Your Car Care REPs are in heavy rotation right now and we’re continuing to “Turn it Up on Yawl!!” For those in need of automotive guidance, we got you. Taking care of your ride has many benefits to it, especially when it comes time to sell. Most brand new cars lose 15-20% of their value as soon as you drive it off the lot. So how do you make sure your car keeps its value and you get the most out of it? Today we’ll discuss what to do and how to receive the highest dollar value for the sale of your used vehicle. Roll into the shop with us as we check out what’s inside your hood.
There are several things that determine the value of your car: the year, the condition, how well it was maintained, how much it is in demand and upgrades that you have made to the vehicle. Many people use the Kelly Blue Book guide to determine the value of their ride. This is one of the best places to start. You can purchase a Kelly Blue Book at many bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders or Amazon. You can also utilize online resources such as Edmunds.com or KKB.com to find out the current value of your ride. The important thing to remember about online resources and Blue Book guides are that they provide price ranges based on the condition of your vehicle. Condition values usually fall within 3 ranges, Excellent, Good and Poor. What most of these resources don’t take into account is the demand for your vehicle or the region in which the vehicle is located. These 2 factors play a role in the resale value of your car as well. This means that you may be able to garner a higher resale price if you sell the car to a buyer in a region in which the car is in demand.
The first thing to remember, if you want to maintain the value of your car is that you have to maintain it. Be sure to keep all repair and maintenance records for your car in a special folder. This helps tremendously to validate your maintenance claims. Do you have a good mechanic? Try to use them consistently. This helps in having a 3rd party to whom the buyer can go to and ask questions. The care of your ride’s powerplant will also place a higher value on your car. Make sure you keep your ride’s engine running strong by changing your oil regularly. The better the oil you use the less chance you have of getting oil sludge built up in your engine. It’s also good to add an oil additive for those of you with older engines. Oil additives can help your engine run cooler with less friction on your rings. Once a year you should get your radiator flushed out and your engine flushed. This helps in protecting these parts and making them last longer. Use the right mixture of Anti-Freeze and water, which is 50/50 mix. For days when the temp drops to 15F degrees or below use a 25/75 mix of water & Anti-Freeze. Get your transmission checked once a year. This can avoid costly repairs down the road. Be sure to maintain the correct transmission fluid level along with the correct oil level. To help take care of your engine’s fuel injectors try to use a hi-octane fuel. (The cost of which is rising faster than the national deficit) If you’re like most folks and don’t use hi-octane fuel you can use a fuel injector cleaner once every six months. Make sure you have your fuel filter changed regularly too.
A clean engine bay is a factor that will indicate to buyers how well a car is maintained. If your spark plug wires are dirty with engine oil grease replace them, preferably with high performance wires. They will not only give your ride a better hot spark, it will make your engine bay look cleaner instantly. It’s always good to change your alternator cap when changing your spark plug wires. Be sure to change your air filter regularly as well. This will ensure that you have the correct airflow going into your engine’s chambers. If you have an extremely dirty engine bay you can use an engine degreaser such as Gunk Engine Bright or Black Magic Engine Shine to clean out your bay.
Some of you may not know what engine mounts are. Engine mounts ensure that you don’t feel engine vibration on the inside of the your car’s cabin or on the foot pedals. After a while these mounts can break down. If you noticed any vibration in your car it could be because of your engine mounts. Have engine mounts checked and replaced, if need be. If you’ve noticed your front end vibrating when you step on your brakes that could mean you need to have your brake pads changed and your rotors resurfaced.
Your car’s exterior is a highly looked at component from a buyer’s perspective. Buyers want to know that the car was not in an accident, has its original paintjob (or a good upgraded paintjob) and does not show signs of rust, scratches or sun fading. It can be difficult to protect your car’s exterior. Here are some helpful tips. If you are fortunate to have a garage or access to one, use it. A car listed as garage kept will have buyers calling quicker than listings without. Garage kept vehicles can also allow you to place your car model in a higher resale bracket. If you don’t have access to a garage there are still things you can do to protect your exterior investment. During the summer months park your ride in a shaded area as much as possible. This will help in maintaining your cars paintjob. During the winter months remove salt and grime from your car regularly. This will help prevent rusting and scratches. Applying a good wax once a month to your ride’s exterior can also help water to bead off your car and not just soak into your paint. This helps greatly during rain seasons.
Bird droppings and bug sap is one of the most naturally corrosive things out there that will damage your car’s paintjob. Remove bird droppings and bug sap immediately. If left for long periods, droppings can change the look of your paintjob permanently. Products such as Rain-X Bug & Tar remover will help remove bug sap or bird droppings quickly. Car Bras and Auto Hood Covers are good to use if you do a lot of daily highway driving. Car Bras, Auto Hood Covers and Bug Deflectors will protect your hood from damaging bug sap and small rock particles that tend to chip the front of your hoods paintjob. The good thing about these products is that they are not permanent fixtures on your car. They can be installed quickly with little to no tools and removed just as quickly leaving no indication that they were ever in place. So when it’s time to sell your ride your hood will be looking as immaculate as when you first bought it.
The inside of your ride is another indicator for buyers to scrutinize. There are several things you can do to maintain the value of your interior. First of all keep people with Jerry Curls, Extra Hair Mouse or NJ Big Hair Gel away from all your headrests. If you have leather seats and want to keep them in tip-top shape, invest in-car seat covers. Car seat covers come in a variety of styles, materials and colors. They are helpful in protecting your original seats from cracking, blemishes and spills. If you don’t want to cover your entire seat you can purchase headrest covers. Headrest covers protect your headrest from damage while also allowing drivers to add a splash of style to the interior of their ride. Want to make sure your interior is in its best possible shape? I would suggest that you have a no smoking policy inside of your cars cabin. Cigar/Cigarette smoke can easily get into your car’s interior leaving a difficult to remove stench. Unwanted scents are a turn-off to buyers, so try to keep your car smelling good. This means if you travel with a pet, vacuum regularly and use air-fresheners that neutralize the air in your car’s cabin.
Before you sell your ride it helps to change your brakes, purchase tires and get a tune up. These are things that most buyers will recognize immediately. Plus they are excellent selling points to add to your car listing. (Listing i.e. Brand new brake pads, New Tires, Tune up done in last 30 days, Original-Owner, Non-Smoking interior). Another good thing to put in your listing is the main purpose of the vehicle. (Listing i.e. Used for work only, Weekend driving only, Daily use). Whatever the usage, be honest because most buyers will inquire about it. You should have a price range in which you are willing to be flexible. If you have a firm low-end price that you are not willing to go under, let buyers know that your price is firm before they come out. This will save both parties from wasting time. When scheduling buyer visits make sure your car is looking extra clean and smelling supremely good. Just as important, your car should start right up without plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust. You will know when you have a serious potential buyer by the questions they ask. Questions such as; “Is the mileage listed accurate?”, “Was the car ever in an accident?”, “Do you have the maintenance records?”, “Is your selling price flexible?”, “Are you the original owner?” During these tough economic times buyers are going to haggle on pricing. Your pricing should be based on a main selling point and everything else should follow this selling point. For example, if your car has low mileage, state to buyers, “The price is based on the low mileage that’s on the vehicle. It’s well kept and I’m the original owner. I have one mechanic that takes care of all the tune-ups. I’ve never had anyone smoking in the car or pets….. etc, etc”. This lets buyers know immediately the reason the car is going for the price at which it’s listed.
Getting the most out of selling your ride can be a challenge especially in a recession. By following this set of guidelines you can protect your investment and achieve the highest resale value possible. Stay tuned Your Car Care REPs will return with a new episode. For now, it’s lights out Riders.
Your Car Care REPs are in heavy rotation right now and we’re continuing to “Turn it Up on Yawl!!” For those in need of automotive guidance, we got you. Taking care of your ride has many benefits to it, especially when it comes time to sell. Most brand new cars lose 15-20% of their value as soon as you drive it off the lot. So how do you make sure your car keeps its value and you get the most out of it? Today we’ll discuss what to do and how to receive the highest dollar value for the sale of your used vehicle. Roll into the shop with us as we check out what’s inside your hood.
A clean engine bay is a factor that will indicate to buyers how well a car is maintained. If your spark plug wires are dirty with engine oil grease replace them, preferably with high performance wires. They will not only give your ride a better hot spark, it will make your engine bay look cleaner instantly. It’s always good to change your alternator cap when changing your spark plug wires. Be sure to change your air filter regularly as well. This will ensure that you have the correct airflow going into your engine’s chambers. If you have an extremely dirty engine bay you can use an engine degreaser such as Gunk Engine Bright or Black Magic Engine Shine to clean out your bay.
The inside of your ride is another indicator for buyers to scrutinize. There are several things you can do to maintain the value of your interior. First of all keep people with Jerry Curls, Extra Hair Mouse or NJ Big Hair Gel away from all your headrests. If you have leather seats and want to keep them in tip-top shape, invest in-car seat covers. Car seat covers come in a variety of styles, materials and colors. They are helpful in protecting your original seats from cracking, blemishes and spills. If you don’t want to cover your entire seat you can purchase headrest covers. Headrest covers protect your headrest from damage while also allowing drivers to add a splash of style to the interior of their ride. Want to make sure your interior is in its best possible shape? I would suggest that you have a no smoking policy inside of your cars cabin. Cigar/Cigarette smoke can easily get into your car’s interior leaving a difficult to remove stench. Unwanted scents are a turn-off to buyers, so try to keep your car smelling good. This means if you travel with a pet, vacuum regularly and use air-fresheners that neutralize the air in your car’s cabin. 
