Highlights
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), fingerprint sa sasakyan dito mo din malaman ang track recalls, registrations, warranty claims at insurance coverage.
- Kung ang V-I-N ng sasakyan ay hindi tugma sa vehicle registration document, seguradong nakaw ang sasakyan o parte nito.
- Di sakop ng Australian Consumer Law kung bibili ng second-hand car sa mga pribadong indibidwal.
Nagtatrabaho bilang taga-pamahala ng road test at kasalukuyang taga-suri para sa “Australia’s Best Car” program si Tim Nicholson sa Royal Automotive Club of Victoria dito sa Australia. Aniya, kung ang plano ay bibili ng used car, pinaka-importanteng isipin sa lahat bago bumili ay kung ligtas pa bang gamitin ang sasakyan.
“The most important thing for us is safety. The cheaper the vehicle is, you know, the higher chance is that it’s not going to be as reliable, it’s not going to be as safe, so yeah look, safety is just the number one priority, and we always say buy the safest car that you can afford. That’s what we always recommend.”
Para lubusan makita ang kondisyon ng sasakyan, i-check ang Vehicle Identification Number o V-I-N. Dito nakasaad kung na-aksidente na ang sasakyan o kaya regular bang ginagawa ang service maintenance nito.
“Vehicle identification number can be found in a little square at the bottom of the windscreen, and that can be used to find out actually vehicle’s history. So you can buy reports, or get reports online that tell you whether the vehicle has been in an accident before, and also is handy if you are buying a vehicle that might come in for a safety recall, they use your vehicle identification number to identify that.”
Nagsisilbi kasing vehicles fingerprint ang V-I-N, dito mo din malaman ang track recalls, registrations, warranty claims at insurance coverage.
Nagmamay-ari na ng pangatlong second-hand car si Logan Sommers.
Aniya, madaling malaman kung nakaw ang bahagi o ang sasakyan mismo sa pamamagitan VIN. Kung ang VIN ng sasakyan ay hindi tugma sa vehicle registration document, seguradong nakaw ang sasakyan o parte nito.
“I contacted the seller who listed limited information on the car, so I came over to check it out; when looking at the VIN number from the logbook and the engine there were different numbers and I had to walk away. Obviously, you don’t want to be involved in that, if it’s stolen, then the car can be taken from you. Even though it was a really good deal, it’s probably something that’s not worthwhile.”
Samantala, payo ni Nicholson kung bibili ka naman mula sa isang kakilala o private owner ng second-hand car, madali mong malaman kung may utang pa ba sa bangko o sa financing institution ang saksakyan sa pamamagitan ng VIN number.
“You can also find out if the car has any money owning on it. If you are buying a second -hand car privately, there’s a possibility that the current owner hasn’t fully paid it off yet, that number is useful for that as well.”
Dagdag ni Nicholson, kung hindi ka pamilyar o eksperto sa paghahanap ng maayos na sasakyan, mabilis lang malaman kung karapat-dapat bang gastusan ng ipon mo ang isang sasakyan. Huwag bilhin ang sobrang kupas na ang hitsura ng pintura sa lahat ng bahagi ng sasakyan, maraming dents o yupi at kung kinakalawang na. Inspeksyunin din ang ilalim na bahagi ng sasakyan. Di na maganda kung may bakas ng tagas ng oil, coolant o tubig ang makina, dahil malaking trabaho ito at kadalasan kahit gastusan mo pa di na babalik sa normal ang takbo nito.
“Also look for uneven tire wear, like if the tires are bald. That could indicate like a poor service history of the vehicle , and you can even look at if there is a mismatched paint on the vehicle that can indicate that the vehicle has been in the crash in the past, as well as if you can see that there is a kind of poorly fitting panel from the vehicle that could also indicate that it has been in the crash.
Maging maalam din sabi ni Sommers, huwag mag-inspeksyon ng sasakyan sa tag-ulan at madilim na bahagi na lugar dahil lalabas na makintab at pwedeng maitago ang mga body defects nito. Dagdag pa ni Sommers, pinakamadaling paraan para malaman kung may tagas ang makina, suriing mabuhi ang lebel ng engine oil bago at pagkatapos ng drive test.
“Have a look at the oil dipstick prior starting up the car, and then after you go for a test drive, I would recommend checking the oil level afterwards. If this is changed dramatically there may be loose oil around, review it, make sure that’s not a leak that will cost you more to get it replaced and fixed.”
Isa ring paraan para malaman kung may problema ang makina ng sasakyan ay sa pamamagitan ng pagpa-andar nito habang malamig ang makina. At kung may lalabas na puting usok sa exhaust, mag-isip isip ka na.
Dahil ayon kay Nicholson...
“If it is a smoky exhaust, that could be a bit of a concern, if there is kind of blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe, or if it is particularly smoky or even if it is particularly smelly then that could indicate that there is issues with the engine or exhaust, or something else under the skin that you can’t see.”
May dagdag payo naman si Ken Gratton, isang Technical Editor sa Carsales.com. Hinay-hinay kung bibili ng second-hand car mula sa private owner, kahit pa mas mababa ang presyo nito kumpara sa mga benta mula sa licensed motor vehicle dealers. Dahil ang private owners ng sasakyan ay hindi obligadong, ibunyag ang tunay na kondisyon nito kahit pa may alam na problema.
“ So, you want to watch out for certain cars that maybe cheap to buy but there is a reason for that, maybe it’s because they have a poor record in service or else they were sold originally by company that is no longer operating in Australia, so there are number of reasons why some of these cars look like they are great value propositions to buy but you should probably stay clear of them as well.”
Pinapaunawa din ni Gratton, kung bibili ka sa mga kilala at mapagkatiwalaang car dealer, mababawasan ang alalahanin ng mga bumibili.
“Most dealers will supply a car with a used car warranty but also if there is a problem even if it’s outside the warranty, your case may be covered by the Australian Consumer Law, so if something catastrophic happens, whole engine explodes or what have you, then take it back to the dealer and you would have a very strong case under the Australian Consumer Law.“
Paalala din nito, di sakop ng Australian Consumer Law kung bibili ng second-hand car sa mga pribadong indibidwal.
Para sa karagdagang importmasyon, bisitahin ang Transport Authority and Consumer Affairs websites.
