You car is your second most valuable asset next to your home. You’ve got to take care of it the way you would your house and that means keeping it clean.
The number one thing that damages a resale value of a car is cracked or scratched leather seats. When you trade the car in, the dealer can give you top dollar for it, even if the tires are bald or the mirrors are broken off because they can replace those. But the leather on the seats is a much more challenging thing.
I tell people they should clean and condition their seats at least twice a year. There are many different options. Some manufacturers have their own leather cleaner and conditioner.
You don’t want to use the cleaner/conditioner you use on your leather furniture at home.
What you need is UV-leather protection because your couch doesn’t sit on the driveway in July the way your car does. You want to make sure you are protecting that with good product.
Not many cars have true leather seats. Unless you are driving a Lamborghini or a Bentley you’re not getting true leather, you’re getting vinyl leather or pleather, so to speak, but you’ve still got to clean them and condition them because they do get hard and crack. Some cars have a hybrid, like a leather insert and the sides are a vinyl piece or some have micro suede.
I get a lot of questions about sunscreen and the effect on the car’s interior. People are wearing more sunscreen than ever before, and when you put your arm on the armrest it gets faded with the sunscreen cream. If you make a paste with a little bit of baking soda it will draw the oil out of that armrest.
When you are talking about windshield cleaning, I tell people if you’ve got tint on your glass make sure you never use vinegar or any harsh cleaning chemicals because the sun will counteract with these chemicals and damage the tint. I recommend using plain garden variety glass cleaner, no ammonia if you can, and when you are cleaning the windows don’t use paper towels because they leave lint. Use coffee filters.
There’s a product on the market by a company called Aquapel that a lot of dealers carry and it’s a glass treatment that keeps the water back. In the same you’ll buy paint protection, Aquapel protects the glass and helps remove the water. I’ve used it and it works fantastically by drawing away all the water.
You can either buy Aquapel or buy it with an installation.
And it makes a great gift.
As an aside, I love a clean car, so if you want to get someone you love something practical get them a detailing certificate.
Detailing also helps for selling it. I want maximum value for my car when I trade it in every four years when my lease expires. If for nothing else detailing get the stains out of the carpet. The salt builds up a crust on your carpet. Over time that will deteriorate it.
I think detailing is super important, even just once a year, just give it a good going-over.
Christine Mitchell, owner and principal of The Car Lady, spent many years in the automotive industry as a technician, service advisor and salesperson. In 2001, she put her knowledge and experience together to start The Car Lady brand. She has driven hundreds of thousands of kilometres to help dealerships across Canada build customer relationships that increase both customer retention and customer satisfaction.
