I’m a mechanic – colour of a key part tells you if a boy racer has owned a car

AN EXPERT has warned buyers looking for a used car that a simple check will reveal if the previous owners was a boy racer.

Used vehicles are a booming market, with 6.8million pre-owned motors sold in the UK last year, compared to 1.65m brand new, according to SMMT.

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However many buyers fear that the car they are thinking of signing up for has been used by a boy racer type driver.

Now veteran grease monkey Craig who works for Walsall Wood Tyre & Service has revealed how drivers can tell if the previous owners was a boy racer type.

Craig said that looking at the brake discs on a used car could tell if it was previously owned by a boy racer.

He added: “We want to look at tyres and brakes which are quite easy and visual to see through the wheels, and one of the good things to look at with brakes, especially if you’re buying what might have been a boy racer’s car, is the actual colour of the brake discs around the edge.

“We can see on this one that this is just a standard rusty colour, but what we find on vehicles that are driven more aggressively is that the edges of those discs start to go a red or orange, simply from the heat involved in aggressive braking.”

In the TikTok video Craig warned that some used car dealers could top up coolant to disguise a leak.

Whilst clear and green coolant may be a sign that the car was recently serviced, a seller could be trying to cover up a potential leak, which could be expensive to repair.

Craig also recommended that drivers should always look for a full-service history for the vehicle, which would detail how it has been cared for, any anything repaired on it.

Without a service history, he warned, the buyer could receive a car with various unexpected issues.

In the video, Craig also highlighted the importance of checking the oil.

He said: “And take a look at the engine oil. How black is it? How dirty is it? Is it a petrol or is it a diesel? If it’s a diesel we’d expect it to be black, but if it’s a petrol we don’t expect it to be.

“Again, we’re going to take off the oil filler cap and look for emulsification [droplets] under there, we’re going to see if there’s any custardy chemicals starting to build up on the bottom of the cap, suggesting that the oil is getting contaminated.”

Another mechanic provided a list of five things to check before buying a second-hand car – and a question to ask.

Automotive engineer Josh Regis, 34, has spent 18 years as a mechanic and regularly shares car advice with his 18,000 TikTok followers.

He tells us: “The first thing to look at is the year, make, model and value of the vehicle.

“Research how reliable it is, what are the common issues, how expensive maintenance can be, and how much it is to lease or finance the vehicle.”