How to Prepare Your Car before Selling

When the time to sell your car comes, you want to put your car’s best foot forward to attract more buyers and get more out of your sale. You want to make your old ride look and feel brand-new. And you certainly want it to run smoothly when a potential buyer takes it out for a test drive.

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That’s why it’s critical to prep your vehicle before putting it up for sale. Washing your car is the least you can do, but you can go the extra mile to reap more benefits.

 Give Your Car a Thorough Cleaning

As mentioned earlier, washing your car is the minimum thing you can do to prepare it for selling. But if you want to attract more buyers and earn more from selling your old ride, you should give it a thorough cleaning, inside and out and head to toe.

Your car has likely accumulated signs of wear and tear after years of use. While you can’t conceal all the marks of use, you can lessen their appearance with a thorough cleaning.

Start with parking the car in a shaded place and preparing the right cleaning products. Before anything else, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands when you’re cleaning your car.

Clean your car from inside out. Raid the glove compartment, interior, and trunk, and get rid of all the clutter. Prepare two trash bags of different colors. One should be for trash while the other should be for your personal belongings. When the coast is clear, then you can begin cleaning.

Take out dirty mats, and vacuum the interior from top to bottom to remove dirt and dust. Make sure to run the vacuum over the dashboard, console, and top surfaces. After vacuuming, wipe and disinfect the surfaces with car wipes or lint-free microfiber towels and ammonia-free car cleaner. After, wipe with a dry microfiber towel to remove any residue.

Once the top parts are clean, vacuum the seats, compartment, and floor. Remove stains on the seats to using a foam cleaner, and do the same on the car floor with a carpet cleaner. Don’t forget to clean the car windows too with a glass cleaner and microfiber cloth.

Wash the mats you removed, and leave them to dry. Consider throwing in WeatherTech nonslip floor mats as a bonus to attract buyers. Floor mats receive a lot of damage over time, so getting new ones may be the best choice if you want to make the interior look more fresh and polished.

Top off the interior by vacuuming leftover dust and dirt and spraying deodorizer to remove lingering smells.

For the exterior, prepare two buckets of water, a good car shampoo, a sponge, and microfiber towels. Add shampoo into one bucket. Never use dishwashing detergent or hand soap for cleaning your car since both can strip away the protective coating or wax of your car.

Dip the sponge or a microfiber cloth in the bucket with shampoo, and use it to remove the dirt and grime on your vehicle. Don’t wipe the car with a dirty sponge cloth. Rinse the sponge or cloth before you continue washing. After it’s thoroughly cleaned, wipe the surface dry to prevent water and residue marks.

Don’t skip on the tires as clean tires can dramatically improve the look of your vehicle. Wash and clean them with a soft-bristled brush and tire cleaner, and rinse them dry.

Years of use may have left small particles and contaminants on your car, causing microscopic scratches, which dull the paint of your car. You can remove them using a clay bar.

After your car is thoroughly cleaned, you can proceed to the next step—coating and buffing.

Return the Shine of Your Car

Waxing, sealing, or coating is necessary to return the shine of your old car and prevent oxidation. Oxidation occurs when heat and oxygen combine, stripping off the paint of your car and allowing rust to develop.

Applying wax or paint sealant is a temporary solution to prevent oxidation while coating gives semipermanent protection to your car’s exterior. Learn the difference here.

If you don’t want to take your car to a mechanic, you can apply wax after cleaning. Use a pad applicator and wipe the wax on the surface in an up-and-down motion. Leave it to dry, and buff the surface with a clean, dry microfiber towel to bring out a glossy sheen.

Do a Round of Basic Maintenance

Imagine taking a car you’re buying out on a test drive only to have it stop in the middle of the road. You wouldn’t want to buy the car if that happened to you, and neither will the potential buyer of your car.

Doing a round of basic maintenance can help ensure that your car is in its best condition and prevent embarrassing incidents during a test drive. Basic car maintenance includes checking air filters and car fluids—such as the engine oil, coolant, and brake fluids—and replacing or refilling them when needed.

Inspect the tires too to see if they have the right amount of pressure and they’re aligned properly. Batteries usually function without issue for a long time, but it’s better to check them too to make sure problems don’t crop up unexpectedly.

Remember to check other components of your car, including the windshield wipers, sparklers, signal lights, brakes, and drive belts, and make sure they’re all working perfectly.

Final Thoughts

Selling a used car requires thorough preparation in order to make the most out of your sale. You should give attention to details, from cleaning to maintenance, to ensure that nothing looks and goes wrong when the potential buyer inspects and tests the car.

In addition, you should make the buyer trust you by being transparent about the details of your car. Tell them the history of your car, like the services it has gone through and registrations it has. Give all the car records and manufacturer’s manual to the new owner so they know everything about how to take care of the vehicle they’re buying.