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YOUR RESEARCHShould I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
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Replace brakes done, and so
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I've seen tires replaced, brakes done, and so on so the car when it arrives on the lot or in the showroom has no outstanding issues and can only leave a prospective buyer with a positive impression of the car after a test drive.
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
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Leading evidence: 'Replace brakes done, and so' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Clean maf sensor too' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Repair such as
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Suggestion
It could be a simple repair such as changing the sparkplugs and or coils..
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Replace clutch
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Suggestion
The dealer had one of its techs replace the clutch.
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Replace sparkplugs and or coils
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Suggestion
It could be a simple repair such as changing the sparkplugs and or coils..
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Replace brakes done, and so
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I've seen tires replaced, brakes done, and so on so the car when it arrives on the lot or in the showroom has no outstanding issues and can only leave a prospective buyer with a positive impression of the car after a test drive.
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Test drive
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Suggestion
In my opinion, if possible, it would be prudent to test drive the car to see the extent of the miss fire, then you would know what to look for on the second test drive after the "fix".
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
Suggestion
I've seen tires replaced, brakes done, and so on so the car when it arrives on the lot or in the showroom has no outstanding issues and can only leave a prospective buyer with a positive impression of the car after a test drive.
Should I buy a car that has "spark-plug problems"?
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15 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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The dealer selling a car I'm interested in buying says everything is perfect, but there is a problem with the spark plugs which needs to be fixed. I'm not sure, but I had the impression from the conversation that the cylinders sometimes misfire.
I will of course insist that it be fixed before I test drive it and have a PPI done. But I'm wondering if such a problem could have any long-term side effects, or if it might indicate (or hide) another problem.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
The simple question is - how did they determine there is a spark plug issue? CEL on? Diagnostics? Did it throw a code? Is it blowing smoke? Tailpipes black and sooty? Does it run rough? Take a simple OBDII reader and plug it in and check it out for any codes. Of course you are correct to insist it be fixed before you buy it and have a independent PPI done. Spark plugs can go bad, or get fouled, but if that is the only problem it is not major. It would help to know the model, year, mileage, etc.
Absolutely buy it fast. The dealer is probably way too busy to tackle a simple plug change. I think I saw a 997 TT they have for sale where the ad read;
"Perfect condition 997TT, super cheap, doesnt run but only needs gas."
Very simple. Treat all sellers as sharks. As stated by others, if it was that simple they would have fixed it already rather than dealer with stories with potential customers.
My recent experience with a private seller (who would more likely be someone who doesn't know/care that they have a potentially easy fix on their hands and sells the car for cheap) who had a bad clutch taught me it's profoundly stupid to try and sell a car that has a noticeable problem unless you're a true believer in the greater idiot method of selling cars.
I felt like I risked my life driving the car and there was absolutely no way I was going to buy it, because who knows how many other problems were hidden behind the "it's the clutch, only, seriously" veil.
Yes, all obviously true, though I understood that they would fix this before I test drive the car, and I would not go to test drive the car unless I knew they had done so. So I'm not worried about noticing a problem while test driving it and stupidly believing it's just bad spark plugs. If I, or the shop doing the PPI, detect any significant problem, I won't buy it.
What I'm worried is that bad spark plugs, despite the car being serviced at standard intervals, might (1) be a sign of another problem, or (2) cause another problem.
Does anyone know if this might be the case?
Thanks!!!
I completely understand your plan but I failed to convey one thinking. You mentioned the engine has misfires sometimes. My concern is the misfire may not show up at the conditions during PPI. So even if it passed with flying colors at the time of the PPI, you may still have problems down the road.
The words "intermittent misfires with no codes" will send chills through the spines of most tech...
Just my 2 cents.
In my opinion, if possible, it would be prudent to test drive the car to see the extent of the miss fire, then you would know what to look for on the second test drive after the "fix". If it shows a code showing a cylinder misfire, it picks that up from the crankshaft slowing down when that cylinder is supposed to be adding push to the crank. A bad sparkplug, a bad injector, coil, bad head gasket etc can cause the same miss fire symptom and code. The code, if the engine has OBD2, will tell you which cylinder is not producing power. As stated above you have to find the cause of the miss fire and address that with an application of dollars.
Run away.
I've observed at least one Porsche dealer when it gets a car in either as a trade in or via a Porsche auction, it addresses any obvious issues.
For instance I have seen a Cayman come in with a slipping clutch. No way the dealer would put this car on the lot with this condition and tell a buyer the car is perfect it just needs a clutch. The dealer had one of its techs replace the clutch.
I've seen tires replaced, brakes done, and so on so the car when it arrives on the lot or in the showroom has no outstanding issues and can only leave a prospective buyer with a positive impression of the car after a test drive.
Encountering a used car on a dealer lot with a slipping clutch would be bad enough but one with misfires that are attributed to something as easy to address as spark plugs?
BS.
Run away.
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