Top 10 checklist for buying a used car

A list of Top 10 potential traps – compiled for dealers – could be useful for private buyers in the used car market. Warranty specialist MB&G put the list together to help dealers check a car’s ‘technology’, before agreeing a trade-in price. If these fittings don’t work properly, they can cost thousands to fix – but the good news is, MB&G insists that a drive round the block can immediately spot most of them, so don’t feel too daunted by the detail. Caveat emptor!

1  Parking sensors: check the fuses, and that sensors fit snugly and haven’t been damaged.

2 Electric mirrors: often the first thing to be knocked in any accident, so make sure the electrics are still healthy and connected.

3 Cruise control: problems are often within the vacuum system (including pedal switches and pump) or from the wiring.

4. Warning lights: these can stop working without warning, so check wiring and fuses to avoid thinking the car is 100 per cent perfect when it’s not.

5. Emissions-related technology – including air filter, the injectors and the oil.

6. Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) and dual mass flywheel: a problem here could cost upwards of £1500 to fix.

7 Clocking (or ‘mileage correction’ as it’s called today)

8 Air-conditioning and dual climate control.

9 Tyres (low rolling resistance and run flats)

10 Headights (LEDs, directional and Xenon units): look fantastic, but if the directional headlight system has failed or the LED unit has cracked, you could be faced with a £400 – 500 bill.