‘Always, always, always’ — Man Reveals What You Should Know Before Buying a Car on Facebook Marketplace
A man shared three things every driver should look out for when purchasing cars off of Facebook Marketplace. Portland-based barber and TikTok user Jon rattled them off in a post on the app, and several other users concurred with his suggestions.
“Here are three things to do when you’re a buying a car on Facebook Marketplace. Before you look at anything on the car, pop the hood,” Jon (@jsaucii) urges folks on the app. He cracks open the door of a vehicle and locates its hood release lever. Following this, his clip transitions to footage of the car’s engine bay, revealing an Acura emblem. As he records the ride’s guts, he explains why this is how every Facebook Marketplace car buying transaction should go.
Once inside, he tells folks what they’re looking for. “The very, very first thing you wanna do. Always, always, always check your oil. You wanna make sure that there is oil,” he says, removing the dip stick to determine whether or not the vehicle is topped and retaining oil. Following this, he says there’s another vital fluid check prospective buyers should be cognizant of.
“Then, you wanna check your transmission fluid. If it has a dipstick for it,” he tells viewers before giving a bit more info on the vehicle in his clip. “This Acura MDX, the transmission fluid is right there, okay?” Then, he reaches into the bay where he locates the second dip stick. Like the one that measures oil, the transmission fluid stick shows there’s indeed fluid in its reservoir.
Cap checks
Assessment of the vehicle’s fluid and fluid systems don’t end there. He stresses that inspecting a car’s oil cap is vital. Once its unscrewed, Jon tells drivers to look out for “white residue” and “chocolatey fluid.” According to him, the presence of these colors and textures indicates the car is suffering from a head gasket issue.
The Universal Technical Institute also warns about the dangers of “milky oil.” In this blog post, the trade school explains that oil caps with an aesthetic similar to the ones Jon described, are indicative of engine trouble. The TikToker’s exhortations about the importance of assessing a car’s oil levels/appearance when purchasing a used car.
He went on to tell prospective buyers to keep an eye out for “metal flakes” in the car’s oil. “If there’s metal flakes in it, the motor is [curse] done. You’re gonna have to rebuild that motor very soon. And it’s gonna be a pain in the [curse]. And you’re gonna be [curse] money dumping this [curse]” he tells his audience.
“Make sure there is no flakes in the oil,” he implores, again. But he did state there are some shifty folks who try and get around foisting a vehicle in bad shape onto interested buyers. They’ll attempt to make the oil seem as if it’s in good condition by swapping it out beforehand.
Which is why he advises folks to keep their eyes peeled. “And what I recommend — taking a very close look. Because sometimes people do oil changes right before selling the car. And if you know, when you freshly do an oil change, the metal flakes aren’t gonna pop up. Because all that fluid is gone. So it’s gonna be really hard to distinguish if there’s still metal flakes in there.”
Thoroughly assess the oil
Jon then shared his method for determining if there is indeed debris inside of a used car’s oil. “Sometimes what I do is you wanna make sure that there’s no metal flakes. Is get a flashlight and flash it on the oil in some area that’s dark,” he tells viewers.
Next, he records a portion of the car’s oil dipstick, which he leaves hovering in the hood of the car. “For example, there’s a small area right here. I flash it, make sure there’s no reflection. If there’s a reflection, you have metal in the oil. Which means your car is [curse],” he exclaims.
The car maintenance business Collins Auto Care echoes this sentiment. While they state “some microscopic metal particles are normal, visible shavings on your dipstick or drain plug can indicate serious engine wear.” Furthermore, a Reddit user shared pictures of some residue of their own car’s engine oil. In the slideshow, there indeed looks like flecks of metal that are visibly reflecting light. The find prompted other users on the application to tell him that he should “junk” his car.
Oil drips
Jon also mentioned another easy way to determine if there’s a problem with a Facebook Marketplace vehicle. Buyers should look underneath the car to see if it’s leaking any oil. Keeping an eye out for any spots on the pavement, or active drips emanating from the car’s undercarriage is a quick and easy job.
Although, unlike the metal flakes, he says that drips aren’t exactly indicative of an end-all-be-all problem with a Facebook Marketplace ride. “If there is oil on the floor leaking from the car, try and figure out where it’s coming from. Never know it could be rear main seal. It could be just a small plug that’s unplugged. At least you’ll know why it’s leaking.”
However, he repeated that metal flakes in oil is a sure sign folks should avoid a vehicle at all costs.
MotorBiscuit reached out to Jon via TikTok comment to see if he’s had any other issues with Facebook car purchases.
