All aspects of the car are special in their own way but the car engine care comes first. Without the engine, there’s no vehicle to talk about. It is therefore critical that the car engine care is given the appropriate attention if one is to increase the resale value of their vehicle.
There are many aspects of the auto body that one can do without or at least the car can move from one point to another. It’s a different story though with the engine. When there’re are issues there the car is unlikely to move.
Choose Your Merchandise Wisely
On the first blog on this series of posts about raising your car resale value, I mentioned that the outlook of the car is the first attraction. That’s a true fact, especially to end-user buyers. As an entrepreneur, your standard should not be the same though. Yours should come with a high level of scrutiny on critical aspects of the car.
The body and paint job are usually straightforward issues that can easily be tackled without parting with significant amounts of money. Engines can however be so complicated and unpredictable that you should make the requisite investigations before you sign the agreement of sale.
Car engine care inspection protocol
As we have indicated the importance of thorough investigations regards your merchandise car engines it’s important to know what to look out for. There are things that look and sound light and insignificant to a novice car flipper yet they may actually deal-breakers to those with the knowhow.
In the first blog on the car flipping business, I did make mention of the importance of a reliable team to help you navigate the automotive terrain. One of your critical team members is the motor mechanic. In identifying candidate vehicles for your flip you will need the motor mechanic to point to you possible pitfalls and give you a rough estimate of what it would take (time and cost) to bring the car to a near-perfect function.
Over time this is a skill you are able to develop and only need the mechanic only for the job of actually fixing the car. Let’s look at a few things to be on the lookout for:
- Engine light on the dashboard.
- Any other dashboard lights
- Oil leaks
- Service history
- Easy of starting the car
- The engine sound
Let’s have a quick look at each of them:
Check Engine indicator light
Generally, most cars when starting will have so many lights going on on the dashboard. These lights however quickly go off once the engine starts running. If any of those lights linger on beyond the momentary ignition time it may be an indication that something is not in order.
If the engine light indicator is on it could be pointing to one or several things among others:
- The battery malfunction
- Some sparkplug problem
- Airflow/mass sensor issues
- Oxygen sensor malfunction
- Fuel cap issues
- Catalytic converter
- Exhaust gas recirculation valve issues
- Vacuum system malfunction
Unlike the other dashboard indicator lights that point to a specific malfunction the engine one is delicate and needs to be attended to with an investigative eye. Some of the above-identified issues can easily be investigated ‘confirmed or eliminated’ but some won’t be that easy. You may need to engage the services of a skilled auto mechanic or an auto diagnostic instrument to identify the source of the problem.
You don’t have to break an arm and a leg for you to access the diagnosis without a professional mechanic. All you need is Bluetooth enabled interface device with an OBD app and a bluetooth OBD2 diagnostic scanner and you are good to go. The Bluetooth OBD2 diagnostic scanner is an easy to find little gadget which also have here at Auto Parts Shelf.
Oil leakages
Most cars will experience some form of oil leakage over a period of time whether in use or parked. This is normally the usual wear and tear as the gaskets; the seals, the valve guides/joints; piston rings, and cylinder walls.
There’re are generally five major sources of oil leakages in most passenger cars:
- Damage to the engine gasket
- Loose or bad connections
- The oil pan
- Oil filter
- The oil drain plug
- Oil seals
- The oil cap
Damage to the engine gasket
This indeed is the main culprit for oil leakages.
Oil leakage is not only just a sign of loose connections and seals in the car but it is an indication of many other things that may as a result be of concern. When an inappropriate type of oil is used in a car the normal oil pressure build-up may cause leaks.
The Oil Viscosity
Different kinds of oils are designed for different kinds of motor engines hence it’s necessary to ensure the right type is used for each unique motor engine. Some of the more recent models of cars used only synthetic oil and yet some motor mechanics and technicians seem to ignore that at the detriment of customers.
It may be necessary to investigate the type of oil that has been used in that particular car especially so if you notice oil leakages. This could help in ensuring you do the correct interventions to stop future leaks. Beyond replacing or repairing all the above noted critical ‘leak’ areas there are some leakage stoping and prevention lubricants on the market. These can help in improving the reliability of your leak-free merchandise and your reputation in the seller market.
Products like the Oil Leak Preventor from Rymax Lubricants and others in the market will rejuvenate seals; gaskets and others to reseal and tighten the leak points. These oil leakage stoping and prevention lubricants can be found in any of your usual auto parts stores like your Autozone and Midas.
The oil leak stop and prevention lubricants as an intervention instrument will take a while longer to show in the results. For a greater and sustainable impact, it will help to apply the strategy in combination with other types of interventions. Using it as a matter of preemptive routine on all your car projects will ensure you have fewer after-sale complaints and disputes.
Consequently, the car performance will significantly improve as oil leakages and contamination are prevented and optimum lubrication is achieved. Your reputation as one seller who only brings quality cars will continuously grow amongst your buyers’ community.
Clean the Engine Compartment
After all the leaks have been attended to it’s important to clean up the whole engine compartment. The general rule is that most clean things are attractive and any marketer or entrepreneur will know how important it would be to do that. You shouldn’t be the odd one to think you can present and sell an oily and messy engine car to any potential customer. At our shop and other ecommerce platforms you can easily find cleaning implements to get the engine bay presentable.
A clean car engine will allow potential buyers to easily identify possible oil leak spots or any other problems. On the other hand, oily and messy engines can cloud some serious issues of the car or overemphasize simple problems and scare off potential buyers.
Conclusion
As indicated earlier that the engine is the most important part of any car. Without it, there’s no viable car to talk of. Therefore if you are to successfully sell your car to anyone you have to prioritize car engine care . You need to convince your potential buyers that what you selling to them is indeed a viable vehicle not just a body on wheels.
While there a number of things that may require your attention regards the car engine care, the ‘check engine’ light and oil leaks are at the fore. It’s important therefore to give them priority in attention.
Once again I wish you well in your car-flipping entrepreneurship journey. I would love to what are your options regards this piece of writing whether you’re already in business or are still considering trying it out.