The selling of used cars is changing rapidly with the rise of used-car superstores and the emergence of the “new used” category. But the age-old question, “How does it run?” remains at the heart of any deal.
Several manufacturers, among them General Motors Corp., Saturn Corp., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Mercedes-Benz AG, offer used-car certification programs to guarantee that each vehicle is inspected before it’s put on to the dealer’s lot for resale.
But not all dealers participate. At Ford, which has one of the more extensive programs, only 1,200 to 1,500 of its 5,000 dealers will have signed up and qualified to offer the certified used-car designation by mid-summer, according to Ford officials.
“Our program actually was done in response to the dealers,” said Guy Bertram, regional marketing manager for the Ford Division. “They wanted us to give them a couple of tools.”
Each car sold under the Ford program is cleaned and must pass a 100-point inspection.
Many dealers, though, are skeptical of manufacturer-sponsored certification programs with their extended checklists because of the expense involved, according to a member of GM’s Dealer Council, who asked to remain anonymous.
Most reputable dealers will go over a vehicle’s basic safety systems, brakes, tires and lights, and make sure the vehicle is good running order before they offer it for sale, he said.
Nevertheless, the checklists prepared by Ford, Saturn, Toyota and Chrysler, which is beginning a pilot used-car certification program around Kansas City, Mo., offer consumers some pointers on what to look at and think about as they shop.
Some of the items on the checklists amount to standard preventive maintenance suggested by the manufacturers’ owners’ manuals.
Saturn, for example, asks the dealer to check the oil and replace the filter and Chrysler’s list includes checking the coolant, hydraulic fluid, power-steering fluid, air filter and wiper blades.
Greg Martin, a spokesman for Saturn, said all major systems on used vehicles must operate properly to qualify for Saturn’s certified used-car designation, which is required for sale and includes a three-day, money-back guarantee and a 30-day or 1,500-mile trade-in policy.
Among other items on Saturn’s list, tires must have at least four/thirty-seconds of an inch of useful tread and brake linings must have 60 percent of their useful life, said Martin.
The battery, and starting and charging systems also are checked and the car’s on-board computer is given a complete diagnostic test. The car’s exterior is checked for nicks and scratches, and basic structural integrity is evaluated before it is certified by a Saturn dealer, Martin said. Even before the explosion of used-car sales, most dealers did inspections and made repairs on the cars.
Chrysler’s certified used-car checklist also includes an inspection of the master brake cylinder, brake calipers, parking brake and wheel cylinders as well as the air conditioning, engine and transmission mounts, seat belts and adjustable steering column, if the vehicle has one, said Chrysler spokesman Mike McKesson.
Chrysler’s 110 points also include a check of the sound system, the door locks, window mechanisms and rear defroster as well as the antenna, shock absorbers and struts, springs and sway bars, and suspension mounts.
The manufacturers’ checklists call for inspections of such items as the condition of the headrests, seat fabric, interior fabric and sun visors as well as the integrity of the trunk and other storage compartments to make sure they lock and keep out moisture as designed.
Precise standards and checklists, however, vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Ford, for example, won’t certify cars older than four years with more than 50,000 miles on them and Saturn takes cars five years old and with up to 60,000 miles into its certified used-car program. Toyota includes only vehicles from the 1992 through 1996 model years with less than 55,000 miles.
QUALITY CHECKS
In response to a growing used-car market, carmakers such as Chrysler, Ford, Saturn and Mercedes-Benz are certifying cars they sell. Here are some of the things the carmakers do to ensure used-car quality:
– Check the oil and replace the filter
– Check the coolant, hydraulic fluid, power-steering fluid, air filter and wiper blades
– Check tire tread
– Check battery, and starting and charging systems
– Do onboard computer diagnostics
– Check brake linings, master brake cylinder, brake calipers, parking brake and wheel cylinders
– Check the air conditioning, engine and transmission mounts, seat belts and adjustable steering column
– Check sound system, door locks, window mechanisms, rear defroster, antenna, shock absorbers and struts, springs and sway bars, and suspension mounts
– Repair nicks and scratches
– Check basic structural integrity
– Check headrests, seat fabric, interior fabric, sun visors
– Check integrity of the trunk and other storage compartments
– Clean the car
