How to Prepare Your Car for Sale

So you've decided to sell your car. You take a few photos, put up an advert and wait for the phone to ring. But here's the thing: buyers scroll through dozens of adverts, and if your car looks neglected, you could lose hundreds of euros off the asking price before anyone even comes to see it. Want to know the good news? Sometimes, a few small jobs before selling can put far more money back in your pocket than you spent on them. That's why I want to show you how to prepare your car for sale.

What documents should you prepare for the buyer?

Gather all your service and repair invoices.
Have the service book and spare key ready.
Get a diagnostic scan done and give the buyer the report. Let them see you've got nothing to hide.

A car with a clear service history sells faster and for more money. Just think about it. If you were buying the car, wouldn't you want to know what's been done to it? Nobody likes guessing. And buyers are willing to pay more for that peace of mind.

How should you prepare the outside of your car?

Give it a proper wash. Don't forget the wheels and sills.
Touch up stone chips and small scratches with genuine touch-up paint matched to your car's paint code.
Apply wax or a polymer coating. It'll freshen up the paintwork and make the car look better in photos too.
If there's more serious damage, we can repair it in our bodywork and paint department. But first, we'll work out whether it's worth doing, considering the car's value.

Freshly painted body panel at Das Auto Service

What about preparing the interior?

Give the seats, dashboard and inside of the windows a thorough clean.
If there's an unpleasant smell, replace the cabin filter and clean the air conditioning system.
Remove your personal belongings. Delete your personal data from the infotainment system too, including any paired phones.

Which repairs are worth doing before selling?

I don't want you throwing money at major repairs just before selling your car. But! There are things a buyer will notice the moment they come to look at it. The check engine light is on, a bulb has blown or the brakes are squealing. Little things, right? Except that's when the haggling starts. And quite often, the buyer will try to knock far more off the price than it would have cost you to put those things right.

Don't clear fault codes or reset the service interval if you haven't actually had the work done. An experienced buyer will spot it. And the moment they think you're trying to mislead them, that trust disappears.

A tip from Kris Mladenov: Take your photos in daylight, but avoid strong, direct sunlight. Give the car a proper wash first, then photograph it in the shade. That's how you'll get it looking its best in the pictures.

If you've decided to sell your car and want the viewing to go smoothly, without any nasty surprises, come and see us at Das Auto Service. We'll inspect it and tell you what's worth fixing and what simply isn't worth spending money on. I'm telling you this because there's no point paying for repairs if you're not going to get that money back when you sell.