Car Detailing Checklist Before Selling Your Vehicle

Detailing before a sale is one of the few upgrades that reliably pays for itself. Photos look better, walkarounds go better, and buyers negotiate less on a car that presents as cared for.

The pre-listing checklist

Work through these before you take a single photo.

• Full interior extraction — carpets, mats and cloth seats
• Leather cleaned and conditioned
• Paint decontaminated, then polished if swirls are visible
• Wheels, tires and wheel wells cleaned and dressed
• Glass polished inside and out
• Engine bay lightly cleaned and dressed

Which package to book

For most private sales the Elite Detail covers everything on this list. If the paint is dull or swirled, add paint correction before photos.