Detail and wax your car
You wouldn’t believe how many filthy dirty vehicles I’ve appraised. When I have to inspect a vehicle like this, I tend to inspect the car more closely for problems because if your car looks this bad, more than likely you have not been doing the preventive maintenance either.
Before you have your trade-in appraised, get it detailed and waxed, make sure they shampoo the carpet, or get some exercise and do it yourself. Make sure you don’t forget the door, hood, and trunk jams. Also, polish the tires and clean all the glass inside and out. You wouldn’t sell a car to a private party trashed out, would you? I guarantee it will be money well spent. Don’t go overboard with the cleaning products you want your car to look like it’s clean all the time and please, do not ever Armor All the steering wheel!
Check and clean the engine compartment
Clean the engine compartment and make sure there aren’t any tools, rags, or half-empty fluid bottles in it. Some detail companies will clean the engine compartment for you when detailing your car. If you do it yourself make sure you use a good quality degreaser and make sure you get all the chemicals off your belts and hoses.
Empty and clean out all of your vehicle’s compartments
Make sure you get all the trash and junk out of your console that has been collected over time. Vacuum it out and do the same with your glove compartment. You should leave any maintenance records, locking lug keys, owner’s manual, leather cleaner, and touch-up paint in the glove box. By doing so is a good sign to an appraiser. Make sure you remove your name, address, and phone number from any records you leave. You wouldn’t want the next owner to contact you a year later.
Your trunk should be emptied and clean. If you have a bunch of junk in your trunk, clean it out. Do not leave a box of empty fluid bottles, air filters, or tools in the trunk of your car. This is a bad sign for an appraiser. If you have a spare tire area under your trunk mat, make sure your spare is not flat and there’s no standing water. You will want to clean and vacuum this area also.