An introduction to the effects of neglecting your vehicle's interior and exterior

Car Care Guide Topics

Not to scare, but neglecting your paint can have some serious consequences. Besides having to roll in an ugly ride, neglecting your vehicle can cause damage, decrease selling or trade-in value, lead to premature paint failure and many other nasty situations.

Ignoring your paint by not keeping up with regular washing, waxing and spot care is the worst form of car care neglect besides letting your motor run dry. Leaving dirt and contaminants to do their worst on your paint takes a serious chunk out of resale value. A prospective buyer, whether a private party or a dealer, notices paint and body condition before they ever pay attention to mechanical condition. Your ride might run like a dream, but a neglected exterior could cost you big.

Going beyond simple value and appearance, ignoring your paint also compromises the best defense for your ride's body panels. Neglected paint not only looks ugly, but it fails much faster than a regularly maintained finish. Not washing and waxing leads to surface damage, degradation of layers, flaking, and eventually severe rusting that can turn your car into a casualty.

There's danger in ignoring your interior, too, though not as much potential for crippling damage. Neglecting the interior of your vehicle mostly hurts your own comfort while driving. But, allowing stray cans and spilled drinks to wreak havoc on your carpet is the #2 way to sink your vehicle's value.

Taking care of the interior and exterior of your vehicle is important for so many reasons—nearly as vital as caring for the working components under your hood. Follow along with our guides on car care, and you'll find a reward in a longer lasting vehicle with which you have a tighter bond.