#1: Maintaining Your Pristine Chassis
There are many new and old methods to keep your chassis in pristine condition to fetch the highest resale values.
Classic Methods
The classic methods begin by keeping your vehicle garaged as much as possible. If you don’t have a garage, a car cover may work equally as well. It is also advised that you avoid parking your vehicle in direct sunlight because it fades the paint with subtlety. Washing your car frequently and applying a hard Carnauba paste wax as needed are the old school methods that offer some protection against, weather, tree sap, road salt, and road debris. If you get good at detailing your vehicle, it provides that warm showroom finish all year long and stands your vehicle out from the crowds.
New Methods
Sealants are replacing traditional Carnauba wax products on the market and often being mislabeled as waxes themselves. Even if you like the warmer glow of paste wax, sealants can be used to protect your undercarriage, exhaust, drivetrain, rubber, vinyl, and plastic parts. The versatility and durability of sealants make them great as additional protections for your vehicle by beading water, blocking UV rays, bringing out a natural luster, and rendering tree sap and bird droppings harmless.
Car Coatings are more industrious than sealants. Car coatings are generally made of ceramic silicates and sprayed on by professionals after prepping the paintwork for perfection. These coatings usually last between 2 to 5 years and protect your investment like a sealant but with the ability to obtain that showroom waxy glow.
Paint Protection Films are a lot like the polyurethane paints that are available for fleet vehicles. However, these films are backed with a pressure sensitive adhesive backing. The kits are a thermoplastic polyurethane coating that is computer-generated to fit your vehicle precisely. Paint protection films usually come with a 5 to 10-year warranty and have the ability to heal small mars on the surface over time. The thicker coatings will be more resilient to road debris and can be unpeeled in hours to reveal the original paint like new. Owners often apply a sealant on top for further protection from UV radiation and weather.
#2: Preventative Maintenance for Your Mechanical Parts
If you have a BMW, you want the best BMW mechanics doing all the work. Specialization is the name of the game when it comes to late-model autos. The sophistication of these machines relegates the entirety of the service to independent specialists or dealerships with all the computer resources and dedication to solve the technical problems. The rubber parts, gaskets, and certain weird issues unique to every automobile are the key failure points.
Rubber will start changing at a molecular level after the 5-year mark. This is why they say to change out even tires that look like new if they are more than 5-years old. If you run your vehicle on synthetic fluids and keep service records proving that a specialist worked on your vehicle at all times and installed quality parts, you will obtain the highest resale prices and be able to put off selling the vehicle until a new generation is released.
#3: Maintaining Your Interior
When it comes to interiors, nothing faces more wear and tear than the carpets. Purchasing those state-of-the-art Weather Tech floor mats that are computer designed to fit your vehicle like a glove are an excellent investment. If you have leather seats, you need to use a proper leather cleaner and conditioner to keep them supple and fresh.
If you don’t have leather, neoprene seat covers are the next best investment you can make. Neoprene seat covers are reasonably priced and extremely durable. They are resistant to fire and even spilled drinks. They stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer because they are made of the same industrious material as diver wetsuits. For a couple hundred bucks, you can keep that interior looking like brand-new forever.
#4: Safe Driving Habits
If you follow safe driving habits, not only will you reduce the risk of damaging your vehicle in an accident, you will also protect the mechanical parts from premature wear and tear. The efficiency of a combustion engine sharply declines after 66 mph. You should never put the pedal to the metal and race your vehicle if you want to retain its long-term value. The inefficiency of the engine creates more hydrocarbon build ups and leads to premature bearing wear at the higher RPMs. The aluminum pistons that are being used more frequently in engines are literally degrees away from melting at operating temperatures. Wheel bearings also tend to burn out from high-speed driving.
#5: Knowing When to Sell or Trade In Your Vehicle
If you purchase a brand-new vehicle, you can expect it to depreciate by as much as 50% in the first 5 years. After this point, the rubber and weak parts may start transforming. It wasn’t long ago that natural non-vulcanized rubber was the only game in town. Natural rubber would revert into tree sap at the changing of the weather. If you are planning on keeping that vehicle for a long time because it is a noteworthy collectible vehicle, then it is in your best interests to make those 5-year mark repairs and keep an eye on the soft parts to nip damages in the bud. If you got a great deal on a used vehicle that is approaching the 5-year mark and it is just an ordinary daily driver, you might want to trade it in as soon as possible to get out from under that overhauling preventative maintenance mandate.
Conclusion
Taking care of your investment doesn’t always pay off when it comes to the resale market. The Kelley Blue Book pricing guides are irrationally based on mileage, age, and other arbitrary factors. Sourcing the deals and knowing when to get out from under a vehicle and trade up may be the most valuable wisdom. Taking advantage of those irrational Kelley Blue Book prices is an even better idea.
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