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Detailing for Dollars
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| Make $100 An Hour At Home, Cleaning Your Car |
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| Updated |
Jun 3, 2004 18:07:52 |
| Rating |
 16 ( -2 -12.5% ) |
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Description:
Detailing For Dollars
Make $100 An Hour* At Home, Cleaning Your Car And Lose Weight, Too**
By Bruce Caldwell
Why should you believe us when we say that you can make a couple hundred more dollars simply by cleaning your car? Well, you can, or more accurately, you can avoid losing several hundred dollars when you sell or trade-in your car.
Contrary to the teachings of the politically correct, first appearances do matter. Car dealers know this. A big attraction of new cars is that they are so pristine. Dealership used cars also look nicer than average because they've been detailed. Detailing means super cleaning. Most people are either too excited about the new car or just too lazy to clean their trade-in. The dealer does it for them and makes several hundred dollars in the process. Detailing really pays off when you sell your car privately. Used cars are like new cars in that most people just want to make the deal, get the keys, and drive away.
A super clean car says "ready to go" from the moment the buyer first sees it. Detailing sustains that initial positive feeling throughout the selling process. Negative reactions have a direct correlation to lower (or no) offers. You can't afford to let your sole inventory item languish. You have one car and one first impression. Capitalize on a positive impression. There are three key areas of detailing: exterior, interior, and engine compartment. The exterior makes that critical first impression, but a nasty interior can easily kill a sale. Most buyers look at the engine, but few actually know what they are looking for. A basically clean engine looks like one that was well maintained.
The top three exterior tricks are wash, wash, and wash. Clean the car repeatedly, especially the hard to reach areas that are usually neglected. Clean the door jambs and all inner metal door surfaces. Clean around the hinges. Open the hood and trunk; clean all edges and seams. Get down low and remove all the road grime from the rocker panels and wheel well openings. People won't notice any particular area, but the overall look will be immaculate, and immaculate translates to pampered. Wax all body panels. Polish the chrome trim. If the paint is oxidized, use a cleaner/wax. Your local auto parts store will help you pick the correct products. Wax the door jambs. This may seem excessive, but it adds extra sparkle when the doors are opened. This is a very simple, but effective trick. The wheels and tires should be thoroughly cleaned. The interior should be vacuumed with a powerful shop vac. If the carpets are soiled, remove them and use a spray carpet cleaner. Clean all surfaces and crevices of the seats. Dust the dashboard and gauges. Scratched gauges can be polished with a plastic cleaner/polisher (available at auto parts stores). Clean the windows inside and out. A light application of vinyl protectant will make vinyl seats look sharp; too much protectant looks suspicious. If the ash trays were used, soak them in soapy water for a day. Then fill with baking soda. A bar of pleasant smelling soap such as Irish Spring placed under the seat will make the interior smell fresh, but not overly scented.
You could clean the engine compartment at the local high pressure car wash. An easier, less messy method is to use a heavy duty degreaser like Simple Green and a roll of paper towels. Spray and wipe off as much grime a possible. Use rubber protectant on the hoses. Clean the underside of the hood. Install a new air filter and change the oil. Those are about the only engine items that the average buyer ever checks. Maintain the cleanliness until the car sells. We think you'll find the extra effort very rewarding.
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