Maintaining Your Car’s Value: A Guide

Purchasing a vehicle is a huge investment, so it only makes sense that you want to keep that investment looking and running the best you can for as long as possible. Making sure that your car maintains its value is not only a great idea for when you decide to sell it, but it also feels great to have a car in tip-top shape for your everyday commute.

In this article, we will go over some of the top ways you can maintain your vehicle’s value for resale and for your own peace of mind. These important and helpful tips will show you how to slow down any decline in quality that can happen after a period of time.  

1. Keep the Vehicle Clean

Keeping your car clean can be easier said than done, especially if you tend to spend a good amount of time in your car driving to work, going on road trips or just on general day-to-day trips. Messy interiors can be harder to clean the dirtier they get, as it can feel helpless when the mess becomes too much. That’s why you want to clean up before it becomes unmanageable.

Some of the ways you can do this are:

• Put a small trash receptacle in your vehicle
• Make a scheduled plan to clean out your car every other week 
• Use a handheld vacuum cleaner 
• Cup holder liners are a nice way to keep hard-to-clean places tidy
• Always make sure your shoes are clean

2. Maintenance is Key

Your car’s engine and parts will depreciate over time, so getting regular maintenance and tune-ups can be a huge plus in keeping bigger repairs at bay. Always make sure to keep a detailed record of any major repairs if you think you may sell your vehicle at any point in the future. Potential buyers will be more likely to buy your car if you have an honest record of your repairs.

But even if you aren’t planning on selling, keeping up with general maintenance is important for the life of your car and how it will run today and in the future.

3. Keep the Mileage As Low As Possible

When reselling a vehicle, the mileage will most likely be the first question the potential buyer asks. Low mileage is a huge part in determining the worth of a car. The more miles on a car, the less you will be able to ask for when putting the car up for sale.

The average number of miles driven in a year in the UK is 7,400. Once a car has around 100,000 miles on it, the retail and private party value of the car goes down quite a bit. It’s always recommended to rent a car when driving long distances for trips or business. 

4. Avoid Smoking and Eating in Your Car

With your busy schedule and life, you’ve probably found yourself having a meal or two in your car. While multitasking can help you during a particularly busy day, it is not recommended to eat in your car.

The same can absolutely be said about smoking. Smoke damage is incredibly hard to get out of a car and more often than not, you can always tell if the previous owner was a smoker due to the smell, discolouration and even burn holes that are in the wake of avid car smokers. These stains will leave your car looking less desirable, and the value of the car will be negatively affected by smoking.

5. Wash and Wax Regularly

The outward appearance of your car can reflect how people think it will look on the inside, so keeping the body shiny and clean will go very far in upholding the value of a good car. Grime can stain a car’s body if it is made up of the right cocktail of dirt, so grab your keys and hit the carwash as often as possible to keep the grime from becoming an issue as well as making it much harder to wash off.                                                                                       

6. Fix Car Dents Before You Sell

While it may be nearly impossible to keep your car from getting any dings or dents in it in its lifetime, you can always count on paintless dent repair to fix any that come your way. No matter how old or fresh the dent is, paintless dent repair shops can get out most types without having to worry about repainting areas, hence their name. Taking your car into a reputable shop and getting the dents out will in turn find your car value going up, as aesthetic value is almost as high as mechanical value to some buyers.                              

Maintain Your Car’s Value and Appearance with PDR

Here at Caversham Coachworks, our mission is to provide top-quality car repairs and dent removal services. Our technicians have the skills and tools to get your vehicle looking new again. Whether you’re dealing with a minor or significant dent, we offer exceptional service and use the most modern, safe techniques to repair your vehicle.

Call us today or go online and use our free and easy online free estimator tool. See why we are the leading independent vehicle repair and paintless dent repair centre in Berkshire and Central Oxfordshire.