If you want to sell a healthy car, one of the most desired used vehicles is the Subaru, including all the different models and years. Before you put it out on the market, though, you want to be sure that this will be a decent vehicle for the buyer, ethically checking everything and making any small repairs to ensure the car is ready to go to a new home. Below are the steps you need to take to ensure that your Subaru is ready to roll and is considered a great purchase for potential buyers.
Addressing Common Subaru Issues
The first step to get your Subaru back to healthy car status is to ensure that you have an experienced Subaru mechanic to look over your vehicle and see what type of issues you may have. Depending on the age and model of your Subaru, you could be experiencing some of the more common maintenance issues you would like to solve. These include overheating in the engine, improper coolant levels, and leaks that can cause other issues beneath the hood of the Subaru.
Unless you have mechanical experience, these mechanics at either the Subaru dealership or your trusted local mechanic with direct experience working with Subaru models are your best options. When it comes to auto repair services, especially on a Subaru with some age and miles, you don’t want to risk getting subpar service before you decide to sell it. You need someone familiar with the vehicle, the issues that usually come with the Subaru, and what the best course of action for repair may be.
Brake and Suspension Repairs
Every vehicle, not just a Subaru, needs solid brake repair to be called a healthy car. The state of your brakes could be different from someone else with a Subaru that is the same model and has similar mileage. Your brake system is affected by how frequently you use it, how many miles you put in your vehicle, and how often you have to hit the brakes during your commute. If you’ve been driving a Subaru during stop-and-go traffic for years, chances are that the brake system needs some quality brake repair.
Regarding brake repair, several parts of the Subaru may need to be replaced to transition it to a healthy status. These parts include brake pads, rotors, brake calipers, and shoes. There is also a need for brake fluid that makes the system operational between all these different parts. if any of these parts start to fail, it could cause the whole brake system to stall, which is dangerous and a liability to consider when trying to sell your car.
Engine and Transmission Repairs
The biggest ticket items you can have with your Subaru during maintenance are engine repairs and transmission services. These two parts are vital to a healthy car and must be in good condition to sell. Depending on your Subaru’s miles, you may need a tune-up to keep the engine running, where your spark plugs are replaced, and any ignition coils that may be misfiring.
A sign that your engine needs a little service love will come in that bright light blinking on your dash in the shape of an engine. That is your standard check engine light, and it’s meant to alert you to maintenance on the engine. This means you have to take the Subaru to the shop and have a Subaru mechanic do a diagnostic test to see the issue with your engine. Every engine error has a code that appears on the diagnostic test and alerts the mechanic of the issue in the Subaru.
If you think you need transmission services, it will be more in how your Subaru feels and if you are having issues driving it. You might notice that it sticks more when you shift gears. Your Subaru may even start to shake or stall until it gets in gear. In these cases, it is time to visit that Subaru mechanic and see if you need to have the transmission fluid changed or if you need a new transmission replacement. That’s the most expensive service, but it will mean that the transmission will last for a significant time afterwards.
Alignment Services for Smooth Handling
One of the biggest turnoffs for a healthy car is needing alignment. This is something that you can feel when you are driving your Subaru. Your car will start to pull to either the left or right, and over time, it will cause the tires and tire rods to wear down unevenly. Even if your tires are rotated regularly with your oil change, alignment services are still needed periodically.
Your car gets knocked out of line over time, mostly due to road conditions. If you live in an area with many potholes and uneven roads, your car may be knocked out of line over time, causing it to wear down the tires and cause unnecessary expenses. Many who commute long distances find themselves in these situations more so than others who may live in town and not far from their workplace.
An alignment service isn’t relatively expensive, and you can do it after having your vehicle inspected to see if one is needed. A Subaru mechanic can look at the tire rods and tire conditions and decide if you need this service. It also doesn’t take too long and can be done with other maintenance you may have done simultaneously.
Exhaust System Repairs
There is one part of your Subaru that you can easily forget about: the car muffler repair and other standard exhaust system repairs. A healthy car has a healthy exhaust, and if you’ve noticed a smelly car when traveling, that is a sign that the particular car is not in good health. If you haven’t taken the time to smell your car muffler, then maybe you should step behind it after cranking it up to see if your Subaru does carry one of those bad smells.
A car muffler repair service will help with the emissions and smells coming from your car. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it also stores unwanted debris in the engine, which could cause unwanted stalling and long-term damage if it isn’t repaired. There is a moisture build-up when there is a smell, and your engine uses that system to flush out the unwanted emissions. This unwanted debris could also get into other systems, which could cause potential clogging and back the smell up into the cab of your Subaru. You may start to smell it through the vents when idling and shortly after turning off the Subaru.
Your car muffler could also suffer physical damage, which must be repaired. You could drive around with a damaged muffler for a while but don’t want to keep that habit going. If your muffler is dragging, the longer you drive and allow it to hit the road, the worse the damage will be later. This means you will have an even larger expense to pay to get the Subaru in a good state. This is one of the more affordable maintenance expenses, so there isn’t a good reason to put it off. The labor isn’t terrible and can be fixed in just a couple of hours.
Auto Glass and Windshield Care
A healthy car has quality glass and windshield care, and that is something that you need to make sure of with your Subaru before putting it up for sale. The glass in Subaru includes the windshield, the back glass, and the windows. Depending on the model, you may also have glass on the moonroof or sunroof. All these different areas with glass need to be in good working order and repaired if there is damage.
Of all the auto glass repairs you may need, windshield replacement is the most common and probably one you will have to replace more than once on a vehicle. The windshield gets hit the most often by debris, rocks, and, unfortunately, wildlife sometimes when driving. Because it is such a large piece of glass, it has the potential to shatter easily when the pressure hits the debris. The other areas of glass can crack also, but their size and position make the damage less common in these areas. A Subaru body shop can conduct windshield replacement or auto glass repair. Sometimes, your car insurance may even cover the cost for you.
The weather could damage the other glass, other debris hitting them at just the right angle, or if your vehicle was involved in a robbery. If you have any cracked glass or it looks like it might shatter, you need to replace it before you put it up for sale. There is a security issue with the glass not being secure, and that could impact passengers in the Subaru, as well as make the vehicle unsafe while driving on the highway. These are affordable expenses and can be done in just a matter of hours if you have one or more pieces of glass that need to be replaced.
Auto Body Repairs and Detailing
A truly healthy car has to look at the part where auto body repairs come into play. Over time, your Subaru has likely captured a few dings there, missing paint here, and could do for a touch-up on the external repairs. With a body shop, they will go in and paint your Subaru after correcting the damage done to the body. Many Subarus have dings from shopping carts and backing into things with a bumper that needs to be replaced. This will help improve the overall value of your Subaru before you get it ready to sell.
The next thing you need to do after you have your Subaru body repaired is to ensure it is detailed thoroughly. This isn’t just a standard vacuum and wash, but having professionals remove the seats and clean all your Subaru’s nooks and crannies. You want to ensure that you aren’t leaving any of your personal information behind and that you have found all the issues that your Subaru may have.
When these professionals undergo a thorough auto detailing, they will vacuum and shampoo the carpets, making it clean and giving it that new car look. Also, your seats are cleaned thoroughly, removing old stains and build-up of dirt and grime that may be tucked down beneath the seatbelt in each opening. The interior will be finished by wiping down the dash and cleaning out the vents to remove any dirt and dust that may have been building up.
The exterior of your Subaru should also be detailed and should be the last step before you move forward with posting it for sale. Not only will your vehicle be washed, but the tires and the undercarriage will be cleaned thoroughly. Wax should be the conclusion of the auto detailing process and give it a shine to attract potential buyers looking at it when driving.
Make Sure Your Subaru Is Ready
Once you have undergone these different maintenance steps and checklists for your Subaru, you can feel confident about putting it on the market and getting it ready to sell. To get the most out of your Subaru, it needs to be in the best shape, which it will be once it has gone through this different stage. Ensure you finish your process with solid detailing so that the Subaru is ready to drive off the lot or off your property when you sell it to another buyer. You don’t want to be liable for the next buyer getting hurt shortly after they purchased your Subaru. After all, you want this Subaru to bring them as much joy as it has brought you over the years.
In conclusion, ensuring your Subaru is in optimal condition before putting it up for sale is not just about making a transaction; it’s about upholding a standard of integrity and safety for the next owner. By addressing common issues such as engine and transmission repairs, brake and suspension maintenance, alignment services, exhaust system repairs, auto glass care, and auto body detailing, you’re enhancing not only the vehicle’s performance but also its overall appeal and value.