Always worth doing
- Fresh MOT — a long-ticket car always sells faster and for more
- Sort any dashboard warning lights — buyers walk away from anything glowing on the cluster
- Replace tyres at or below 3mm — viewers always check tread
- Replace any failed bulb (headlight, brake, indicator)
- Top up screenwash and oil — empty bottles look like neglect
Worth doing if the car is otherwise tidy
- Minor bodywork: kerbed alloy, small dent, scuffed bumper. Cosmetic flaws kill perceived value faster than mechanical ones
- Cambelt if it's due in the next 10,000 miles — buyers price the job in at retail
- A full service with paperwork — adds confidence and asking-price headroom
Probably not worth it
- Major engine or gearbox work on a car worth under £2,500 — sell as-is and price honestly
- Brand-new tyres if the existing ones still have 4mm
- Detailing on a car the trade will buy regardless
Paperwork buyers actually look at
- MOT history (check on gov.uk before you list)
- Service stamps or invoices
- V5C in your name
- Locking wheel-nut key
- Spare keys (massive value-add)
Photos that sell the car
Clean it inside and out, take photos in soft daylight (not midday sun), include all four sides, the boot, the dash with engine running showing no warning lights, and a clear shot of the odometer.
Need a hand from a real garage?
We're an independent DVSA-authorised workshop in Poplar, E14 — five minutes from Canary Wharf. Honest quotes, no scare tactics.
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Written & reviewed by
Woodseer Autos Workshop Team
DVSA-authorised MOT testers & mechanics
The Woodseer Autos workshop team are DVSA-authorised MOT testers and qualified mechanics with hands-on experience across all MOT classes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7). Articles are written and reviewed by the same technicians who carry out the work in our East London workshop.
- DVSA-authorised MOT Testing Station — VTS V106376
- MOT classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7
- Independent garage operating from 14 Copenhagen Place, London E14 7DF