Buying a used diesel? Read this first!
Buying a used diesel truck can either be a great investment… Or a very expensive mistake. As a diesel mechanic of just over 15 years, I see trucks all the time that someone just bought and was told “everything was fine, it just needs some minor stuff.”
Unfortunately, there are a few lines sellers use all the time that should immediately make you slow down and take a closer look.
“I bought it off an old guy”
Today this is probably one of the MOST common things sellers say. Sometimes it’s true, but most of the time they’re just saying that to put you (the buyer) at ease. Regardless of that, it should never replace a proper inspection. If possible always verify maintenance and service records and carefully look over the truck. If you’re not sure what to look for. We offer in-depth pre-purchase inspections.
“It just needs a tune”
If you hear this from a seller in most cases I will say just walk away. This is one of the most common things I hear! 99% of the time the truck has already been deleted and is running on what I call “a mystery tune” and was tuned by “some guy”. That means that the seller often doesn’t even know what tunes are even on it. Let’s be honest, if all it needed was “just a tune”, they would have probably taken care of it. Tunes are fairly affordable. The reality is the buyer is just saying that just to get rid of it. A deleted truck with an unknown tune can cause a lot of problems.
In some cases, I’ve seen improper tuner installations damage ECMs, TCMs, and especially with Switch On The Fly (SOTF) switches when tied into communication wiring. This isn’t saying the switches themselves are bad out of the box but poor installation and preventative measures.
“The engine/transmission was replaced 80k miles ago”
It’s always anywhere from 50k-80k miles. If the seller can’t provide any documentation that the repair happened, then treat it like it never happened.
Major repairs like engines and transmissions almost always leave a paper trail and without documentation, It probably never happened.
“The A/C just needs a recharge”
This is a common thing sellers say when the air conditioning isn’t working. Sometimes the system is low on refrigerant due to a leak, but other times the system may still have refrigerant in it and simply isn’t working properly.
A/C problems can be caused by a number of issues such as electrical problems, faulty sensors and switches, cooling fan issues or the blend door problems (in a lot of cases the dash has to come out for that).
In other words, If the A/C isn’t working, it’s important to diagnose why before assuming it just needs refrigerant added.
If you are thinking about buying a used diesel truck, having a pre-purchase inspection done can save you thousands of dollars in unexpected repairs.
Diesel Man Mobile Repair & Fleet Services offers pre-purchase inspections starting at 150.00. We do not only thoroughly inspect the vehicle visually, we also connect out professional grade diagnostic equipment that can detect hidden fault codes and other system problems that a lot of basic scanners miss. Every pre-purchase inspection also comes with a CARFAX report, so you can see things like reported accidents, title issues, and past service history.
IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:
If the seller refuses to let a mechanic inspect the vehicle or plug in a diagnostic scanner, just walk away.
If you are buying a diesel truck in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, Limon, or the surrounding areas, give us a call!
(719) 225-2821
