How You can Add Value to Your Car Before Selling it

Have you ever had the experience of selling a car? Depending on the car you’re trying to sell, you may find that it has great market value for the time, or conversely, it may not be as in demand as you’d expect. One thing’s for sure, though, you want to get the most out of your vehicle when you sell it. One thing you’ll need to know is that the market dictates car prices. You may attain a higher than average value from your car, but it can never cross a particular threshold. Buyers look at a number of factors before deciding on purchasing a car. If you check all their boxes, the chances are that you’ll get the most out of your car when selling. Here are some ways you can add value to your car before selling it.

The Exterior

The first thing a buyer will see when they look at your car is the exterior. It gives them the first impression of your car and how well you’ve maintained it as an owner. Therefore, you need to focus on your car’s body before you showcase it to any buyers. Let’s look at the things you’ll need to take care of before you list it for sale.

The Paint Job

Fixing the appearance of your car is perhaps the easiest way to add value to it. Inspect your car’s body and look for scratches. Scratches are normally found on the bumpers, the doors, and the door handles. Some scratches aren’t as deep as they appear and don’t penetrate beyond the clear coat. Others may penetrate a few layers, and in severe cases, may even go as deep as the metal body.

Clear Coat Scratches

1. Before fixing any scratches, you need to remove any dirt and debris from the body to prevent worsening the paint job. Wash your whole car with soapy water and dry it.
2. Clear coat scratches are easy to remove. Just buff the affected area and apply a thin layer of clear coat to remedy it.

Mid-Layer Scratches

1. Scratches that penetrate into the paint layer can be fixed by first cleaning the area with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Purchase a paint marker with the same paint code as your cars (consult your user manual to find the paint code). These are quite inexpensive and show good results.
3. Fill the scratch, making sure to add a thick layer of paint such that its blob protrudes out.
4. Let it dry.
5. Sand the area with high grit sandpaper to make it flush with the surrounding paint. Make sure you don’t go too deep with this step. You just want to remove the clear coat.
6. Clean the area again with isopropyl alcohol to remove any debris.
7. Add two thin layers of clear coat to finish the job.

Deep Scratches

Deep scratches are a little tricky to remove as they may have rust build-up. You need to remove the rust before any subsequent paint job.

1. Use a pick to remove rust from the crevice.
2. You may want to remove the rust using a rust-removing solution if the pick method doesn’t work.
3. Repeat the steps mentioned in the section above, only this time, you may need to add more layers of paint during step 3.

The Lights

Most car owners, when improving the exterior of their cars, fail to consider the condition of their headlights. Headlights are the front of the car experience scratches from the dirt and debris that hits them while driving. These micro scratches build up over time and make them look all hazy. Fortunately, the way to fix them is similar to how you’d fix your paint.

You just need to sand the surface of your headlights, moving from low to high grit. Consider wet sanding at higher grit for better results. Clean the surface and add a clear coat, and you’re done! Your headlights will give that new look to your car, increasing its resale value.

Wheels

Wheels are one of the most important points of inspection for many buyers as they can tell you a lot about the car. The tread on your tires can tell you of the condition of the suspension. If the tread wears off on the inner part of the tire, then you have a negative camber angle on your car. This can affect the grip of your tires on the road, making it difficult to drive and influencing fuel economy. Make sure that all your wheels are aligned before listing your car for sale. If there is too much wear on your tires, you might need to replace them.

The wheels are connected to many moving parts, but what’s important is to focus on the brakes. Check the brake rotor making sure that it’s not cracked or has any broken pieces. It’s fairly easy to remove and can be done using common hand tools. While you’re at it, check the brake pads on your disk brakes. They wear out with time and require replacement. To further add value to your car, you can remove the wheel and rotor assembly or cover them up to clean and paint the wheel arch. It doesn’t have to be perfect as it’s a concealed area, however taking this step improves the look of your car, increases its longevity, and ultimately adds value to it.

Check for Codes

Before selling your car, always check for codes, as the check engine light doesn’t always appear for all codes. Cars manufactured after 1996 contain an onboard computer that performs diagnostic tests and generates these codes, indicating any faults in your car.

OBD 2 sensors are not inexpensive these days; in fact, you can buy one that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and runs codes via a proprietary app. Just plug the OBD sensor on the OBD 2 port under the steering wheel. The codes it will generate will indicate any persisting problems with your car. If they are minor in nature like a blown fuse, bad relay, or a faulty O2 sensor, you can fix them on your own with common hand tools. If not, then you might need to pay a visit to your mechanic.

Fixing these issues beforehand prevents buyers from leveraging them to reduce the price. It’s not a measure to add value to your; instead, it helps you make a more solid justification for its price.

The Interior

The interior of your car needs to be in pristine condition as well. Make sure that your car has all the original interior parts it came with, as it becomes a common point of contention for many buyers, especially those inspecting luxury cars.

Make sure your interior is clean, that there are no stains on the carpet or the roof of the car. Give it a good vacuum to remove any dust and debris from the seats and carpet.

Consider putting a coat of wax or polish on the plastic trim pieces on your door and dashboard. The more aesthetically pleasing your car’s interior and exterior are, the better its value will be at the time of selling.

Final Word

Notice that we haven’t given much thought to aftermarket parts addition or custom jobs on your car. That’s because it limits your market to people who want these additions in the first place. If you sell your car with these modifications, buyers will try to leverage this point, trying to bring down its value. So if you can reverse them, it’s best to do so. Sometimes, less is more when adding value to your car. Similarly, we don’t condone any modifications before selling because it’ll just come out from your potential profit.