Introduction
Today, you’ll learn how to inspect a used van that you might want to buy for van life. Whether it’s a campervan, minivan, cargo van, or any similar vehicle, this guide is for you. The steps outlined here also apply to inspecting cars and trucks. This post will guide you step-by-step through the Volkswagen campervan inspection process.
Initial VW CamperVan Inspection
So you just don’t want to start the ignition and get the campervan too hot because if you do, you’ll have to wait for it to cool back down, mainly because of the radiator. So what you’re going to need are some check things, a towel, and some newspaper. You’re going to use that newspaper to look and see if you have any drips coming from anywhere. If you see something dark-coloured, which is obviously engine oil, and then you see something reddish-coloured, it’s going to be transmission fluid. If you’ve been running an air conditioner, you’re going to have a little bit of moisture coming off of it, but it’s going to be clear condensation and clear water. So if you just see something clear, you don’t have to worry about it, but if you see other colours of stuff now, you’re going to need to investigate a little further.
Detailed Inspection Steps
Engine Oil Inspection
The first thing you are going to look at when doing the Volkswagen campervan inspection is the engine oil. This is why you want to use paper towels. It doesn’t really matter what kind of shape the oil is in because one of the first things you’re going to do if you buy it is change the oil anyway. But what you do want to look at is to make sure that it is oil coloured. Or it is something that does not have greenish or reddish tints mixed in with it. It could be something that looks kind of milky, kind of frothy. If that’s happening, what you have more than likely is a head gasket issue. And a head gasket issue is going to cost you $1200 and up.
Now, that is a problem, and there will be car dealerships that simply don’t do good inspections on the used vehicles they’re selling. They will simply miss these kinds of problems, and this is a problem that can be very expensive for you. The other place you’re going to check for this problem is going to be where the oil goes in.
Inspect Radiator
After that, look at the radiator. Here you will need a thick cloth towel. So you’re going to turn the cap a little bit just to make sure you relieve any pressure and don’t have things too hot. And then you’re going to go ahead and twist it around and take it the rest of the way off. You’re also going to wipe this on the towel because what you don’t want to see is oil mixed in with your radiator stuff, so preferably green. Some of these Volkswagen campervan inspection companies use a formula that’s more of a reddish colour. That’s what you want to see when you look in there.
Checking for Major Issues
The thing that you’re trying to do is eliminate major problems. Now get back to those head gasket kind of issues where you have fluids mixing together. Another way you can tell that you may have a gasket kind of problem is by starting the vehicle up. What do you want to do once you start it up and look at your radiator for about 30 seconds? Make sure that you don’t see bubbles coming up because if you have bubbles coming up in the system, that means you have an air leak somewhere. Again, that’s a pretty good sign that you’re usually going to have a head gasket type of issue.
Now, if you know this part is okay, go ahead and put the radiator cap back on. That’s basically it. Now you are going to pull out newspapers. Make sure you don’t have leaks that were not disclosed to you.
You should have a plastic slider
The last thing, depending on what you want to do and how efficient you want to be with all this, is having a piece of plastic slider in your test bag. That way, you have something that you can get on the ground, slide up, grab your flashlight, and just look up. Make sure you don’t see leaks, see any kind of problems. Or if you are seeing a leak, hopefully, you can tell where it’s coming from and decide then whether it’s going to be a simple problem or not. You can easily bust head issues or head gasket issues, and that’s what you want. That’s what you’re after in the Volkswagen campervan inspection. This step eliminates serious problems.
Conclusion
Checking a Volkswagen campervan before you buy it is very important. This guide whould have helped you learn how to look at a used van carefully. You want to find any big problems before you decide to buy it. Looking at things like engine oil and the radiator. It can help you avoid spending a lot of money on repairs later.
It’s good to check everything yourself if you can. This helps you feel sure about your choice. If you’re not sure how to check the van well. It’s a good idea to bring someone who knows about cars. This can help you feel safe and happy with your purchase. Good luck finding your van, and have fun traveling in it!