When you buy a vehicle, you probably made the biggest investment in your life, especially if you go with a brand-new car. Unfortunately, vehicle values don't hold forever, and immediately after you purchase a car, it will start depreciating and losing its value, maybe after you step out of the dealership.
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While we all agree that car values drop over time, some tips could help you maintain your car's value.
This article highlights 15 tips to maintain your car's value based on a thorough review of all available best practices on the Internet from automotive experts and many vehicle owners' reviews.
While it's recommended to follow all these tips, some people might find it challenging to implement them all. Therefore, it's recommended that you do your best and try to implement as many as possible to keep your vehicle's value for a longer time.
15 tips for maintaining your car's value
Looking for keeping your vehicle's value for a long time? Here is what you are advised to do:
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Make sure to clean up your vehicle regularly
Before we jump into the more technical details, let's talk about your car's general clear overview. Many people might mention that they keep the exterior of their vehicle an interior clean, but they don't do.
It's recommended that you make sure that you don't leave any dirt on your vehicle's body because it could introduce corrosion and fade out the vehicle's paint.
Similarly, if you leave many food spots and other dirt in your vehicle interior, most of your carpets will fade out, and you will see that the seats are getting seems that you can't get rid of them.
Before needing a thorough car wash, it's recommended that you maintain regular cleanup, and whenever there is a spill, take care of it immediately and don't let it sit for a long time.
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Understand the market and see which car maintain its value
While there are things in your hand that you can do for certain vehicles, you need to start with the right vehicle.
In other words, you don't want to start with a vehicle that loses its value significantly and try to implement simple tips to maintain its value.
It would help if you did your due diligence and homework by researching online vehicles that hold their value. There are many recommendations and valuable resources that could help you find information related to a brand-new vehicle and decent used cars.
You don't want to be in a situation where you buy a brand-new car that loses its value faster than another decent used vehicle.
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Take your vehicles investment seriously
As we mentioned earlier, when you purchase a car, it might be the biggest investment in your life, to some extent.
Therefore, you need to take this investment seriously and consider the hard time you spend to get the down payment ready, and deal with the monthly payments if you decided to go with financing.
Therefore, once you have this in the back of your head, you will be dealing with the vehicle differently, and you will take care of simple and minor issues in the car rather than thinking of it as I mean to take you from point A to point B.
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Keep an eye on your vehicle's mileage
Why is mileage important? Well, it's the 1st and most important item a buyer would look at when buying your vehicle.
Did you know that your vehicle's price drops significantly in response to high mileage?
So, how can this tip be helpful for you to maintain your vehicle's value? It's very important to think twice before deciding to drive across the country and back. Even if you're going to save on the plane tickets' price that could take you to the same location, consider the long-term effect on your vehicle's value.
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Avoid tear, and we're as much as you can
If you treat your vehicle gently, it will most likely last for a longer time and maintain its value better.
For instance, many people might use their cars to tow some boats and other recreational items or haul large loads beyond the vehicle's capabilities: this way, they cause premature damages to the vehicle's exterior and interior.
Therefore, before deciding to hold all your house items, think again and compare the price you will pay for the holding company versus how much value you can lose from your car.
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Take care of any rust
Automotive experts describe rust as vehicle cancer! Unfortunately, when rust starts to eat your vehicle's interior or exterior, it doesn't stop. It expands significantly to hit major components of your car, which reduces your vehicle's value tremendously.
Therefore, automotive experts advise you whenever you see any sign of external or internal rust to immediately take care of it. You could either use available online kits for smaller rust areas, or you might need to visit a professional mechanic to help you with larger rust steps you can't handle and take care of it.
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Use proper ways to store your car
When you park your car, think about it as one of your valuable pieces of furniture. You want to hide it in a place that doesn't expose it to extreme temperatures, sun Rays, snow, etc.
Make sure the storage properly whenever you can. You don't want to get into high repair costs because you didn't park your vehicle in a covered area or your garage.
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Stay away from eating, drinking, smoking inside your car
Even if you're very careful when eating, you recommend that you prevent eating, drinking, or smoking inside your vehicle.
Not only will there be chances for permanent stains on your vehicle's furniture, but also you will introduce smells that don't go away easily, and it might require certain items to take this smell out.
Did you know that your vehicles' internal environment might be one of the main factors for evaluating your car during the used car selling process?
You don't want any food crumbs or fast food wrappers to get into between your vehicle seats, causing some stains that might result in a too rotten smell.
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Keep your vehicles regular maintenance
One of the most important tips for preserving the value of your vehicle is to make sure that you perform regular maintenance regularly.
Refer to your vehicle's owner's manual and check for things you must do regularly. Look at these items and understand how frequently you need to perform them.
For example, there are certain where you need to change your vehicle's tires or change the engine oil.
Make sure not to pass the Due date of these regular maintenances to prevent needing significant maintenance that requires a lot of repair costs.
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Perform minor repairs before selling your car
If you decide it's time to get rid of this used vehicle, it doesn't hurt to invest a little in minor repairs.
We're not talking about replacing major components and paying a lot of money; We're just mentioning simple repairs like fixing a broken mirror or painting a small scratch.
By performing these simple repairs, you can't enhance your vehicle's value significantly. The first impression of your car indicates how well you're taking care of what's under your vehicle's hood.
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Take care of your vehicles fluid level and tire pressure
Each fluid in your vehicle is responsible for something very important. These fluids are not put in your car to add more mass or for fun. Would your vehicle be running on low fluid, whether it's the oil, the coolant, etc., you are introducing significant problems to major components in your vehicle?
For example, running on low engine oil might result in too quick engine self-destruction due to overheating.
Similarly, you never want to run on a low coolant because it's the mean fluid responsible for cooling your engine down when it gets very hot.
Also, you never want to run and drive your car without the proper tire pressure. By running on flat tires, you're affecting and stressing your vehicle's suspension system and other components that are not designed to withstand stress from not having the proper help of a tire with the right pressure.
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Clean up faded highlights
By spending a little time and effort taking care of the vehicle's highlights, you enhance the first impression I bought your car, and you're showing that your vehicle is not used and it's more like a brand-new car.
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Keep your wheels away from damages
It's very important to ensure that your wheels are not getting damaged by choosing the right locations to park and avoid tight parking spaces.
By parking in a tight space, you increase other drivers' chance to hit your car and cause damages to your vehicle's exteriors, including the wheels.
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Consider adding floor mats
Simple items like floor mats can prevent any permanent stains from getting into your vehicle's body. Floor mats can also hold any salt stains if you are living in a snowy area where there is a lot of salt in the streets
Thus, it might be worth investing and good quality floor mats to maintain your vehicle's value.
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Never attempt to repair your car if you don't have the required skills
Your car should not be an experiment for any new skills you're trying to learn. If you're not very confident about doing a specific repair, it's never recommended to do it.
If you could not fix the problem, you might introduce additional, more complicated problems requiring high repair costs and probably reducing your vehicle's value.