What's the Most Important Document You Can Maintain When It Comes to the Value of Your Car?
Depreciation is a fact of life in the automobile industry. Some models are affected more than others, but as soon as you drive a new car away from the dealership yard, its value has already been affected. Due to the fact that depreciation is costing you money every year as long as you own the vehicle, doesn't it make sense to try and arrest any problems as much as possible? Here are some of the key things that you can do to help you save money in the long run.
Service Makes Perfect
All new cars come with a comprehensive warranty these days. This will cover corrosion and body damage, as well as major mechanical items. In many respects, the car manufacturers are putting their neck on the line by guaranteeing the performance of the individual components--an arena in which where they don't have absolute control. It stands to reason, therefore, that they are going to insist that you take your car to an authorised dealer for car servicing while the guarantee is still valid.
Why You Need to Keep Up
If you really want to get as much value for the vehicle as you possibly can when it comes time to resell it, you need to keep up with the manufacturer's recommended service intervals. You will also need to keep up with the logbook service schedule, if that should be different.
However, the logbook is a document that travels with your car and stays with it after the original manufacturer warranty may have run out. It can be very valuable to you when it comes time to resell, so long as you have made sure that you keep up with the recommended service points within.
The Importance of the Logbook
While a logbook is not a guarantee of the mechanical condition of the car once it has passed its original manufacturer warranty, it can be almost the next best thing. It doesn't matter if you take the vehicle to an independent repair shop for subsequent service, especially as many of them will be authorised to do this work anyway. The most important thing is that you do take it, rather than just forgetting that this document exists.
Completing the Paper Trail
In a best-case scenario, you should not only make sure that your logbook is always up to date and filled in properly, but that you keep the original invoices given to you by the repair shops after each piece of work has been completed. In this way, you will have a comprehensive record of how you have treated the car and this should help you to get top dollar for the vehicle upon resale.
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