How to Clean Your 4WD After a Beach Trip (Mar 2026)

Never, ever wash a hot car in the direct sun. In a typical Aussie March, the panels can get up to 60 or 70 degrees. The soap will dry instantly and leave spots that are a nightmare to get off. (Your partner will thank you if you don't do this on the lawn, too, the salt kill the grass!)

Give the wheels and rotors about 20 minutes to cool down before you hit them with cold water. I've seen guys warp their discs by blasting them while they're still smoking hot from a long drive.

Quickly vacuum out any loose sand from the footwells before you get anything wet. Once sand gets wet inside the carpet, it's there for life.

This is the most important bit. Spend at least 20 minutes under there. Use an underbody attachment or a dedicated salt-neutralising wash. Focus on the tops of the chassis rails, the suspension towers, and inside the bumpers. If you think you're done, keep going for another five minutes.

Pop the bonnet and look for salt spray. Use a very gentle mist of water, don't go blasting the alternator or sensors. I usually use a damp cloth and some APC (All Purpose Cleaner) to wipe down the plastic bits. Salt loves to hide on the battery terminals.

Start from the roof and work down. You want to flood the sand off the paint. Don't touch the paint with a mitt yet! You're basically trying to wash away the 'sandpaper' layer with just water pressure.

Cover the whole car in a thick layer of snow foam. This dwells on the surface and encapsulates the remaining salt and sand. Let it sit for 5-8 minutes, but don't let it dry. Truth be told, I reckon Bowden's Own Snow Job is the best for this.

Now you can actually touch the car. One bucket with soapy water, one with clean water to rinse your mitt. Work in small sections. If you feel any grit in your mitt, rinse it immediately.

Use a brush and some degreaser to scrub the inside of the arches. Sand gets trapped behind the plastic liners and holds moisture against the metal. This is where most rust starts.

Open every door. Wipe down the rubber seals. Salt spray gets sucked into the door jams and will corrode the hinges if you ignore them. I once had a customer bring in a LandCruiser where the rear doors wouldn't even open because the hinges had seized from salt.

Take the nozzle off the hose and let the water just flow over the car. This 'sheeting' method helps the water run off and makes drying much easier.

Use a big microfibre drying towel. Pat it dry rather than rubbing. In the March heat, you've gotta move quick to avoid water spots.

Clean the windows with a dedicated glass cleaner. Salt leaves a film that's really hard to see until the sun hits it at the wrong angle while you're driving.