new owner, help in what to check and look out for

Hi everyone my names Peter and I'm a newbie
This Fri the 12th (thank god not the 13th) I pick up a 2006 1.4i SX C3, I test drove it today and given its age and mileage (94k) it drove very well and looks lovely in its deep red paintwork. I would confidently rebuild an old type Mini from the ground up but all cars with acronyms (ABS, ECU etc.) do scare me a little. I would much appreciate any help in what to check and look out for, all cars have their idiosyncrasies (never problems) what are the ones in my pretty little C3.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
Peter

deepfat54 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:04 pm Hi everyone my names Peter and I'm a newbie
This Fri the 12th (thank god not the 13th) I pick up a 2006 1.4i SX C3, I test drove it today and given its age and mileage (94k) it drove very well and looks lovely in its deep red paintwork. I would confidently rebuild an old type Mini from the ground up but all cars with acronyms (ABS, ECU etc.) do scare me a little. I would much appreciate any help in what to check and look out for, all cars have their idiosyncrasies (never problems) what are the ones in my pretty little C3.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
Peter

Hello Peter.

I would say a full service history is a must. At 100K you should have had the cambelt done already and it may well be on its way to the next one soon.

The magic 100K is engine mounts, exhaust brackets and clutches.

I wouldn't worry about ECU, BSI or ABS and make sure the mechanicals, brakes, suspension and steering are in good condition.

Hi Peter,
I hope you find the site informative.
I hope you also drop us a quick post in the C3 Club area and tell us a bit about you and your car (if you wish).

I would check the upper front shock mounts. Giggle the shock retainers. They are the round things under the bonnet above the front wheel arch. If you can move them around by hand the shock mounts are stuffed.
Check the resonator for holes. That's the muffler under the car between the driver and passenger seats.
Make sure the relevant warning lights on the dash come on...then go off when you start the engine. If they don't come on...worry. If they don't go off...worry. Well, don't worry, be concerned.
I like to see an "honest" engine. That is; a bit of oil and grime. If the engine is clean, it might be because they have cleaned up the oil leaks?
The air recycle servo can strip gears. Turn the cabin fan speed all the way up and press the air recirculation button on the A/C control panel. You should hear a change in the sound of the air supply as it goes from the inside to the outside source (and vice versa). If it clatters or there is no change, it's broken.
Check that the drivers door key lock works, that it locks and unlocks the drivers door. The key ONLY unlocks/locks the drivers door there is no "central locking" from this lock! Trust me, you may need it one day!
Drivers door check strap. The check straps are easily damaged and the door wont hold in the intermediate or fully open positions. Check the drivers door opening operation against the other doors.
The rear "bump stops" are held together with spit. The bump stops stop the rear suspension from banging on the chassis. They are located behind the rear wheels above the suspension arm. The rubber parts separate from the plastic parts fifteen minutes after installation (I'm being sarcastic ).
The lens on the "repeater" lamps fall off but you can get replacement assemblies from Ebay cheaply.
If the battery box cover has been removed, see if they still have it. It protects the engine ECU wiring from water.
If an after-market radio is fitted, make sure the central locking 'plip' works. Actually that's not so much of a problem with the year of car you are buying.

Thanks everyone,
And there's me thinking a lazy weekend tooling around in my new wheels, oops its still partial lockdown so instead I can work through the list you have kindly supplied. Hopefully the list will be mainly ticks if not watch this space, thanks again.
Peter