12 Tips to Maintain the Value of Your Car
We’ve sold a few cars in our lives. Each time we were able to get top dollar for our used vehicles. Today I have 12 Tips to Maintain the Value of Your Car. (Plus an update on this van at the end of this article!)
You’ve all heard the saying that a new car depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. Although, this is somewhat true, you can prevent your car’s value from depreciating too much and too quickly by following these tips:
1. Keep it Clean – Leaving dirt and debris on your vehicle can cause small scratches. Worse yet, bird poop and splatters can actually damage the paint. A regular cleaning is going to keep your car in tip top shape. I understand finding the time to wash your car can be challenging. And, those inexpensive drive thru car washes don’t get your car completely clean, especially on the inside. No worries, that’s where a mobile car wash can help. They come to your home or place of business and clean your car while you work or chase the kids.
2. No Salt – If you live at the beach or in a harsh winter area, salt can break down your car’s paint and cause metal to rust much faster. It’s important to keep your car protected with frequent car washes and wax your vehicle’s exterior.
3. Change Your Oil Regularly – Help your car’s engine run smoothly for a long time by keeping up with your oil changes. Depending on the age of your vehicle, oil changes are recommended every 3,000 – 5,000 miles. Be sure to keep your receipts to show potential buyers that your car was well cared for.
4. Check Fluids – Make sure to check your car’s fluid levels at least once a month. You can check the fluids yourself or ask a mechanic to check for you. Top off engine oil, windshield wiper fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, and brake fluid if they are low. As an easy reminder, ask your mechanic to check and top off fluids at every oil change.
5. Maintenance – There is a list of required services to be perform in your vehicle’s owners manual. Keep an eye on your mileage and get those routine services performed on time. Don’t have the manual? Call the dealer and ask them for the maintenance schedule. Always keep your receipts as a reminder of what you’ve done and to show potential buyers that you took great care of the vehicle.
6. Floor Liners – One of the best things you can do for your car’s interior is to put in floor liners. We bought WeatherTech (affiliate link) floor mats the week after we bought the new minivan. They catch all kinds of spills, dirt and crumbs while protecting the carpets.
7. Keep Tires Properly Inflated – For safety and better gas mileage keep your tires inflated properly. This will also help your tires last longer.
8. Change the Air Filters – Keep the car smelling great and help your HVAC system run more efficiently by changing your air filter with every 1-2 oil changes. This is an easy DIY job, learn how to change your air filters here.
9. Fix Dents and Scratches – Keep an eye on your car’s body. If you get a dent or scratch that goes through to the metal, fix it ASAP before rust can form. It might be as simple as getting touch up paint from the dealer. Or you might need the help from a professional auto body shop.
10. Don’t Trash It – Keep a trash bag in your car to collect any garbage. Kids are especially prone to leaving half eaten food in the car. Train them to dispose of all waste. A simple trash bag that clips to the back of your seat (affiliate link) has worked well for us.
11. Park it Inside – This is a tough one if you don’t have a garage. Or like me, your garage serves a purpose other than storing your automobiles. If parking your vehicle inside isn’t an option, try not to park under trees (birds and falling limbs can do damage to your car.) And be sure to refer back to tip number 1.
12. Drive It – A car needs to be driven at least once a week to keep the engine and parts in good working order. This will also prevent tires from getting flat spots.
Follow as many of these tips to maintain the value of your car and receive top dollar when it comes time to sell your vehicle!
Update: After 10 years I sold my minivan on Facebook Marketplace and got over Kelly Blue Book value and had 15 people contacting me immediately to purchase the vehicle. The meticulous records, WeatherTech liners, and lack of any accidents made our van a prized vehicle when it went on the market. I urge you to maintain. your vehicle and reap the rewards the day you sell it. Happy driving.
The best tips to be considered for sustaining the car, making it look new like the first day it came out of the showroom.
Dang, I wish I had stumbled upon this post a few months ago! My car desperately needs a cleaning inside and out. I will be checking out Spiffy! I actually just moved to the Raleigh area back in April 🙂
Welcome to the area Jessica! You’ll definitely want to give them a call after the spring pollen bomb is done ;-).
The dirtiest place in my car is under my kids’ carseats. There may be monsters and creatures never before seen by man under there…I trust Spiffy could get them though!
I shudder to think how badly my upholstery needs to be shampooed and think how wonderful it would be to have that done.
I love this automobile services. Thanks for the useful information shared.
What a great mobile service but oh how I wish they were in Arizona. We could use something like this.
Quite the rig they have, very impressive. Lucky You!
Brittany,
My car could REALLY use that interior deep cleaning, so I would choose #4-Awesome Detail. It’s a 10 year old Honda CR-V with over 100,000 miles, so it’s due for a big time cleaning.
Thanks for all of the helpful car maintenance hints!
Raleigh
Congrats Lois! You were the randomly selected winner. Please check your email.
Oh, I could use this! I wish I’d known about this company back during the spring pollen season! You remember that week of terribly, thick yellow fog that we had in Raleigh last spring? Yeah, my oldest left our NEW van door open for 5+ hours that day. Sigh. I’m STILL finding pollen in places that I thought we cleaned.
I’d love to have the awesome service to get all the nooks and crannies cleaned. The places that I know still have pollen (and who knows what else!) living in them!
Oh Brittany, you have saved the day with this one. Although I like to keep my cars clean and clutter-free, I do have children and pets, and they are all pigs (well the pets are actually a dog and two cats but you know what I mean). And my children’s cars are nasty. I have *four* cars! Anyway, if I were to choose, I’d take #3 for my little Mini Cooper. She’s 10 years old and deserves some TLC. When beach season is over I’ll call them for a thorough cleaning of the beach car which is always full of sand and whose windows are smeared with dog-nose stuff. Thank you so much for introducing me to this company!
Sheryl
Durham
It seems like I live in my car sometimes so the dirtiest spots are anything within reach of the driver seat. No little ones to blame on it any more. If I could do it, I would definitely get the Totally Awesome Detail. Who wouldn’t!?!