Don’t Break the Bank on Brakes

Posted on: 12 January 2015

It can be hard to imagine buying a used car when you go out to your driveway and peek in your own car windows. Most people accumulate some amount of dirt, debris and detritus in their vehicle from time to time, and it can be really hard to get that stuff out. How do car dealers get the smells of dogs, kids, cigarettes, and spilled soda out of a car? How do they wipe the slate clean for the next owner? Here you'll learn about the process of taking a used car and making it like new.

Finding Bedrock: Removing all the Previous Owner's Gunk

Every time you get in your car, you're tracking in dirt. Your car doesn't come with a welcome mat on which to wipe your feet before you enter, so when you sell your car to a dealer, they have to clean all that up. Not to mention that some people leave garbage under the seats or in the floorboard. 

The first step is removing any large items and vacuuming up all of the years of dirt. Your local carwash probably doesn't have the industrial strength car vacuums that detailers use to get every spec of dirt out of the upholstery. Dealers also make sure to vacuum all the nooks and crannies. Have you ever vacuumed out a heater vent? Lots of dirt and dust accumulate there, and contribute to the smell of an older car. You're also probably not agitating the fibers of the carpeting with a scrub brush before you start vacuuming, which can dramatically increase how much dirt you suck up. Doing these things preps the interior for phase two of the car rejuvenation journey...

So Fresh and so Clean: Removing Smells

Would you want to buy a car that smells like someone else's pets, kids, and bad habits? No matter how much the dealer vacuums, they won't be able to remove smells. They need to bring in the big guns: the shampooer. Some car owners do this themselves from time to time, but the chemicals and cleaning agents used in commercial detailing lifts out more dirt than most products available for laypersons. 

Something else detailers use in cleaning vehicles that regular folks don't is steam. Steam cleaners with specialized heads for detailing cars allows dealers to destroy the bacteria that accumulate in the floors and seats of cars. A new owner will never know that a vanilla milkshake once spilled all over the back seat, because the stain, stiff fabric and smell from proliferating microorganisms will all be completely removed or obliterated.

Making a Good First Impression: Detailing the Outside

Once a price tag is in the windshield, few customers will stop and take a look at the newly pristine interior if the exterior is a shambles. Used car dealers leave no wheel unturned. Pressure washers remove years of road grime and even rust from wheel wells and the undercarriage. Solvents are often added to the cleaning of these parts to leave them sparkling.

Any imperfections in the body are taken care of as well. Dents are popped out, scratches buffed away and deeper scratches are matched and filled. Prospective customers may never be able to tell the car was driven at all.

A lot of effort goes into making a used car seem new. It is important to take those steps to help customers see themselves driving off the lot in the vehicle, even if those new owners are likely going to fill it up with just as much junk and debris. If you're considering buying or selling a used car from a site like http://www.automaxnm.com, keep in mind the detail job that it takes to get a car ready for market.