You’ve picked up your new car.. now what? You want to ensure that you protect your new car from the moment you leave the dealership. You’ve already considered some of the ownership costs that come with consideration of buying a new car. However, here are some tips on protecting your new car.
Car Insurance
Car insurance should be organised prior to car pick up. There are plenty of car insurers in Australia – it will be dependent upon factors such as how often you drive it, where it gets parked, what features are included in the car. A comprehensive guide to insurances can be found at Money Smart. One thing is for sure, it is worth your while shopping around for the appropriate insurance policy.
Some things to note:
- Avoid the lazy tax from car insurers, if they initially offered you a discount and it expires, shop around.
- Vary your excess – balance out the safety of high premiums with low excess vs low premiums with high excess if you’re a safer driver and want to save some money
Protect your new car
Paint Protection
Whether you chose to purchase this through the dealership, or aftermarket, it is intended to provide protection for your car against the outside world. There are multiple types of paint protection, common ones are chemical (wax like film) and ceramic.
The big question that has been asked by carloop customers – is it worth it?
Paintwork is covered by warranty for major problems, along with rustproofing. Dealers often charge several hundred dollars for paint and rust protection whereas you can get it aftermarket (or even do it yourself) for much less. However, if you decide to go for paint protection, acrylic paint sealers have a longer life than polymer counterparts. They don’t contain as much filler and are applied easier than a polymer sealer. With a polymer sealer, you receive a mixture of various ingredients to protect your vehicle.
Car Care
Despite this seeming like a fairly self explanatory topic, you would be surprised at the number of incidents that occur due lack of care or failure to use of correct products on car exterior and interior.
car care
A couple of things to keep in mind:
Washing is one of the single most important steps in maintaining your car’s paint
If you drive your car long distances and are often exposed to the elements (as it is with Australian climate), then it is recommended to wash and wax the car more often to protect it.
Safety— Make sure the detergents and other tools included in the car wash kit is safe to use on the sensitive paint or interior of your vehicle.
Auto Washes – Try to avoid if you can. It doesn’t bode well if trying to protect your new car. Brushes used in such machines can be too rough and harsh on the paint surface. The contact-less water jets are easier on the paint. However, many facilities use aggressive cleaning chemicals with ‘grey water’, which contains a lot of salt that will strip away the paint’s protective wax and sealants.
For an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts, visit carbible
Dash Cams
Dash cams can be useful in the case of a crash or incident. They range in price from under $100 to $1000, depending on what functionality you are looking for.
The aim of protecting your new car is to ensure it has a good resale or longevity. Plus, when you pay many thousands of dollars for a new car, you want to preserve it for as long as possible.
