Cleaning Your Used Car

Cleaning Your Used Car Before Selling it

The appearance of your car should give to the buyer first impression which has great importance. So, the better your car looks, the more chances that you'll sell it successfully take your time.

Dust all inside surfaces; vacuum the carpets; dump the ashtrays; clean out the trunk, glove box and storage compartments; hose down the mats; and spot-clean the upholstery. Minor repairs such as repairing torn upholstery, replacing worn pedals and buying floormats to cover worn carpet might be a good idea. Replace any faulty bulbs.

If you are smoker, it's good idea not to smoke inside a car at least a week before you want to sell it. Non smoking buyers don't like that smell. Consider to use some auto perfume, to get rid of smell.

Clean the dashboard and central console, plastic parts of door covers and other interior plastic, vinyl and rubber parts one section at the time thoroughly with a damp cloth. Use the damp brush in places difficult to access (like ventilation outlets, buttons etc.). Wash very dirty areas using some plastic cleaning agent. Then dry all surfaces with soft dry cloth. Use some high quality polisher for the plastic, vinyl etc. Spray a little amount on the surface, spread evenly using the cloth, allow the product to soak for a few minutes. Then using a soft cloth wipe excess off, and polish. Then do all plastic door panels, buttons, ventilation outlets, etc.

Wash the windows inside and out. Polish the chrome. Wipe down the sidewalls of the tires. A car wax could add hundreds of dollars to the value. However, don’t have the car painted. It isn’t worth the cost and could raise the prospective buyer’s suspicion that it is damaged and you’re trying to cover it up.

Under the hood, the engine shouldn’t sparkle, because that also may raise suspicion. But the dirtiest spots — both topside and underside — should be wiped clean with a degreasing agent like WD-40. The engine should be clean and dry and should not have any leaks. Battery deposits can be sponged off with a solution of baking soda and water. Check the air pressure in the tires.

Top off oil and coolants, as well as transmission, power steering and brake fluid levels if they are low. Change the oil or coolant if it hasn’t been done in a while. A good record of your car’s maintenance could be a strong selling point, which suggests to the prospective buyer that it’s been well maintained.

Cleaning or replacing the spark plugs can noticeably increase the engine power. If your engine is smoky, try to add some antismoke engine oil treatment. If your engine is leaky, you also can try to add some stop leak treatment. Clean the fuel system using special fuel additive. Replace air filter and fuel filter; they can also increase the engine power. Timing belt tension adjusting can also make the engine less noisy.

If there are some deep scratches, you may repaint them. First you should buy the paint (or spray paint) of the same color as your car. Wash your car thoroughly and let it dry. If you have a spray pain, spray little amount into the cap like on the image, (don't spray it directly on the scratch). Then apply it carefully on the scratch using a match end, try to apply as thin as the scratch is. Then apply it carefully on the scratch using a match end, but do it very carefully, trying to apply as thin as the scratch is.

To remove those light scratches, buy a fine abrasive polish paste and liquid wax..Then pour a little amount of abrasive fine paste onto a damp sponge. Rubb the polish onto the scratched area in a circular motion for a couple of minutes. Then clean the area completely. Now it's time to use a liquid wax. Pour a little amount of it onto a damp sponge and spread it evenly on the scratched area. Wait for it to slightly haze, then using a soft towel, buff off the polish.

A prepared car means a faster sale

If you prepared your car perfectly, you can find a buyer faster and maybe get few hundreds (or may be thousands) of dollars more.