If you haven’t caught the previous posts on this inspection method:

Part 1 Click Here   Part 2 Click Here

Once we’ve performed the cursory inspections as above, we’re ready to take the vehicle for a test drive.  At this stage, hopefully you’ll still have the vehicle running.

We want the vehicle to warm up as much as possible to simulate at least a reasonable drive on the road, and ensure the vehicle is up to it.

The whole point of the test drive is to ensure that main parts of the vehicle are working correctly.

For this Post:

Brakes

Both the pedal brake, and handbrake need to be tested. 

Take the car out on the road (for obvious reasons, a quieter road is preferable).  Accelarate to approx. 40 Km/h check to ensure no other cars are being you, and then apply the foot brake sufficiently hard enough to bring the vehicle to a quick stop. Not so hard that the vehicles wheels screech. 

We’re looking to ensure the vehicle pulls to a stop without any issues.

Also, this test will make sure the brakes are pulling up the vehicle evenly. That is to say, the vehicle doesn’t veer to the left or right when braking.

Listen for any noises coming from the brakes.

Now we want to perform a similar test on the handbrake. If you can find a steep road, a great way to test the handbrake is to simply park the vehicle in neutral and apply the handbrake.

The handbrake should be sufficient to stop the vehicle moving.

If you can’t find a slope, simply accelarate to roughly 25 KM/H, and apply handbrake to ensure vehicle pulls up OK. 

Do not attempt this at a higher speed as the handbrake isn’t designed for this type of stopping.

If possible, perform this test also in reverse.