You’re not quite ready to sell your vehicle but it’s on the horizon. You’ve decided it’s about time you actually started to take proper care of your current vehicle so you can confidently say it’s been well cared for come sale time.

The internet is filled with pages detailing what you can do to ensure your car remains in good working order. So, we’ve done the research for you to find the best and most cost effective tips.

Regular servicing

It creeps up on us every time, but making sure your car is serviced regularly will not only detect problems before they lead to larger issues, but ensure your car remains efficient and reliable. By doing so, you’ll also prolong the car’s engine and mechanical components, and maintain its roadworthiness.

Refer to your manual or speak to your mechanic about how often your car should be serviced. Older cars are generally serviced every 10,000km or six months.

The NRMA website states older cars should undergo an oil and filter change with each service, while all cars should generally have at each service:

• an engine oil change
• an engine oil filter replacement
• a safety check.

The website also states: Avoid parking under trees (especially ones with birds) or in industrial areas, which may contain heavy fallout. To avoid paint damage, foreign matter such as bird droppings should be cleaned off immediately.

You might like to ask for a safety check, which can include an assessment of the: operation of lights, condition of tyres and exhaust and operation of brakes and steering.

When it’s time to sell your car and you have a record of your services, while it’s an expense at the time, if your car’s in great overall condition, you’ll attain a better price than one that doesn’t have a log book history and a ‘few rattles under the bonnet’.

Driving Techniques  

Not only will regular servicing keep your car in great working order, you can also reduce wear and tear on your car through sensible driving techniques with the added bonus of getting more out of your fuel tank. The RACQ website highlights the following tips:

• drive smoothly and avoid accelerating harder than required
• avoid using more fuel than you need by decreasing how often and quickly you accelerate and slow down
• If you have cruise control, use it where possible
• Drive with your windows up wherever possible – travelling with the windows down over 50 km/h increases the car’s aerodynamic drag.

Popular How Stuff Works website provides a number of tips you can do to minimize the wear and tear on your vehicle through good driving. These include:

• Allow your vehicle enough time (30-45 seconds) to lubricate all its vital parts before putting any load on it
• Check your tyres regularly – cracks despite being small, can cause loss of structural rigidity, affecting the performance

So while servicing your car when required may seem like a costly and onerous task, by taking good care of your vehicle can not only save you money when it comes to day to day running costs, it can also mean you end up with more in your pocket come sale time.

If you’re considering parting with your car, use our convenient online form to receive a quick and indicative price for your car. Or simply call the friendly team at Carswanted on 1300 926 833 for more information.