Car mechanic says there is one main warning sign that means drivers should sell their car

A car mechanic has claimed that there's one warning sign which means it's time to sell up and move on, though good luck finding someone willing to buy it off you.

Every car you have in your life until the last one will eventually be driven to a place where you get out of it for the last time and saunter off to hop behind the wheel of a replacement.

Whether your old car rusts away into a hunk of junk or finds a new and loving home is really up to you.

Making that decision of when to get a new car can be tricky, especially if you've managed to form some sort of emotional bond with an internal combustion engine, we're not here to judge.

Still, the signs can be there and one major one to look out for has been detailed by YouTubing car mechanic Scotty Kilmer.

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He explained that if your gearbox was making strange noises then it might be time to trade the vehicle in.

Obviously, the first thing to do if you think your car is having problems is to go to a garage and get it looked at, and then you might be faced with a dilemma.

The mechanic used the example of a 4x4 automatic with a 'perfectly smooth running engine', but said 'the transmission occasionally gives a big clunk when it shifts'.

Kilmer said 'now's the time to get rid of it', urging his audience to sell their cars before they actually break down.

Basically the nub of the matter is that in automatic cars the gearbox is incredibly expensive, so if you hear it clunking that might be a sign that it's getting knackered and you should sell your car and move on.

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The mechanic urged his viewers to 'sell it before it breaks down entirely', but warned 'just make sure you let them know what they're getting into' regarding the vehicle's problems.

Of course, as many of the car mechanic's commenters pointed out it might be difficult to find a buyer for a clapped out car in need of an expensive repair.

Several warned that it'd be downright unethical to just sell the car to somebody else when you know it's developing a fault, because obviously that'd be a dangerous and s**tty thing to do.

Others suggested instead that you find a mechanic to sell it to as they could fix the car for themselves for less than you'd be charged for repairs and then possibly sell it on themselves.

Besides, if you're trying to flog a car on the cusp of breaking down you shouldn't expect too much money for it.

Topics: Cars, Money

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker