald front tires and trashed rotors (shimmy when test drive braking and they were scored as ****).

All for a $27+K truck..... No thanks.

Not saying you won't fair better but good luck.

[Guest]

Thank you for the insight and your experience is exactly what I'm looking to avoid. At the risk of further exposing my inexperience..... how do I check for things like worn bushings or rotors?

[Umbra Vipera]

Rotors can be easy because you can frequently see/feel them, depending on the wheels installed, while on the lot. They're the flat circular piece of metal that the brake pads ride on top of and sit just behind the wheel. If they are scored (grooves cut into them) you can tell by running your finger(s) across them. They should be smooth. A warped rotor will probably require a test drive. When you apply the brakes, if you feel a pulse in the brake, I'm not talking loud noise anti-lock system pulse, but physical brake pedal pulse, the rotors are warped and forcing the brake pads apart causing the brake pedal to move.

Bushings can be a bit more challenging as they are physically all over the place, but in general the suspension shouldn't have a lot of slop or movement in it. So for example if you grab a hold of a lower control arm and it seems loose, the bushings are probably bad. Control arms are usually easy to get at (if you don't mind getting bit dirty on your hands and knees in a parking lot.) I would suggest that you do a Google image search for "<model year> Jeep Lower Control Arm" which will start you on the correct path for images of bushings, where the control arms are, and general images of the suspension of a Jeep.

We live in Trenton, about 30 minutes from Chillicothe, and we're in Chillicothe multiple times a week. So while I have no personal experience with Woody's, feedback seems to be a mixed bag. The way I understand it, several years ago, the family that started Woody's bought the company back, primarily because of the shotty sales tactics and poor service. So to try and turn things around, Woody's got aggressive on their pricing model and appear to be a small market car dealer trying to compete the way big city dealers do with high volume and low(ish) margin. I don't hear much about the service anymore, but it's pretty rare to hear good things about any car dealership having great service. Again, that is hearsay as we have never done business with them.

[Guest]

Umbra Vipera, greatly appreciate the insights.

[spunebil]

what year and model jeep and what they asking for it ?

[Guest]

what year and model jeep and what they asking for it ?

Its a 2004 Sport with a few mods, hardtop, and they are asking $13.9K. However, I was asking a few questions Tuesday night via chat and asked that someone contact me..... they never did. I've included a link below if you are interested in looking at it.

http://www.wowwoodys.com/car/401514/...o__Tow_Package

[bbtj]

Take it a mechanic that you trust and have them check it out. If you don't have one, call around to some shops that specialize in Jeeps and see what they will charge you. If you decide to go that route, make sure you tell the dealer that are you are going to do that, and that it might take a while. If they balk at having a mechanic look at it, then walk away.

[Umbra Vipera]

Take it a mechanic that you trust and have them check it out. If you don't have one, call around to some shops that specialize in Jeeps and see what they will charge you. If you decide to go that route, make sure you tell the dealer that are you are going to do that, and that it might take a while. If they balk at having a mechanic look at it, then walk away.

Unfortunately that's a lot easier said than done up here. I don't know of any mechanics in the area that specialize in Jeeps. I'm not saying there aren't any, but I haven't heard of any. Plus, if there is one, it's probably more than a 30 minute drive (one way) from the dealership.

[Guest]

Here are my thoughts.

1. Take it for a test drive. See what you think of driving it? Get it out on the highway, try to hit a few bumps on a regular road at 30-45mph (not pot holes, just regular dips and bumps in the road). Feel for vibrations, listen for grinding, whining, strange noises. Make sure the bells and whistles work ie does it shift smooth, does the clutch slip when you take off from a stop, does it shift into 4lo, wipers, blinkers, stereo, dash lights, etc etc

2. If your still interested then start nosing around for damage, and rust. ie are there a bunch of wires hanging down under the dash? Thats a sure sign, someone has molested the wiring and the vehicle is headed for grounding issues in the future. Does the skid plate, control arm brackets look like someone took a hammer to them? That means its been wheeled or abused. Do the steering bushings look worn? Are there any puddles on the skids or bottom of the drive train? That means there may be a seal leaking. If your still unsure, then take a friend that has some mechanical experience, most would consider it an honor to help a buddy.

3. If it all checks out, your still in love with it. Take it to another shop, PAY them for a thorough mechanical inspection. ie jeep dealership, off road shop, automotive shop that deals with a LOT of 4x4s (Maywood Transmission East of KC, 4x4Land West of KC)

4. Walk away or make an offer.

Wally