Did you know that as soon as you drive your car off of the dealership’s lot, its overall value starts to decrease?
It’s true; while few are looking to sell their cars immediately after purchasing them, many might still be shocked by how much their car’s value drops after leaving the lot. And considering how much people tend to spend on new cars these days, they might even be outraged. Even if you were to sell your car immediately after purchasing it, after taking so much as a test drive off of the lot, your trade-in value for that brand new car that you just bought would be significantly less than what you paid for it.
As such, for people who have purchased a new car (or even a used car in good condition), it’s of prime importance to keep that car in excellent condition for as long as possible. Not necessarily to increase your overall trade-in value (although that may be a thing you decide to do down the line), but to keep your car running efficiently for as long as possible and put off the day when you have to return to that lot and spend another massive chunk of change.
What few realize is just how much wear and tear can be dealt to your vehicle just as a result of everyday use or keeping it parked in an outdoor space. From weather-related damage to minor dents and dings, your car can face any number of factors that erode its ability to serve you at full capacity. Savvy car owners who want to make the most out of their investment will seek ways to reduce the overall damage to their car, mitigating and even eliminating some of these common causes of wear and tear.
For your consideration, here are some ways you can reduce daily damage to your vehicle and keep it running as long as possible.
Car Covers Are Your Best Friend
Damage caused by leaving your car outdoors is no joke: excessive heat and moisture have been known to have myriad negative effects on cars, warping interiors, rusting the car’s chassis, and causing paint jobs to fade and show wear. As such, if you find yourself having to park your car outside often or in areas where it may be exposed to the elements, you may want to invest in a car cover.
Car covers protect your car from weather conditions that can cause it harm, although they won’t protect your car from damage such as chips and impacts. If you find yourself concerned about things like that damaging your paint job, you may want to consider looking into clear-bra paint protection. Clear-bra paint protection is typically handled by professionals and uses cutting-edge technology to create a firm shell over your car’s paint job, protecting it from all kinds of damage while keeping your paint looking pristine.
Perform Regular Maintenance Checks
Is your battery charged and ready to go? Are your tires full, or are they starting to lose their pressure ever-so-slightly? Is your car’s oil change light on, or has a significant amount of time passed without you taking a look at the old dipstick?
Regular maintenance checks, conducted by yourself or a professional, increase the chances that you will be able to catch something going wrong with your car before something costly happens. You don’t have to have a professional take a look at it every six months (though that certainly wouldn’t hurt); you can just try to stay abreast of how your car is doing overall, making sure that things you can fix yourself are checked every so often.
Reduce Stress on Primary Functions
Did you know that leaving your handbrake on can actually put stress on your brake pads, increasing the likelihood that they stick to the discs or drum? Or that steering while your car is parked can actually put an undue amount of pressure on your steering column?
Certain habits that you’ve picked up can either help your car’s primary functions run longer or cause them to collapse. Conduct some research on things you can do as an everyday driver to help your car run longer: you might be surprised at what you find can help (or harm) your vehicle.
With great investments comes great responsibility. That’s the saying, right? Regardless, you get the point: once you’ve spent a certain figure on your vehicle, you should feel compelled to do everything you can to keep your remaining funds in your pocket, even to the point of increasing your investment to stave off another trip to the lot. What you do with your vehicle is up to you, but putting in extra work and capital will make it possible for your car to hit the road for years longer than the average.
