Keeping the Summer Heat and Dust Off Your Rig

Honestly, don't even bother washing the car if you aren't going to put some protection back on it. The UV levels in Feb are mental. I made this mistake myself on a black Commodore years ago, left it unprotected for one summer and the bonnet looked like chalk by March. After you wash, chuck on a quick sealant. I'm a big fan of Bowden's Own Bead Machine or Gtechniq C2. It takes five minutes to spray and wipe, and it stops the sun from literally cooking your paint.

If you've been out in the red dust, for the love of god, do not just start scrubbing with a sponge. That dust is basically liquid sandpaper. A mate of mine once took his dusty Patrol through a brush wash at the servo and the swirl marks were so deep I had to spend two days with a heavy compound to fix them. Use a pressure washer first to get the bulk off, then use two buckets, one with your soapy suds and one with clean water to rinse your mitt. It keeps the grit off the paint.

Bird and bat droppings in 40-degree heat will etch into your clear coat in under an hour. No joke. If you see a hit, get it off right away. I keep a bottle of detailing spray and a clean microfibre in the glovebox for this exact reason. Don't wait until the weekend or it'll leave a permanent scar that even a pro polisher might struggle to get out.

Driving into a summer sunset with a greasy windscreen is bloody dangerous. Use a dedicated glass cleaner, I reckon Meguiar's Perfect Clarity is the go, and two cloths. One to wipe the grime, one to buff it dry. I've found that skipping the buffing step is why most people get streaks. Your partner will definitely thank you when they can actually see the road on the way to the beach.