Despite the current market boom for second-hand vehicles, depreciation is a sad truth for every vehicle. However, much of a car’s depreciation occurs the moment it leaves the showroom floor, and any subsequent depreciation tends to be attributed to the individual state of the vehicle. With proper care and regular attention, your car can retain its health and its value for years to come. Here are some key ways you can keep your car’s depreciation to a minimum.
Regular Servicing
The no-brainer entry to this list, ensuring your car gets regularly checked over by professional mechanics can increase its longevity significantly; your car’s user manual will include recommended intervals for regular servicing, as well as information on which parts may require investigation after a certain number of miles or years. Mechanics will be able to detect issues before they manifest in a more impactful way, resulting in the continued smooth running of your engine. Checking your car’s fluid levels represents a crucial part of this process also; engine oil is vital for your engine’s health via lubrication, and coolant ensures engine parts do not overheat and fail.
Avoid Personal Modifications
Depreciation does not just occur owing to age and potential issues with the running of the vehicle; aesthetic and superficial modifications can also bring the value of your car down. Installing after-market items like spoilers, body panels and exhausts are a matter of personal taste, and your car will appeal to less people according to this taste – especially as tastes change over time, and your expensive modifications lose value. Keep your car stock where possible, unless upgrading essential parts of your vehicle such as the brakes or parts of your engine result in an improved quality-of-life for the vehicle.
Tyre Care
The health of your car tyres can have a knock-on effect on the health of your car as a whole. Ensuring your tyres are kept in good condition, replaced when worn and changed out to suit the weather will keep your car safe on the road, reducing the likelihood of damage from a crash or blowout.
Park in the Shade
Surprisingly, keeping your car out of the sun when parked can play a significant part in retaining its value. The sun’s UV rays can cause your car’s paintwork to fade over time, which in turn can depreciate your car’s value – or at the very least necessitate an expensive re-painting. Parking in the shade can also protect your car’s interior trim, allowing the glue used to fix certain finishes in place to last longer.
Maintain the Interior
Speaking of interiors, cleaning your cockpit regularly can preserve it for years to come, making it more appealing to buyers and allowing it to retain value. Accumulated dirt can have an abrasive effect on footwell carpeting, while other surfaces can gather grease and dust which in turn effect their finish. Vacuuming and polishing your interior regularly will keep it clean and fresh for time to come.
