Believe it or not, there are some little bad habits that can turn into a significant reason for the decreased value of your car in the long term. So whenever you are planning to re-sell your car in the future, or you just want to make sure that you are maintaining the vehicle in its best condition, here is a comprehensive list of the common practices you should avoid:
Cleaning with washing up liquid
Washing up liquids and warm water may seem like a good idea for making your car sparkling clean and gorgeous, however, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, the usual liquid detergent used for washing up dishes and everything else around the house is definitely not recommended for your car too. While the washing detergents are formulated mainly for de-greasing and removing food remains from dishes, you should look and invest into a cleaning product that is designed for vehicles especially, which means that you are not increasing the risk of damaging your car and its colour and finish. So make sure to avoid the dishwashing liquids in case you want to prevent layers of paint flaking off and the appearance of rust.
DIY Spraying
If there are some damages on the body and the paint of the car you may be tempted to spray paint the damaged spots yourself. However, this is not the best idea! Keep in mind that even professionals struggle to get an even and uniform coverage when spot painting the car’s body so what makes you confident enough that you will succeed?
Other DIY disasters
Modifying your car and customising its appearance and functionality to your desires may sound like a great idea and a fun project. However, investing money in customisations you are not exactly 100% sure that the potential buyers in the future will enjoy and give you their money can turn into a serious disaster and significantly decrease the overall value of your car.
Eating and smoking in the car
Heavy smells easily will cling to the interior of your car. In addition, whenever you are eating in your car you are risking to cause some permanent stains.
Make your children behave
If you are a parent you already know that your children can cause serious messes. Even the calmest children can cause some accidents that will leave permanent issues on the interior/exterior of the car and significantly decrease their selling value later on. The best prevention is to always make sure that there are rubbish bags and wet wipes on hand in your car for immediate treatment of all sorts of mess.
Putting the wrong fuel
In the long term, putting the wrong fuel into your car can be very damaging. It is an easy mistake to make at first, but it does not have to turn into common practice and a bad habit.
Ignore servicing prompts
It is understandable that you will try to cut the motoring costs as much as possible, everyone does. But ignoring important servicing prompts and scheduled services is a big no-no. When you are selling your car in the future it will have a big blank space in its history you cannot explain it any other way than telling the truth.
Ignoring obvious issues
Driving around with a warning on your dashboard is nevertheless an extreme life. It can not only cause some serious issues at the moment of driving and pressure you spend even a more serious amount of money on repairs than initially simply because you decided to ignore the problem, but in a long-term neglecting the problems can end up in extremely costly service repairs.
Laziness
Small distances are not necessarily requiring the use of your car. The more you drive the car, the faster it starts experiencing wear and tear. So next time you need to go somewhere near, make sure to use your feet instead. In addition, going on small distances in a car can really ruin the engine. Experts share that it takes between 10 to 12 miles for an engine to reach its optimum.
Using the clutch wrong
When putting unnecessary pressure on the clutch when it is not needed you are practically causing its premature wear and tear. Keeping the clutch down in traffic lights is not recommended either.