Jacksonville Used Cars – Pushing Your Buttons

Jacksonville Used Cars – Pushing Your Buttons

By: Steve Kicklighter and Beth Kicklighter

Today we would like to talk about the third of our top ten things we recommend you look for when purchasing your next pre-owned vehicle.  These ten items are not in any particular order of importance, but are things we feel will help insure value when shopping for a car and could prevent you from making a costly mistake.

Week Three: Power windows and door locks:

Believe it or not this is a part of your vehicle that could add up to hundreds of dollars of repairs if not properly inspected.

While the inspection process is as simple as it gets, by simply checking each button to see if it is working adequately, it requires thoroughness to inspect each and every switch or button in a vehicle to insure they are working properly.  For example:  While the right rear window switch located on the drivers control panel may properly lower and raise that window it is possible that the switch located at the right rear passenger seat may not lower and raise that window at all.  So the key here again is simply to be thorough with your investigation in these areas.  The repair can be as simple as repairing a switch or be as costly as replacing a motor. If the car has power seats installed make sure you check all directions including the lumbar support to see if they are working properly. 

These repairs shouldn’t prevent you from buying a used car with these issues, but beware the costs could add up if several of these problems are found. Testing all the switches in a used car is a must including the a/c and radio. If you find out there are broken switches, talk with the dealer to see if they are going to fix the problem before you make the purchase. 

Note:  don’t forget to turn child locks off before testing. Some vehicles are equipped with child locks to prevent the door from being opened from the interior of the car. This is also the case with power windows. Newer vehicles have a standard window lock option that prevents the passengers from rolling down the car windows. 

Some models can be terribly expensive to replace window and door switches and motors. These repairs can add up in a hurry.  

Steve and Beth Kicklighter own and operate Kicklighter Auto Sales in Jacksonville, Florida.  To see more helpful hints, including videos, go to http://jacksonville-used-cars.com