Where to look for wear points in used skyline?

[ecenshu]

I'm trying to find out where to look for wear points in a skyline to verify the type of km's its done. I don't have any mechanically inclined friends so I want to find out how to inspect a car.

Is there any chronic problems with R32 GTR's?

How would I inspect these problems if any?

Are there any areas I should be wary of?

How do I find out if there has been any panel damage?

[R33man]

I own an R33 so I cant speak for the 32 but a good indication can be the interior. Look at the condition of the carpet, seats, steering wheel etc. It is difficult if not impossible to determine exactly the km's a car has done just by looking at the interior but if your car had 40000km on the clock and had worn out carpet you should be sus.

[Sumo]

if you get under the car you see see if the cars had a hit, mine has had a hit up the arse before, and only realised it when I got under the change the diff oil

[HKSgtst]

look at the steering and the gear boot ...

[Jetdat]

check the rubber pedals for wear....and see if the digits on the odometer are aligned...

[cobo_11]

Could you still apply the interior look-over to a car that has only been imported? Or spent the majority of it's life in Japan?

THe reason I ask is because I have seen what the traffic is like in the cities of Japan, and if people are driving pretty slow and in a lot of traffic jams, you would get restless and as I have read from these forums, Japanese men tend to pick at the steering wheel. And they might move around a bit and cause more wear on things such as carpet, etc...

[Clint32]

pay carefull attention to the gaps in all the pannels and the heights they sit eg bonnet, boot, doors, this shows up any dodgy repairs done after a serious crash. also have a close look under the front of the car around the bumper suppors its very easy to spot a damaged car

[ecenshu]

Thanks for the reply's guys!

look at the steering and the gear boot ...

OK, for the steering wheel check, does worn equal a matt like finish? rough? shiny? or something else?

Where would the most worn area of a seat be? The side bolsters or the seat(bottom part)?

Would floor mats be able to give an indication of age/wear? or the actual interior carpets?

Thanks again guys!

[hippy]

hey man i think u know who i am ... i can try help u out if u want ... i'm sure u might have my number ... else ask quan hehhe ... anyways imho most of the cars that come over have had some sort of accident history ... i mean its no different from here people have accidents ... u just gotta watch out thats all ...

[ecenshu]

hey man i think u know who i am ... i can try help u out if u want ... i'm sure u might have my number ... else ask quan   hehhe ... anyways imho most of the cars that come over have had some sort of accident history ... i mean its no different from here people have accidents ... u just gotta watch out thats all ...

Yeah, I got your number of Quan, only prob is that the car will be in Melbourne in February. I'm just finding info on what to look for and estimating how much etxra I'm gonna set aside to fix it to A1 condition. Car is already bought and paid for so it's just a precation. I've set aside about an extra $6k for a case of the shit hitting the fan. If I spend less...then good, but I'd need to know what to replace/repair first. Workshops may or may not give good advice so I'm finding more information about skylines in general.

Another issue with buying a used car:

What type of tests could I do to the car to check if it is mechanically sound?

Compression test should be a must right? Would I need a dyno readout to get a baseline on the car?(After any other mechanical tests of course)

[awill]

Pressure test the cooling system to see if any hoses are dying, thats a must also the turbo play in that is not good.

[unwritten law]

also check under the guards and wheel wells for bits of rust. Imports from snowy areas in Japan tend to have rust becuase of the salt they put on the roads....

[Nismodified]

If its an R32 GTR, maybe look at the condition of the plenum. It is painted black from the factory, and if its worn out car, the paint should be flaking or comming off etc..

This mite be useful for cross checking the odo figures and stuff.

[Shell]

OK, for the steering wheel check, does worn equal a matt like finish? rough? shiny? or something else?

the black coating (whatever it is) tends to go flakey and start to peel off in little bits...you'll probably find this is mostly where people have held it the most, ie on the top half of the wheel.

well this is in R33's i assume it would be similar in R32's!

[Amaru]

Im assuming this is an 89 GTR youre importing. Before spending the cash on body works, id take it to a reputable mechanics and get a compression and leakdown test done. Granted skylines are great cars, but a 15 year old twin turbo performance engine is going to be pretty shagged (and those that say it wasnt driven hard etc etc think about it... why buy a GTR for?).

Id put the money towards compression and leakdown test and depending on that (anything under 120 on the compression results) and id be spending that $6k on an engine rebuild (and they're not cheap). Gearboxes are clunky by nature, and majority of GTR's have stuffed synchro's so dont be afraid if you hop in and crunch some gears. If you want this fixed, budget in gearbox rebuild.

Body wise, look around the door seals for rust. Alot tends to show up around these areas, as well as in the wheel guards.

Other major things id definately get changed on the vehicle since its becoming quite old is water pump, oil pump, oil pressure sender/switch, all engine belts, gasket set.

Not meant to be scaring you, just giving you a heads up on what to expect. On the other hand you might get a perfectly mint car

[Cyric]

If your trying to figure out if its had the clock wound back have a look at the wear marks on:

1. The pedals

2. Steering wheel

3. Seat belts (although usually replaced with complicance)

4. Hand brake

If they are worn to buggery and its done 20000km then something obviously isnt right...

[ecenshu]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Very good points made, especially about the mechanicals. I would rather a car that drives close to 100% than one that looks it(I guess too many of my friends are into 2F2F )

I already factored in getting a compression test, but what exactly is a leakdown test? Is it the same as pressure testing the cooling system or something else entirely?

Also with a gearbox rebuild, how much would an estimate amount be?

Sorry for sounding like a newb but I know about engines in general but Skylines and all the electronics are new to me!