What do you do to prep your car for sale?

[Muzzer79]

Private sale?

Wash it, wax it
Hoover interior
Clean interior

If there's significant damage to body or wheels, get that sorted. If it's minor stuff, leave it for the new owner.

[aka_kerrly]

fix all the problems that I have put up with for months/years

[Krikkit]

Muzzer79 said:

Private sale?

Wash it, wax it
Hoover interior
Clean interior

If there's significant damage to body or wheels, get that sorted. If it's minor stuff, leave it for the new owner.

This. If I was selling a more specialist car I'd have the wheels refurbed etc, but for a cheapish normal car I wouldn't bother.

[john banks]

Depends on the car, but I clean (never use car wash), clay bar, wax, hoover, glass clean, clean inside. I would fix cosmetic defects to a standard appropriate to the car's value.

[Paraicj]

Full clean outside, hoover, dust and wipe inside. Lift the back seats and boot-liner and clean under them. Focus on the lights and alloys. Open the bonnet, wipe around to make it not filthy. Job done. I haven't owned a car worth more than £3000 in my life though, so little things are enough!

[DUMBO100]

Mine is booked in to have 4 wheels refurbed, the bumper off and painted and a new clutch pedal to fix a squeak. Then it's getting a full valet and waxed with Carnuba wax. I hope it's new owner appreciates it

[phil4]

For private sale, wash and wax outside, vaccuum and clean interior. Unless the scuffs, scrapes, dings etc were horrific, I'd leave them be.

For Part-ex, unless I was selling a nearly new, I'd probably do little more than quick wash and vaccum, and indeed in latest case, didn't even bother with that, as thought it unlikely it'd raise the price by more than a tenner.

[LouD86]

Quite simple, as I change cars too often, I have a set routine.

Send the car to the local Polish, £15 full inside and outside clean. Round to the local ind estate, and I take good photos. Then its covered with a car cover until they come and view. That way it stays immac, and when they see it, its in the best shape possible.

To be fair, never have to worry about bodywork and alloys. If they ever get damaged, its rectified immediatley

[DonkeyApple]

aka_kerrly said:

fix all the problems that I have put up with for months/years

Yup. And after the full clean you then find yourself thinking you'd quite like to keep it.

[Speed addicted]

As I'm fairly anal about the car I would need to empty the glovebox and boot, everything I keep in the car would fit in a small bag. It's generally clean and tidy enough to sell anyway.

[Challo]

Normally I wash and wax the outside, and give it a full clean inside, hoover and clean all the glass. Any scratches or marks on the paintwork I tend to remove if possible using Autoglym paint restorer and then use Autoglym SRP to minimize the marks best i can.

On the Mini I scuffed the front bumper which i was quoted £160 and all the alloys could do with a refurb, but the car is only worth 3k so thinking I wont bother with that and let the new owner fix if they want.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Take my stuff out. Throw a bucket of soapy water over it. Retrieve various bits of paperwork, manuals, logbook, history etc which has been conveniently stored all over the house.

[Impasse]

Take the private plate off it and don't even think about advertising it until the new V5 is in your hand.

[Faxo]

aka_kerrly said:

fix all the problems that I have put up with for months/years

Ha this is true - then you realise how easy they were to fix and how stupid you were for not fixing them!

[Bill]

Faxo said:

Ha this is true - then you realise how easy they were to fix and how stupid you were for not fixing them!

And the new owner doesn't even check they work.