You can add hundreds to the value of your car just by giving it a good clean. If you spend a day getting it ready to sell you will reap the benefits while not having to spend a fortune.


Your first step should be to give the car a good clean, using a good-quality car shampoo. Do not use washing-up liquid, as it helps promote rust, unlike car products, which can actually help prevent it. Work from the roof down, rinse it well, and dry with a chamois leather.

Stone chips makes your car look older than it need to and they can rust, no wonder then, that they put buyers off. Repair them with a touch-up stick. These aren't expensive, and with a little patience, you can dramatically improve your car's appearance.

Wheels clogged with brake dust look terrible. On alloys, if they won't clean easily, buy an alloy wheel cleaner and treat them. If you've got wheel trims, consider replacing them - especially if they've been banged about. Damaged alloys can be repaired or replaced too, but this is more expensive.

Missing trim or badges age the look of your car and are obvious to buyers, so buy replacements. Scrap yards offer a cheap source of parts.

Clean less obvious parts too, such as sills, wheel arches and the inner panel of doors; this will impress buyers, and helps create a “well looked-after” image of your car.

Finally, give the car a good polish. It will create that new-car-shine that can only help sell it faster. Don't worry if paint residue appears on the cloth; this is just a layer of old paint you're removing.

Cleaning the interior properly will mean giving close attention to the details.

Start by hoovering the carpets, seats, dusty crevices, even the dashboard itself, it will make later jobs a little easier.

Dashboards should be cleaned with a dashboard cleaner; don't use household polish, as it gives a cheap appearance. Clean door trims too, being careful not to spray fabric.

Clean the car windows after the dashboard, to make sure you don't spoil your hard work. Use glass cleaner or damp chamois leather. When cleaning the rear window, use a side to side action, thus ensuring you don't damage the heater elements.

Replace any non-standard parts, such as racy gear knobs or alloy pedal covers. They won't impress buyers. Standard is always best.

Do not heavily spray the car with air freshener, unless you have smoked in it - in which case, buy an odour neutraliser. Clean the ashtray thoroughly and if it still smells, spray it.

Lift tired old mats out; the clean carpets underneath will look much more attractive.

Buyers will want to look under the bonnet, even if they haven't got a clue what they're looking at. You should therefore make sure they like what they see.

Do not steam-clean. It can arouse suspicion; are you trying to hide oil leaks? Clean the engine bay, but don't go to extremes.

Oil changes are cheap, and clean oil looks far better than sludgy treacle.

Make sure the oil level is correct too.

Fill all water and coolant bottles.

Attach alarm wiring correctly, clean out leaves from air intakes, and generally make the engine bay appear cared-for.

So now you're ready to sell your car. How do you choose the selling price? If you get the price wrong, you'll either wait in vain for a buyer or be taken for a mug - neither option is desirable, or necessary. A little research will see you easily get the true market value for your car.

There are plenty of price guides available, as books, in magazines or on the Net. However, the most comprehensive source of used car prices is Motornet’s web site - and it's free.

You'll be offered several prices, for differing conditions of car, with registration letters and model years both being listed. A suggested mileage is also given. However, there are many more variables over and above those covered by price guides, meaning exact book price sales are rare.

Consider the options your car has; is it a rare model or one in particular demand? Is the colour popular? Are there any other variables that could affect the price e.g. low mileage, one owner.

A browse through Motornet.ie should help you set the price of your car. Look for models similar to yours, and see what the going rate is; you can then price your car accordingly.

Some owners clubs offer valuation services. You may have to pay - or join the club - but this will probably be more accurate than other methods, because of the depth of knowledge available. They will know your car better than you do, and can account for any extras, as well as the overall condition and mileage.

Visit car dealers in your area to get an idea of your car's trade-in value. Don't, however, look at dealer forecourt stock and expect to get similar prices for your car; you're not offering a warranty or any guarantees. Some manufacturer web-sites also offer on-line trade price valuations, and can be another source for trade-in prices.