Keeping Your Paint From Perishing: Exterior Care Fundamentals

Never wash a car in direct sunlight if you can help it. If it's a 35 degree day, the water will dry before you can rinse it, leaving nasty water spots. Wait for the arvo or do it early morning.

Put your hand on the bonnet. If it's hot enough to fry an egg, it's too hot to wash. Spray the panels with cool water first to bring the temp down.

Fill your 'Wash' bucket with water and the recommended amount of soap. Fill your 'Rinse' bucket with just plain water. Put your grit guards in both.

Keep your clean drying towels in a container or inside the car. If one drops on the ground, it's dead to you until it's been through the wash. One pebble in a towel equals a ruined door panel.

Spray bug remover on the front bar and mirrors. Give it 2-3 minutes to dwell, but don't let it dry.

Always start with wheels. Why? Because they are the filthiest part. If you do them last, you'll splash dirty brake dust water onto your clean paint. Use your wheel-specific bucket here.

If you have a foam cannon, blast the whole car. Let it sit for 5 minutes. This softens the Aussie red dust and helps it slide off without you needing to scrub.

Rinse from the top down. Focus on the wheel arches and under the sills where salt and mud hide. Get as much 'loose' dirt off as possible before touching the paint.

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, wash a panel (start with the roof), then dunk it in the rinse bucket to knock the dirt off. Rub the mitt against the grit guard.

Don't go in circles! Circles create 'swirl marks'. Wash in straight, overlapping lines. If you do accidentally scratch it, a straight line is much easier to polish out than a circular one.

In our heat, rinse each panel after you've washed it. Don't let the soap dry on the paint.

Once the car is clean but still wet, spray your Iron Remover. It'll turn purple as it reacts with metal particles. Rinse thoroughly. This is crucial if you live near a train line or the coast.

Run your hand over the wet paint. If it feels like sandpaper, use a clay bar with plenty of soapy water as lube. This pulls out the stuff a wash can't touch.

A final flood rinse. Use the hose without a nozzle to let the water sheet off the panels. It'll leave less work for your drying towel.

Lay your large microfibre towel flat across a panel and pull it towards you. Don't 'scrub' the car dry. Just let the towel soak up the water.

If you have a leaf blower or a dedicated car dryer, use it to get water out of the mirrors, badges, and door seals. Prevents those annoying 'drip lines' later.

Use a slightly damp, older microfibre to wipe the door shuts and boot channel. A clean car with dirty door jambs is a half-finished job.

Clean the windows inside and out. Use a dedicated glass cleaner and two towels, one to spread, one to buff to a streak-free finish.

Now that it's clean and dry, apply your protection. I reckon ceramic-based spray sealants (like Gtechniq V3 or Bowden's Bead Machine) are best for Aussie conditions. They handle the UV better than old-school Carnauba wax.

Apply your tyre shine. Use an applicator sponge to keep it off the rims. Less is more, you want a nice satin finish, not a greasy mess.