Buying a car is one of the most significant investments people make in their entire lives. However, all vehicles do not hold their original value, whether it’s a truck, van, SUV, car, or motorcycle. They depreciate as soon as you use and drive them off your car dealer.
Nevertheless, vehicles retain some value even after so many years. Old cars can still be sold, and sometimes for a reasonable sum of money. The secret is to maintain the value of the vehicle as high as possible. Here are three simple guides on how to retain your car’s value for many years to come.
Keep Your Car Clean
It is a no brainer. Keeping a car clean makes it more appealing, more comfortable to sell, and at a higher amount. However, telling this to yourself is easier said than done. Even if we know that we must keep the inside and outside of our vehicles clean all the time, it becomes very challenging with our busy schedule.
Then again, we must remember that stubborn dirt on the vehicle’s exterior and interior can easily lead to a car’s body corrosion, permanent stains, and faded covers and carpets. It can potentially harm the car’s performance and its resale value.
The secret in keeping a car’s paintwork in its best condition is following the wash, polish, and wax habit. Once discolouration occurs on your vehicle, it will almost be impossible to have the same shiny colour back, unless you get a costly repaint. Here are some helpful tips on how to keep your car clean:
- Wash your car regularly.
- Vacuum the interior carpets and seats to remove dirt in hard to reach areas.
- Use fabric cleaner for your leather or upholstered chairs.
- Choose a high-quality polish to remove stains, blemishes, and marks.
- Have a car wax at least twice every year.
- Do not smoke, eat, and drink inside your car.
- Use air freshener to keep the inside smelling fresh.
- Use floor mats to protect your car’s interior.
- Clean the lights and polish faded headlight lenses.
- Avoid damage to the wheels.
It is crucial that you wash, polish, and wax your vehicle regularly to keep its sparkle and shine at the time of selling. Moreover, shiny alloy wheels attract more potential buyers. You can maintain this condition by visiting a tyre shop near me to get those wheels checked once in a while.
Always Store Your Car Properly
The purpose of every garage is as a safe parking space for your car, and not for old furniture or other exercise equipment. A garage is the best place to keep your vehicle, especially in extreme weather conditions.
Too much heat from the sun can make your car’s body paint easily fade. On the other hand, cold temperatures can bring a heavy toll on its engine. You will avoid expensive repairs if you store your vehicles indoors wherein, temperatures are more controlled. This way, you can maintain your car’s value longer than when parking your vehicle outside under severe heat and cold.
To get your money’s worth when you sell your car, you can also do the following to retain the appeal of your vehicle for a long time.
● Regularly Check Fluid Levels and Tyre Pressure
It is wise to check the car’s oil, fuel, and water level at all times. These may be trivial things but play a crucial role in keeping the engine running smoothly. It will only take a few minutes to check fluid levels before using your car.
Another important thing is checking the wheels. Keeping the proper tyre pressure helps improve mileage on your car and provides efficient fuel consumption.
By regularly checking these things, you can avoid unnecessary disruptions when driving in the middle of the road. It is too much of a hassle if the gas runs out, flat tire occurs, or the engine overheats, and there is no gasoline station or any car service near me.
● Prevent Rust Build-Up
Once rusts occur in the car, you cannot do anything to keep it away. It is like cancer that quickly spreads if not taken care of immediately. Rust easily corrodes and destroys the interior and exterior of any vehicle and its very difficult to prevent it from spreading.
To prevent this, you must regularly wash your cars to eradicate salt deposits. You can also get a car undercoat to prevent rust build-up on the car’s frame, panels, and fenders.
Get Car Services Regularly
Moist car owners bring their vehicles to a car service centre only when necessary. However, it is wise to take your car to a service station regularly, even if you feel that there is nothing wrong with it. Regular checkups and servicing can help you avoid costly repairs in the future.
Moreover, a record of regular car maintenance and servicing can leave an excellent impression on potential buyers. Many used car buyers are keen on paying a bit more if they know that the car has been well-maintained over the ones with no history or record of any servicing.
As a final tip, never repair your car by yourself. Sometimes, home repair jobs can even cause more severe damage to the vehicle than make it look better. There is nothing worse than to resell a car that has been repaired personally by the owner since buyers can easily see the difference between a low-quality repair and the one made by car technicians. Therefore, to keep the resale value of your vehicle high, always seek professional help when it comes to car repair and maintenance.
Conclusion
Although a car is a depreciating asset, you can still do some things to retain its value so that you can get the right amount when it is time to resell it. How your car looks can say a lot about how much you can sell