fixing up an ugly, beat up car

Whether you're driving a car that's been in an accident or your own, or are buying a cheaper car that should've been restored, there are a few strange quirks that can't be easily found without some extensive driving. A lot of components could have been knocked loose or damaged that may evade the inspection of even seasoned professionals, and some issues may have been too expensive to fix at the time of the accident. If you're driving a car that's been involved in an auto collision, consider a few inspection techniques that could pinpoint speed and cooling problems.

Speed Testing With Legal Safety

Driving a car for testing is a very broad process that has many smaller categories. Does the vehicle get up to speed when it should? Is there any hesitation when cranking or when stopping? How long can a set speed be maintained? All of these questions need to be asked, and within those questions are different problem paths.

If the car drives well enough, you'll want to watch out for problems that are harder to identify. Some of the difficulty comes from the need to drive for a certain distance in order to notice issues with stability, or reaching higher speeds that may not be commonly driven.

Testing higher speeds may be difficult because of speed limit laws, but there are legal ways around the problem. On low-traffic days for certain roads, you can ask local law enforcement for permission to test a vehicle at the needed speed. If there's a test driving track--often near vehicle manufacturer factories or race car tracks--you may be able to pay a fee and review some safety requirements for testing your vehicle.

Overheating Can Be An Expensive Mistake

Overheating can be tested in the same process, but may have some mechanical issues that are more costly than avoiding a speeding ticket. Unless you have experience with car engines, you won't be able to notice the warning signs of an overheating vehicle. Although cars should have a working temperature gauge, it's possible for these gauges to fail.

Engine overheating occurs when the coolant and water mixtures in a vehicle are unable to cool down the engine properly. This could be because of a leak or a clog that prevents the cooling liquids from cycling throughout the cooling system properly.

When driving to test overheating problems, you need to drive with the radio off and no distractions. This is to listen for any rattling, to smell for any noticeable burning issues not related to fuel and for any fumes that smell like coolant. The scent of burning coolant indicates an overflow of coolant that isn't able to cycle through the system or the burning of coolant residue when a cooling system is becoming empty.

Some overheating can happen at different speeds. You may only suffer overheating at higher speeds such as over 60mph, or you may be missing critical cooling components that could affect you at residential area driving speeds such as 35mph. Some of these problems could have been caused by punctures, dented pipes or other collision issues after an accident.

Contact an auto body collision repair shop like Convoy Collision and Auto Body to examine engine issues that could have been caused by impact.