I’m a car expert – these 7 easy steps protect the value of your car over winter & prevent costly repairs

WHILE all cars suffer wear and tear from daily usage, this is greatly intensified as the weather gets colder and snow starts to fall.

The winter season is your car’s greatest enemy when it comes to longevity and fighting off depreciation, but experts have a way to help.

Chris Jevons, Car Exterior Protection Specialist at global leader in automotive masking and surface protection solutions JTAPE, has seven tips to protect your car’s exterior from the winter season.

“Whether your car is fresh off the lot or has been with you for several years, small repairs and preventative maintenance can make a big difference in maintaining value,” said Jevons to The U.S. Sun.

“Taking time for these relatively simple steps can prevent costly repairs later and help you get the best possible price when it comes to selling or trading in your vehicle,” he added.

The first step, and arguably the most important, is to fix minor exterior paint damage caused by stone chips, scratches, and other low surface area contact accidents.

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Leaving this paint damage during winter can lead to corrosion and spot rusting which will eat away not only more paint, but even your car’s metal body itself.

Repairs for body damage due to rusting can be costly, and in certain cases may require fully replacing entire sections of the body itself if the corrosion is significant enough.

Corrosion on a car can also alienate potential buyers and reduce the value of your car overall, turning these seemingly insignificant repairs into a bonafide investment on your vehicle’s financial future.

Similarly, it’s best to regularly clean your vehicle during the winter in order to maximize your paint’s lifespan and condition by preventing damage from lingering dirt, road grime, and bird droppings.

This rings true year round, but winter can be especially deadly thanks to the salt used to melt ice and snow on roads sticking to your car and the risk of corrosion it poses.

Using a quality exterior wax or sealant can help mitigate these factors, and also protect against damage from UV rays.

While it may seem harmless, the sun can fade and degrade exterior paint, and interior and exterior plastic and rubber components.

High-quality waxes and sealants for the inside and outside of your vehicle can help add a layer of protection against this luminary degradation.

Trims and seals, such as weatherstripping, should also be a high maintenance priority throughout the winter season, as they effectively make your car doors watertight.

If they’re too damaged to keep your car watertight, you risk damaging electrical components and trim in the cabin with the precipitation and humidity that could creep into the cabin.

This can result in your car’s trim looking neglected, which will result in a lower return come time to sell or trade in your vehicle.

Similarly, it’s generally recommended to prioritize keeping a car’s interior in as good of shape as possible. For many private buyers and dealers, this is one of the most important factors in evaluating a car’s condition and price.

The easiest steps to take are to avoid smoking or eating in the car, as well as to put down protective mats or seat covers to keep the original materials fresh and undamaged.

In terms of cleaning, shampooing the carpets and vacuuming them, conditioning leather seats and wiping down surfaces regularly all help make an interior look and smell as good as possible for as long as possible.

The final major tip is one that should ring true for every car owner no matter the context, that being keeping up with regular maintenance.

A history of regular oil changes, tire rotations, brake inspections, and fluid checks shows buyers that your car has been cared for and properly maintained, instilling further confidence in their potential purchase.

While these maintenance records are arguably the most important to keep for resale value, having the full maintenance history for everything you did to a car can maximize resale value even further.

Keeping up with regular maintenance and keeping a detailed history also both keeps you as safe as possible while driving, and helps you identify and get a feel for the severity of any recurring issues with the car, such as oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.