Getting ready
Thinking of selling your car this year? The best thing you can do is to keep your car well maintained and if you have let it slide a bit, we always recommend that you give your car a good service prior to putting it on the market. From your wheels and tyres, bodywork to interior, mechanics to batteries and electrics we will give you some tips on how to keep these features in good shape helping you to get that extra cash for your car.
Tyres
The tyres on your car can make a big difference to the value of your car, with many older cars driving on lower than the minimum legal limit of 1.6 millimetres tread depth. Nobody wants to buy a car and then have to fork out even more cash on a new set of tyres. Another essential check is your car tyre pressure, check the manufacturers recommended pressure and inflate (or deflate) to this tyre pressure. The reason for a recommended tyre pressure is because under inflated tyres can cause too much flex leading to premature wearing and over inflation has a negative impact on the tyre grip. It can generally be worth investing in a new set of tyres before a sale as a dealer or potential buyer will factor in the cost of a new set of tyres and therefore impact on your haggling ability.
Wheels
The look of a car is one of the biggest influencing factors for potential buyers and scratches and scuff marks on your wheel rims are aesthetically unpleasing. There are many non-acidic wheel cleaners on the market and we recommend AutoGlym which will bring your wheels to a good standard. A nice, clean set of wheels will help influence your potential customer seal the deal.
Interior
Nobody wants to buy a car only to have to get the hover and polish out to clean out the previous owners dirt and grime. This can be a deal breaker so take our advice and get the inside of your car spick and span. A thorough vacuum of the car and any household upholstery cleaner will remove any marks etc. caused by those pesky kids, pets and outlandish hobbies. For leather interiors we recommend using a specially formulated product to avoid causing irreversible damage. We use all of our senses to decide if we like something or not and in the case of buying a car, our sense of smell is a big contributing factor. Nobody wants to go for a test spin only to feel like they need a shower after it, and if that’s the case be sure you will lose more potential buyers than not. So add an odour treatment spray through the air conditioning unit under the bonnet and your car will smell fresh and clean.
Bodywork
First impressions last, and as your prospective buyers walks up to the car be sure they are examining the body like a judge at a beauty contest. Simply repair any light scratches and give your car a good old wash and polish, an extra bit of elbow grease equals a few more euros.
Mechanics and electrics
You will find your sale near to impossible if the product is not functional (unless you are selling it to a scrap merchant!) Give your car a good run and drive it like you are testing it for yourself, turn the radio off and listen for knocks, ticks and anything that sounds irregular. Getting them fixed will cost less than the potential loss of value to a prospective buyer.
The bottom line
This is only a general guide to some of the essential checks we recommend when selling your car, be it to a dealer, privately or part-ex, but it will help you get better value for your vehicle. It’s amazing how some time and effort can be worth so much when selling your car, even your confidence knowing the car is in ship shape will come across in the negotiations.
