How to prepare your car for sale
You could add hundreds of pounds to your car's value with some cleaning jobs and checks.
We show you how to best prepare your car before selling.
What you'll need
- Car shampoo
- Sponge
- Bucket or hose
- Leather chamois
- Car wax or polish
- Window cleaner and cloth
- Vacuum cleaner
- Low-gloss cleaner
Avoid using washing-up liquid, as this can cause rust.
Cleaning the exterior
- Clean off any road grime using a good-quality car shampoo. Work from the roof down, rinse off well, and dry with a leather chamois
- Stone chips are unsightly and can rust if not attended to. Repair them with a paint touch-up stick. These are not expensive and can dramatically improve your car's presentation
- Wheels caked in brake dust may put buyers off. Use an alloy wheel cleaner if alloy wheels are being particularly stubborn. If you've got wheel trims, consider replacing them – especially if they've been kerbed. It's a good idea to repair any damaged alloys
- Missing trim or badges stand out like a sore thumb, so buy replacements
- Clean less obvious parts such as sills, wheel arches and the inner panel of doors – this will impress buyers
- A good polish will create a 'new car' shine which buyers love. Don't worry if paint residue appears on the cloth; this is just a layer of 'dead paint' - there'll still be plenty left on the car.
Cleaning the interior
- Use a vacuum cleaner to treat carpets, seats, dusty crevices and the dashboard
- Use low-gloss cleaner on dashboards – avoid household polish
- Clean windows with a glass cleaner or damp chamois
- Replace any non-standard parts such as racy gear knobs or alloy pedal covers. Standard gear is best
- Holes (from attachments such as mobile phone holders) can be filled in by specialists. They can also repair damage to dashboards or door trims, and it shouldn't cost the earth
- Avoid using air freshener in the car unless you have smoked in it - in which case, buy an odour neutraliser. Spray the ashtrays after giving them a good clean
- Lift out tatty old mats – clean carpets underneath will look much more attractive
Other essential checks
- Steam-cleaning is much-loved by car dealers, but too much can arouse suspicion. Clean the engine bay but avoid going overboard. Beware of older cars, as steam-cleaners can sometimes damage fragile parts or connections
- Oil changes are cheap, and clean oil looks far better than sludgy treacle. Make sure the oil level is correct too
- Fill all water and coolant bottles up
- Attach the alarm wiring correctly, clean out leaves from air intakes and make the engine bay appear well looked-after as much as possible
After making your car gleam, the next step is to write your car advert. Read our guide to wording your advert.
